Best dowel jig. A dowel jig is a specificity-made device that allows you to reliably drill holes at equal distances from one another and accurately placed with respect to the edges of the wood being drilled. This makes it possible to join items such as shelves or cabinets with perfection.
When shopping for dowel jigs, look for high quality ones rather than homemade products. Quickly swapping drill bits into sleeves held in place by metal bushings on each of the jig’s arms helps ensure straight, even holes are drilled.
High quality material should be used in constructing bits- don’t settle for anything less than high speed steel (HSS) when purchasing drill bits.
Best Dowel Jig
| Image | Title | Buy |
|---|---|---|
 | Milescraft 1319 Joint Mate Handheld | Check Price |
 | AUTOTOOLHOME Self Centering | Check Price |
 | Self Centering Doweling Jig | Check Price |
 | Woodstock D4116 Doweling Jig | Check Price |
 | Dowelmax Classic 3/8 Precision | Check Price |
 | Eagle America 445-7600 Professional | Check Price |
 | Jessem Model 08350 Dowelling Jig | Check Price |
1. Milescraft 1319 Joint Mate
Using this tool will allow you to join corners of your pieces or add a border onto the ends of your work-pieces quickly and easily.
You’ll save time if you have lots of joints as well, seeing as it doesn’t require measuring and marking.
This product lets you create dowel joints without exposed fasteners which means edges on your finished piece remain smooth.
As well, the self-centering guide make it simple to set up and easy to drill through each hole in succession so that the holes match up without fail.
They recommend using 1/2″ -1-1/2″ thick lumber for best drilling results. Make perfectly sized holes for perfectly sized dowels that go in to perfectly aligned joints the Miles Craft Joint Mate is a universal dowel jig that makes it all possible.
The Joint Mate is a self-centering jig and the adjustable fence allows you to make very precise cuts so no one will be having joint related issues down the road.
There are also no exposed or covered mechanical fasteners to worry about with this jig which maintains all of that do-it-yourself autonomy any great maker should have. The jig works with all kinds of lumber from 1/2″ up to 1 and 1/2″ thick.
2. AUTOTOOLHOME Self Centering
This jig is made for easy and accurate hole drilling. They’ve built in ease of use and accuracy feature that allows for faces and edges to be drilled at the same time saving you time and energy.
A precision-machined pin creates a parallel bar that finds dead center on any board. Another accuracy feature is two included thumbscrews to hold the jig firmly against your wood as you drill your holes, allowing you to focus on aligning your next set of holes.
Going deeper into detail, they know how frustrating it can be when attempting to line up end grain with your side or face grain pieces as accurately as possible.
The thumbscrews ensure accurate placement of the hole, which also prevents splintering in hardwoods because of over-drilling at an angle. The nifty inch gauge lets you carefully adjust the depth of your bit.
Adjustable length for different types of wood, with stock from 1/2″-1 3/4″ thick; smooth aluminum casting (drill guide) and hardened steel bushings, these leveling arms open to 4 inches wide great for larger cuts.
Imperial sizing keeps these drill bushings compatible with a wide variety of job-site tools, including portable electric drills, press drills and hand brace operations.
3. Rockler Self Centering Doweling Jig
The Rockler 1000 Self-Centering Doweling Jig is the perfect option for easier and more accurate self-centering drilling. It’s probably the best solution for medium and small size projects as there are 6 positions to choose from.
With a hardened steel core, this exceptionally useful tool offers great efficiency when it comes to drilling holes in wood.
The Rockler 1000 Self-Centering Doweling Jig offers multiple sizes including 3/16, 1/4, 1/2, 5/16, 7/16 and 3/8 inches to suit any job at hand.
Furthermore, the two significant advantages are long lasting functionality and precise drilling capabilities while being capable of handling different types of wood too.
The manufacturer also provides you with a solid steel clamping screw when using this jig. It helps in increasing the ease of tightening while keeping your stock in place.
Also, having aluminum sides like this is another great help when it comes to positioning your materials without having to worry about them becoming damaged.
So basically, you can look forward to working with this dowel jig and making quite a few different joints that are worth boasting about.
This jig gives self-centering operation for both square and round material which works well and we love that zero loose parts are used.
4. Woodstock D4116 Doweling Jig
This doweling jig is made of sturdy steel and aluminum. Its highly advanced design allows it to seamlessly center itself on round and irregular shapes.
Stock up to 2-Inch thick can also be drilled using this carpenter’s companion. Available drill-hole sizes include 1/4-Inch, 5/16-Inch, 3/8-Inch, 7/16-Inch and 1/2-Inch.
