The Doweling Jig | 5 Options You Should Consider

Article
Written By Kyle Cameron

Introduction

There are many options when it comes to which doweling jig you should buy. They come in all variations, shapes, sizes, levels of accuracy and capacity. When I was looking for one myself I unintentionally compiled a lot of research on the topic. Having all this information available I thought that some of you, out there in the woodworking ether, would benefit from having an article available covering the topic. After several days of searching I compiled a short list of doweling jigs which incorporates 5 of the most common doweling jig variations. That being said there may be other doweling jigs out there that are better or more versatile than the ones I have presented. Additionally, this article is not meant to be an end all be all resource on doweling jigs. What my intention was when building this list was to provide the widest variety of configurations, capacities, and prices for what was available in the doweling jig arena currently on the market.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic and any recommendations you may have for other jigs that I haven’t covered. If you have anything to add please throw it into a comment down below so that all my readers can benefit from it.

Doweling Jigs Worth Looking At

Jessem Model 08350 Dowelling Jig Master Kit

I thought I would start with the most expensive option in this list. The Jessem Model 08350 doweling jig is high quality precision jig. The body of this jig is CNC machined out of aluminum and anodized in black. All of the alignment markings are laser etched to ensure an extremely high level of accuracy. On the underside of the jig body alignment grooves have been milled into the surface to provide accurate alignment in 1/8” increments. These grooves are mated with protrusions on the jig fence for indexing against your work piece. This is the only jig in this list, and possibly on the market, that allows you to adjust for multiple dowel placements without unclamping it. The only downside that I foresee with this jig is its inability to be micro-adjusted. In the event that you have an oddly thicknessed piece of lumber, as in its thickness/size is unknown, you will be locked into those 1/8” increments built into the jig fence. This will cause your placement of dowels to not be symmetrical across the end grain of your piece. This may or may not be a problem for most people but I thought it was worth noting. All in all though, this is an extremely accurate and versatile doweling jig and it has very high rating amongst its users. 

Features/Capabilities

  • Types of Joints: Corner, Edge, Surface
  • Material Thickness: 1/2" - 7"
  • Dowel Sizes: 1/4”, 3/8”, 1/2"
  • Material: Steel
  • Clamping: Manual/Not Integrated

What Comes With It

  • Main Body and Referencing Angle
  • 3/8" Guide Mount with Drill Bit and Indexing Pin
  • 1/4" Guide Mount with Drill Bit and Indexing Pin
  • 1/2" Guide Mount with Drill Bit and Indexing Pin
  • Hex Key
  • Manual

The Milescraft 1311 Joint Pro doweling jig is both affordable and reasonably well made. It has a machined aluminum body, integral (integrated) clamps and an included offset body. The offset body is designed to support the other end of your work pieces while you are drilling the dowel holes. Full disclosure… I personally own this one and I love it. On top of its versatility, the price point for this jig is reasonable as well. The only downside, and something I wish was different, is that the dowel positions are pretty much fixed where they are. There are two positions you can place each dowel hole size which limits placement on thicker work pieces . This is why I think the Amazon rating is somewhat low on this jig. If you are looking for the features of a more expensive jig but don’t want to pay the price then this is a great option. 

Features/Capabilities

  • Types of Joints: Corner, Edge, Surface
  • Material Thickness: 1/2” – 1 1/2"
  • Dowel Sizes: 1/4", 5/16”, 3/8”
  • Material: Aluminum
  • Clamping: Integral/Integrated

What Comes With It

  • Main Body and Offset Body
  • 3 Drill Guide Bushings: 1/4”, 5/16”, 3/8”
  • Allen Key
  • Manual

The highly rated Dowl-it 1000 doweling jig has been around for a long time. It has a machined steel body and a self-centering patented clamping screw that is integrated into the jig body. One of the things that I love about this jig is the multitude of dowel sizes that is supports. Of the jigs in this article, this one has the most options for dowel sizes. With six different option, you can pretty much buy any pre-made dowel on the market and this jig will support it. As good as it is the Dowel-it only supports edge joints. The video linked above shows that you can make it work with corner and face joints but the mating face dowel holes have to be drilled manually(without a jig). At the end of the day this is a basic doweling jig with some very convenient features. It’s hard to go wrong with anything made or promoted by Rockler, so you will likely not be disappointed with this as long as your needs are basic.

Features/Capabilities

  • Types of Joints: Edge
  • Material Thickness: 1/2” – 2"
  • Dowel Sizes: 3/16", 1/4", 5/16", 3/8", 7/16" and 1/2"
  • Material: Hardened Steel
  • Clamping: Integral/Integrated

What Comes With It

  • Main Body
  • Manual
  • Amazon Rating: 4.5 out of 5
  • Price Point: $40 - $50
  • Product Link: https://amzn.to/2X8brNO
  • Product Video: Not Available

This is the only obscure brand doweling jig that I included in this list. There are other brands that produce the exact same jig, but this is the only one I found that included multiple sizes in the same kit. The construction of this jig is a machined steel body with an acrylic fence. This is a very basic doweling jig and isn’t meant for complex dowel joinery. If you are looking to simply edge joint boards together for panel glue-ups or shelving, then this one is for you. The kit that I link to above has three different jig bodies, the corresponding drill bits, stop collars, and a hard-shell case. What this jig lacks in versatility it makes up for in presentation and completeness. Of the jigs in this article, this kit has the most included with it. The thing to keep in mind here is to not expect a high degree of accuracy, this is more of a utility dowel jig then a precision one.

Features/Capabilities

  • Types of Joints: Edge
  • Material Thickness: 1/2"(No max limit)
  • Dowel Sizes: 1/4”, 3/8”, 1/2"
  • Material: Hardened Steel/Acrylic
  • Clamping: Manual/Not Integrated

What Comes With It

  • 1/4”, 3/8”, 1/2” Doweling Jigs
  • 1/4”, 3/8”, 1/2” Drill Bits
  • Drill Bit Stop Collars
  • Manual and Carry Case

The Milescraft #1319 JointMate is the most unique of the doweling jigs in this article. It neither has the ability to clamp to a workpiece or change templates for various dowel sizes. Instead, what it does is self-center using four posts protruding from its body and must be held in place using the integral (integrated) handle. Curiously though, this jig can drill three different size dowel holes and has the capability to perform all the same joints as the most expensive jig in this list. How you utilize the four protruding posts determines which dowel hole will self-center on the workpiece. The manual does an ok job of showing a pictographic representation of how to use the self-centering posts based on board thickness. I suggest downloading it to see how this jig works before making the decision to purchase. Its price and capabilities are very enticing, but its accuracy and ease of use is lacking a little.

Features/Capabilities

  • Types of Joints: Corner, Edge, Surface
  • Material Thickness: 1/2" to 1 1/2"
  • Dowel Sizes: 1/4”, 5/16”, 3/8"
  • Material: ABS Plastic
  • Clamping: Manual Hold/Clamping Not Available

What Comes With It

  • Jig Body and Fence
  • Manual

Conclusion

Regardless of the jig you choose, it needs to be right for the project you are working on. Not all dowel jigs, joinery jigs in general, are right for every situation. You may be working on a project that simply requires edge joining or one that may require dowels in multiple non-typical locations. Dowel jigs on the cheaper side will generally have fewer adjustments and be less capable then the more expensive ones but, if you needs are basic, you may only need to buy that $10 jig. If your still reading this far into my article then the only advice I can give is match the jig to the project and don’t break the bank to have the best and most accurate jig when you don’t need it. As always thanks for reading and I hope you found something in this article useful and it helped you make a decision for your project.

Kyle Cameron
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