router hole drilling jig for cabinet walls

thingiverse

Instead of using a stand drilling machine to drill holes in a cabinet's walls, I opt for my trusty Festools OF1010 router, paired with a 17mm copying ring and a 5 mm drill bit, all working in harmony with this clever jig. With it, I'm able to create a series of neat and tidy holes, each spaced precisely 37 mm from the top or bottom edge of the cabinet's interior, and a consistent 32 mm apart. 37 mm --> O <-- 32 mm --> O <-- 32 mm --> O <-- 32 mm --> O <-- 32 mm --> O To put this jig to use: First, I align its left or right side with the cabinet wall's top or bottom edge and secure it firmly in place. Next, I position the router's copying ring into the first slot and drill a hole about 12 mm deep. Then, I pull out the router bit and move the copying ring to the second slot, where I drill again. This process is repeated five times, after which I can reposition the jig to continue drilling more holes. If additional holes are required: I unclamp the jig, insert a 5 mm drill bit into the last hole, slide the jig to fit the drill into the half-hole on one of its sides, clamp it firmly in place, and then drill as before. It's generally best to start drilling from the top edge and work down towards the bottom, meeting somewhere in the middle of the cabinet wall. This jig can be used not only for drilling holes for shelf supports but also for hidden cabinet door hinges. As for how I constructed this jig: After cutting the necessary pieces from 3 mm MDF using a laser cutter (with a kerf of 0.1 mm already accounted for in the SVG design), I glued them together and secured their stability with three 3x12 screws. To hold the jig firmly in place, I use Festool screw clamps, which sit comfortably on the cabinet wall edge as I drill holes with the router.