Dowlling

I have one of these dowelling jigs, extremely sturdy, it also drills holes for metal pin and cam fasteners, adjusts for different board thicknesses, it came with a handful of two sizes, but I haven't used any so far

I very rarely use dowels. Biscuit joints are so much quicker and easier.

Biscuit joints align in one axis, not two. So they're far easier to fit. Mostly you only need one axis rigidly aligned. If you need the second, a crossed biscuit can do that – and is still easier to align than a dowel.

The jointer tools aren't expensive these days. They're also far quicker than setting up with a dowelling jig.

I bought a doweling jig years ago - maybe 40 +/- - made by Wolfcraft, but I’ve seen similar ones from others over the years.

They use a set of ‘legs’ and ‘pips’ to line things up.

The system is all but fool proof, provided you line up the edges of boards to be joined.

Built a chipboard cupboard with cams, eventually decided they were only of use if the cupboard had to be moved again flatpack, and resorted to just using weights, dowels and glue. Cams are interesting though.

I have a biscuit jointer, but that relies on clamping everything while the glue dries, to be completely square.

Also investigated Pocket Screws and jigs, strangely I'm put off by the cost of the screws!

accuracy when drilling the top and bottom boards?

Look for Wolfcraft Dowelmaster jig reviews on YouTube.

About £20.

Without it, my square manual alignment of dowels was hopeless, and even making a jig out of scrap wood was a disaster - the drill bit ate it and deep holes eventually ran out of square.

Top tip, doing anything with chipboard.

Work on a soft surface, wood NOT concrete!

Dropping a door on edge after spending a while getting it right, adds more scrap lumber to the recycle pile.

Avoid the yellow toolstation version, the plastic wasn't rigid enough, and it wasn't square ... actually it looks like they no longer sell it.

Thank you everyone who replied.

But none of the solutons suggested actually answered my particular point.

Dowling jigs are great for boring in to the ends of pieces to be joined but I am looking at the middle of a sheet of material into which holes must be drilled to match those in the edges of pieces offered up (or is it down) to it.

I cannot see anything that will give me precision.

It is a long time since I did this sort of thing so I was assuming solutions will have been developed during the 40 years since. :)

Regards, Alan

The two right-angle parts of the WNEW jig come apart can can be clamped flat onto a board, and aligned to a pencil mark, as at this point in the video, is that what you mean?

there is also a longer jig which they call a "hole puncher"

A set of spiked dowel pins can help for dowels in arbitrary places. You drill one set of holes, insert the pin, and then offer up the mating bit of board. Once where you want it, you tap it against the pins. That then marks exactly where you need to drill the matching set of holes.

e.g.

Thanks Andy that is exactly what I was looking for.

Regards, Alan

Biscuit jointers, or most dowelling jigs, do this fairly easily.

Typically you clamp a batten to the middle of the board, offset by half the thickness of the board you're joining onto it. Then the jointer / jig aligns off that.

Yesterday, I was near Cricklewood and visited B&Q. I couldn't find a dowelling jig so asked a member of the staff. He checked. none in stock but they have 17 in Watford.

"How many types"?

Just one.

I just ordered on-line from China. :(