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  • Hi, I’m Emily

    Emily Fazio

    I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle.

    You can find me writing for HGTV and DIY Network, follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note if you'd like. I love notes.

    Thanks for visiting!

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Doing A Little Kreg Jig

September 19, 2012

Dudes. I splurged and bought a Kreg Jig last week, the mid-range priced K4 model to be exact, and because I used Pete’s Amazon Prime shipping privileges it arrived in just two days with free standard shipping, bazinga, I win. And I know that in the grand scheme of things, this isn’t a huge tool investment, nor is it anything new to the industry, but I can tell already that it’s going to be loads of fun and enable me to do things I’ve not succeeded at before (hell, it was originally an As Seen On TV gadget, putting it on the same winning platform as my Ped Egg and Pete’s Alumawallet).

Girl's first Kreg Jig. A special moment.

We have loads of projects on a list already (and many are wedding-related, huzzah!), but I decided to start out with something simple, just to prove that I could get the hang of the tool before sinking its drill bit into a piece of premium wood.

You probably haven’t been counting the number of times I should have been using a Kreg Jig to save myself hours of time on my projects, but here are a few examples:

  • Shoulda, woulda, coulda used it on our awesome West Elm-inspired side table.
  • And on Julia’s wooden step stool.
  • And in repairing this Sauder bookshelf.
  • And in building this kitchen island (it’s so due for an overhaul, and we will invite Kreg to the party next time around)
  • And when I constructed the barnwood mirror frame.
  • Among other projects…

The fact of the matter is, this tool was so easy to catch onto that I made a box in 10 minutes. And yes, knowing how to make boxes will play a part in a project that I’ve been vying to tackle this fall.

Girl's first Kreg Jig'd box. WTG.

I’m like a sponge to new tool techniques, quickly realizing that the long square bit sold with the Kreg Jig kit (combined with our bulky drill) would never, ever allow me to anchor boards in tiny spaces, but fortunately the screws are also accepting of a phillips head bit, and my new Gyro screwdriver came to the rescue again, allowing me to complete the box that I had designed. The little guy has power (that’s why it stole the show when I was reinstalling the stained kitchen cabinets).

The Black & Decker Gyro screwdriver eyes up the competition.

Side note: I’ve packed away my mint green nail polish in favor of a sultry chocolate color. I likey, and it compliments my pumpkin spice latte very nicely. When in doubt, look for Essie at Marshalls for $2.99/bottle.

Who else is playing with new tools this week? 

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DIY  / Tools

Emily
I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle. I've been a freelancer writer for 10+ years and you can find my work on popular home and garden sites, like HGTV.com. Follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note.

7 Comments


Cass
September 19, 2012 at 9:27 am
Reply

It’s on the wish list. I also need to make my way through about a dozen projects before I buy something that creates more projects. I will however be picking up some old barn doors STAT.

So. Want to come to my house and be a part of shenanigans that occur when you*try* to put up a new garage door opener and painting my garage door with chalkboard paint?



    Emily
    September 19, 2012 at 9:39 am

    Chalkboard paint sounds fun! I too am due for a new garage door opener… I can stall on that like the best of them. Would rather play with the Kreg Jig and just cross my fingers that I don’t get locked out of the garage (again).

Martina@Buidling Beauty
September 19, 2012 at 10:17 am
Reply

I literally just bought the same model of Kreg Jig last week (and am waiting with bated breath for it to be delivered). There are a ton of projects on our to-do list that we’ve been putting off until we bought the Kreg system, so it’s doubly exciting (new tool + back burner projects = loads of excitement). Can’t wait to see how you put yours to use! :)



    Emily
    September 19, 2012 at 10:22 am

    I am SO EXCITED for you. You’re going to love it. Great minds think alike!

Blake
September 19, 2012 at 12:49 pm
Reply

I just got the Kreg Jig Jr this past week. I used it this weekend to make a floating shelf that I installed 3 led lights in to give better lighting to read by when sitting on the couch. I used 1×2 red oak from Lowe’s for the two frames of the shelf. Used 1/4 red oak for the top and bottom. The jig made making the frame very easy.



Cait @ Hernando House
September 20, 2012 at 5:36 pm
Reply

I think a jig is on R’s wishlist!

Also, they sell Essie at Marshall’s for $2.99?!



    Emily
    September 20, 2012 at 9:53 pm

    Yes! And yes (in limited supply and “last season” colors)!

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  • HI, I’m Emily

    Emily Fazio

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