Wood dowels and doweling jigs for strong, invisible joints in cabinets, frames and shelving. Power Tool Services stocks Milescraft fluted dowel pins in bulk packs and assorted buckets, a Festool dowel set, plus Milescraft, Narex and Festool doweling jigs and centre finders so the holes line up first time. For a joint with no visible fixings, dowels are the traditional answer.
Choosing wood dowels and a doweling jig
- Pin size: match the dowel to the board. The dowel is roughly a third to half the thickness of the thinner part: 6mm for 16mm board, 8mm for 18 to 22mm, 10mm for 25mm and up. Milescraft bulk packs come in the common metric sizes.
- Fluted pins: the grooves let glue and air escape as the pin goes in, so the joint seats fully instead of locking up on trapped glue.
- Self-centring jigs: the Milescraft Joint Mate and JointMaster clamp onto the board edge and centre the hole automatically for edge, corner and T joints.
- Multi-hole jigs: the Joint Pro and DowelJigKit handle wider boards and repeat spacings; the dowel and tenon centre set transfers hole positions to the mating part.
- Making your own: the Narex metric dowel plate lets you drive riven hardwood through sized holes for dowels in a timber that matches the job.
Dowel joint vs Domino and biscuit
A dowel joint is cheap and strong, but it depends on accurate drilling, which is where the jig earns its keep. Festool's Domino system cuts a loose-tenon mortise with the same alignment in a fraction of the time; biscuits are faster still but add less strength. See doweling jigs for the jigs alone, Festool Dominos for loose tenons, and biscuits for plate joiners.
In stock in Cape Town with nationwide courier delivery, free on orders over R2000. Call 021 674 2119 if you are unsure which jig suits your work.
