One of the first important lessons I’ve learned in DIY work is that when you have a task that is repeatable, take the time to make a jig. It will be well worth it for the effort saved.

I had one of these repeatable tasks in adding drawer handles and door pulls. We had 4 drawers, 2 holes each, and 16 doors, 1 hole each, to drill holes for. THAT’S 24 HOLES! (And counting because we still have a few more cabinets to install.)

For the drawer pulls, I used a scrap piece of 2″ x 4″.

I measured the width between the center of the bolt holes for the new handles and marked them centered on my 2″ x 4″. Then I measured the vertical center of the drawer and put that measurement on my 2″ x 4″.  I used a drill bit that was slightly bigger than the bolt so they would slide through, and drilled holes where the lines met.

You can see how it compares to the handles below, although it looks a little off in the photo:

Then I took some scrap wood and nailed it to the top of the 2″ x 4″. This will let the jig rest against the top of the drawer and hang in the right place.

Melissa had concerns that my jig wasn’t smooth enough, so she added felt padding to the side that faces the drawer.

Here’s how it looked in action. You’ll notice I used a clamp to hold the jig secure while I was drilling each hole.

 

The bolts that come with the new handles weren’t long enough, so instead of going to buy longer bolts, I used a larger drill bit to counter-sink the hole on the inside of the drawer.

Then, Melissa was off to the races mounting the handles!

Next, I needed a jig to drill the holes for the door pulls. The hole for the pull needed to be 1.25 ” from the top and from the outside.

(We determined this by eye-balling where we liked the knob to be on each door.)

 

So I picked up another scrap of 2″ x 4″ and marked and drilled the hole. To allow this jig to be useful for both left-side facing and right-side facing doors, I nailed the piece to the top with an overhang on both sides and then, I nailed a piece on the side that overhangs both sides.

 

It works like this:

(The second hole was a mistake the first time around. A good reason to always test your jig before you start drilling!)

Another 16 holes and Melissa was off to the races again mounting the door pulls.

We know that we still have a ways to go before we actually hit the finish line, but ll in all, this little task felt like a major step towards having a finished kitchen. Not only does it make a difference visually, but it also really makes the cabinets more functional.

I even added the hardware to the most recent cabinet additions, the uppers in the nook area.

Ever created a jig for a repetitive job like this? It makes a big difference in how much effort and measuring is needed for the final product. And don’t forget, if you have questions about how to do something I discuss here, feel free to ask!