This is where a dowel jig can come in handy. These handy devices will allow you to drill a perfectly straight hole with remarkable accuracy in order to ensure you get a picture perfect fit for whatever your latest stab into woodworking is.
The main thing to look out for is extra sizes, but let’s take a quick look at 4 of the best dowel jigs around before we get into the nuts and bolts of using one.
Eagle America 445-7600 Professional Wide Capacity Self-Centering Dowel Jig
If you’re looking for a great dowel jig around, then Eagle America has you covered. Finding a high-quality variation of this tool actually made with serious woodcrafters in mind can be something of a challenge since almost no one uses dowel joints anymore. The sizes that come with it range from ¼” to ½” (see full specs) so you’ll be able to use almost any dowel size you want easily.With this one, you’ll be able to quite easily get the perfectly centered and straight holes you need to make sure that your project lasts for a long time to come.
Grizzly G1874 Improved Dowel Jig
When it comes to jigs and other woodworking tools, there’s a reason that people around the world trust Grizzly: they make some of the best. You’ll be hard pressed to find anything hardier. It can hold up to a 2” workpiece and allows you to make holes ranging from ¼” to ½” with a surprising amount of ease. This is a professional tool, for professional people, but if you’re willing to spend the money, it’ll last for decades to come. This should be on anyone’s list of the best dowel jigs.
Dowl-It 1000 Self-centering Doweling Jig
If you’re looking to go truly old school, the Dowl-It 1000 (see full specs) is the same design that’s been used for more than half a century. It opens to a full 2” so you’ll be able to clamp it on almost anything, and has its own built-invise to get you going. It’ll self-center as well due to the clamps, making it a great option for those who don’t want to invest in another tool. It’s a bit pricey, but at the end of the day, it’s one of the best around.
Rockler 3/8” Dowel Drilling Jig Kit
The Rockler 3/8” dowel drilling jig kit is an ideal opportunity for beginners and DIY-ers working out of their homes.
This dowel jig is limited to using a 3/8” diameter drill bit, but that’s still large enough for amateur craftsmen who want to incorporate smaller dowels or long, thin dowel rods. This jig doesn’t come with any clamps, so you’ll have to provide your own, but it does come with a transparent face that gives you the full view of your materials as you’re working.
Altogether, the Rockler 3/8” dowel jig is a solid choice for anyone who’s just starting to use advanced carpentry concepts like joinery. It may not be enough for advanced craftsmen, but it’s a great product for beginners.
Getting Jiggy With It
Much like dovetail joints, a lot of people consider doweling to be old fashioned. But it’s actually a great way to keep things together and can help maintain an almost seamless joint. Used correctly, a dowel joint can turn a simple chair into something that looks almost like a sculpture, a seamless piece of wood. The joints actually don’t hold together quite as well as dovetails, but they can be used in a much wider variety of situations.
What you’re looking for in a jig will largely depend on what you’re planning on doing. While a handheld one might be perfect for some people, it’ll only frustrate those who are trying for truly precision work if it decides to walk. For a truly impressive fit, it’s also necessary to drill holes of more than one size.
Jigs can be a bit hard to use for a beginner, and there’s a ton of accessories out there to make them more accessible to the initiate woodcraft, including drill stops. If you’re a sure hand with a drill, however, a jig is all you need. Many people with a lot of experience in the field prefer to simply tape the bit at the desired depth.
The most important thing is that you feel comfortable with your choice. This can make the difference between a perfect fit done easily and hours of wasted frustration and a lot of wasted wood. You’ll definitely want to try strapping some scrap wood together before you begin on a finished project that just needs to be joined.
Ideally, if you’re looking to get serious about matters you need the following qualities when searching for the best dowel jig:
• Self-Centering- A self-centering jig will automatically find the proper placement for the hole to be drilled. This can be imperative since even a slight deviation will be hugely noticeable in the final project.
• Multiple Sizes of Bushings- You don’t want to be limited to just one size of dowel. 3/8” is actually the most common, but having multiple options available allows you to get more creative about things.
• Self-Clamping- If the jig is self-clamped you don’t have to worry about it moving since the tension from the vice will hold it in place pretty much no matter what. If you opt to use separate clamps you might alleviate this problem, but it also requires the clamps themselves.
• Hardened Steel Bushings- The bushings need to be tough in order to stand the test of time since you’ll be putting them under a lot of stress by putting the drill bit through them repeatedly.
If you’ve been looking for a dowel jig, any of the above should suit you just fine. Keep in mind that the more expensive and old fashioned ones actually tend to work better for this kind of project. It’s an old-school technique but a good one and it’s still a favorite amongst connoisseurs of old furniture.
Get the best dowel jig you can afford, and join the hundreds of years of carpenters who’ve favored the dowel joint with a surprising amount of ease. You might just fall in love, and at the very least you’ll have learned an important new woodworking skill.