Six hardened steel bushings are provided: 2 each of 1/4-, 5/16-, 3/8-, 7/16-, and 1/2-. Because of its revolutionary design, you may drill two equal parallel holes without moving the jig.
The Woodcraft T1950 Clear Acrylic Tape Measure with Level will always be your friend when keeping track of measurements.
This drill guide kit from Woodpeckers is an excellent choice for those who want to be able to experiment with different size drills in order to see what works best for their project.
It’s made of a durable aluminum body to help ensure this accessory will get you through many projects before it should need replacing.
The drill guides are strong and made of hardened steel, so they’ll stay intact as you make any necessary jig adjustments. This option has five ⅜”, ¼”, 5/16” 7/16”, ½” diameter options plus one each for 1/8” and 5-32 threaded holes.
5. Dowelmax Classic 3/8 Precision Engineered
In terms of versatility, this dowel max kit is certainly something you want to invest in. Dowel Max jig is used by professionals and entails little learning curve involved.
The dowels are unlike any other they’re intended for a lifetime of use. You won’t have problems using these with your drill (sold separately) either; because the kit creates strong, accurate joints of virtually any size and configuration.
These include flush, angled or “T” joint configurations that range from 3/4″ x 3/4″ to 4″x4″. They think you’ll love doing projects on almost any woodworking project including cabinet doors and tabletops because users will be ready for them.
The set includes 5 drill guides made of hardened steel for 3/8″ dowels and additional 1/4″ drill guiding for 1/4″ dowels. Also, there are places in which you can insert either 2 or 3 rows of holes on a single work-piece along with many configurations that come with flush joints.
This machine is designed to be operated by one person without difficulty and it can be used to create perfectly fitted joints every time.
Furthermore, the machine operates in a way that will not fracture your materials, making it an ideal tool for anyone working on similar projects.
6. Eagle America 445-7600 Professional
If increasing the precision of your next woodworking project is important to you, then this may just be the clamp on jig you’re looking for to assist you in creating furniture.
At 1/4 inch thick, this clamping jig can easily handle table top only projects and at 6 inches wide it will accommodate larger pieces of material. The 5 hole sizes this clamp on jig offers include: 1/4″, 5/16″, 3/8″, 7/16″ and 1/2″.
These five various-size holes (one fixed ) will be more than enough for planks less than 6 inches thick so any other high-precision drill needs while making furniture will be covered.
This tool makes it significantly easier to tap holes into a set of different pieces of wood. The tool’s cog is specifically calibrated and allows one to prepare three different sized holes in one clamping, making it simpler and more efficient than preparing these holes separately.
The tool also has a plain body which helps the tool emphasize its main purpose – drilling perfect holes.This jig is amazingly accurate and easy to use.
There is no need to measure or calculate anything, which means no more guessing as to wind up with a miter joint that has angles off by only 1 degrees.
7. Jessem Model 08350 Best dowel jig
To create 1/4-inch (6 mm) dowel holes, locate the first hole to be 1/8 inch from your end of the work piece. The second dowel hole should be located 3/4 inch (19 mm) from the opposite side for a total spacing of 3/8 inches.
If you aim to make 3 fourth dowel holes spaced in increments of one-half inch, mark these dots 6 inches apart starting at either end and leaving a space of 1-7/8 inches between then.
With the JessEm doweling jig, you can create matching holes in your furniture that join dowels together. This ultimately allows you to easily make wooden furniture even if you don’t have any construction experience.
It also makes it easier for already-experienced workers to quickly make matching pieces of furniture. Either way, once you purchase our JessEm Products Company’s unique tools and jigs, making things is a snap.
These tools are easy to use on their own or in conjunction with one another and are made from high-quality materials that will last for a very long time. The dowels in this turntable play a role as well.
The pre-set locations allow you to also create multiple dowel hole configurations and when combined with the alignment slot, match up dowel holes that are spaced further apart for perfect aligned dowels.
It is constructed of precision CNC machined aluminum for durability which comes in handy when laser engraved for fast setups which help to get your project on track.
Conclusion
Best dowel jig. A dowel jig is a tool that can be used to easily drill holes in specific spots on a variety of different materials. With a dowel jig, you can achieve accuracy on your holes which will help you create incredibly strong joints between two or more pieces of material. If you want to make joints that look great, last a long time and are highly durable, be sure to check out our post on how to use a dowel jig.
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