You simply can't beat a pocket hole cutter for production work. And this Porter-Cable is fast, accurate and helps you create a really strong joint. Perfect for kitchen and bathroom cabinet face frames as well as other furniture building, the machine has two motors that operate a router and a drill, and produces a routed pocket with a perfectly placed pilot hole in literally two seconds. The sleek six-degree angle doesn't allow for shifting, so you won't even need to clamp your work, saving you even more time and effort.
This model cuts a 3/8-inch wide pocket and then drills a 9/64-inch pilot hole in one smooth operations. Keep in mind that it works with stock that is 1/2-inch to 15/16inch thick, but within that range, you'll need to use a shim with stock that measures 1/2-inch to 5/8-inch. Minimum stock dimensions are 1-1/2 inches in both length and width, but it works equally well on a wide variety of materials, including hard and soft woods, laminate, medium-density fiberboard, melamine and even particle board.
The process is amazingly simple: Line up the center of your workpiece with the center notch on the clamping device. Tighten the clamp down, and with one smooth push and pull of the lever, you've cut a smoothly routed pocket and drilled a precisely placed pilot hole. It couldn't be easier. If you haven't used a machine like this before, give yourself a few tries on scrap until you get the hang of the movement needed to make the cuts. If you're too fast, you'll get a rough cut; too slow and you'll burn your bits.
Should you be working with a wider workpiece, there are notches 3/8-inch to each side of the center notch that can be used to make two pockets with their centers spaced exactly 3/4-inch apart.
The only maintenance that this machine wants from you is a little housecleaning after use - the chips really accumulate quickly in the machine. A breath of fresh compressed air will clean out the debris and keep your motors running cool, and thus, longer.--Kris Jensen-Van Heste
Canada
UK
Germany
