Design & Prototype Dowelling and Drilling Jig

The world is awash with jointing systems, many at substantial cost. Most of them, and all of the doweling jigs I have seen, can only join boards at right angles and often require a range of centre lines to accommodate different sizes of dowel. They are also limited to a small range of dowel sizes, normally greater than 6mm. Owing to their design they often require clamps to secure them for every operation, which is time-consuming and inconvenient.

At Design & Prototype we have designed and manufactured a unique jig which will join boards at any mitre angle and handle dowels down to 4mm, which allows use on boards as thin as 8mm. For T-joints, the dowel size is selected by rotating an indexed turret, without the need for additional bushes. It uses a hinged design to match any angle and is self-securing to the workpiece, without clamps. All operations take place on a common centre line, simplifying setting out and minimising the width of the tool, allowing use nearer the edge of the component. It uses standard 14mm drill bushes of any size up to 10mm and requires only a portable electric drill to operate, making it low-cost, quick, easy and accurate to use.

In addition to dowel joints the jig can be used for centring holes on the board edge, drilling holes a fixed distance from any edge and drilling close-pitched holes in preparation for morticing.