Dowel Max or Mortise Pal?

[Joe Little]

Which has more versatility? So I need to build some face frames and have some furniture projects to do. Assuming I don't want to do mortises by hand and don't have room for a dedicated mortiser which of these tools will serve me best. I am also open to cheaper options like beadlock, dowel-it, etc.

Thanks
joe

[Chris Padilla]

May I extol the virtues of a Festool Domino? :D

[glenn bradley]

I went with the Mortise Pal. Very un-fussy setup and one larger mortise can do the job of several dowels. Different tenon thickness is just a matter of changing your bit, all other setup remains the same. I whipped up a bunch of tenon stock out of hardwood scraps and can now match (or not match if I want) material with ease. The MP also has a dowel template that will cover your doweling needs.

The Dowel Max is a really nice looking rig but, the price starts to get up there if you want alternate drill guides and such. You will hear from some folks who really love the DM on this forum. They have done some great work with it. I liked the MP and am glad I went that way YMMV.

P.s. Except where aesthetic require otherwise, pocket holes take care of face frame really well.

[Carroll Courtney]

I don't know anything,or have seen a MP but I do have the DM.I have only use it afew times and it makes me look like I know what I'm doing.Its simple to setup and to use.You just have to pay attention to what is the front and the side.There is arrows to help with the setup,yes it cost a big penny.I don't have deep pockets nor a big bankroll so I was very hestient(?) to make the purchase.After watching the free DVD on how to use and what all it can do,I decided to spend the money."Its worth every penny" and takes up about 8"X 4" of space in your drawn.While its no Festool,it gets the job done and the quality of the DM is very good.Send off for the DVD and you make the decision.Good Luck----Carroll

[J. Z. Guest]

and here's why: The Mortise Pal appears to be a self-centering jig. This means that the pieces have to be the exact same thickness in order for them to line up, or that you have to want to line them up center-to-center.

With Dowelmax, you can make any two edges of the workpieces line up. Also, for bigger joints, you can make multiple rows of dowels.

Once you start involving routers, setups get longer & more complicated.

I'd go with Dowelmax as a first choice and Domino as a second. "Expansible dowels" cost less than dominos, and the DM costs less than the Domino tool. I suppose you could make your own dominos, but they wouldn't be expandable.

Another GREAT option for face frames is the Kreg Jig. But it is not as flexible, since there are the pocket holes to contend with. (fill or hide) The plugs, you can't make yourself, and they are only sold in a few species of wood.

See if you can find a local owner of a DM.

[Chris Allen]

Here's another vote for the DM. Never used the MP, so I can't give you a comparative review. But the DM is foolproof. Perfect joint every time. It was pricey, but will surely last a lifetime. Good luck.

[Phil Thien]

and here's why: The Mortise Pal appears to be a self-centering jig.

I don't think so...

http://www.mortisepal.com/

Variable offsets.

[John Lucas]

and here's why: The Mortise Pal appears to be a self-centering jig. This means that the pieces have to be the exact same thickness in order for them to line up, or that you have to want to line them up center-to-center.

With Dowelmax, you can make any two edges of the workpieces line up. Also, for bigger joints, you can make multiple rows of dowels.

Once you start involving routers, setups get longer & more complicated.

I'd go with Dowelmax as a first choice and Domino as a second. "Expansible dowels" cost less than dominos, and the DM costs less than the Domino tool. I suppose you could make your own dominos, but they wouldn't be expandable.

Another GREAT option for face frames is the Kreg Jig. But it is not as flexible, since there are the pocket holes to contend with. (fill or hide) The plugs, you can't make yourself, and they are only sold in a few species of wood.

See if you can find a local owner of a DM.

Jeremy,
let me use your post since you have several bases covered.
First, I have all three and use them all. The MP and DM are both quality jigs. if you look at the General turrel dowel thing I got from my father and suffered with for too many years, these two new jigs are really nice. I dont think of them as anything but apples and oranges except they are joining methods. I would throw in beadLOCK which has been remanufactured by Rockler and is a real fine tool.
As to Kreg and pocket holes, I still think of that as the best face frame joiner...even with the ungainly holes. If you dont like to use their plugs, use a 3/8" dowel of the same species and saw flush. It leaves you with a plug with the right angle and all you have to do is cut it square. Did you know that if you use the Kreg plugs, it will leave about 3/16" proud and you have to cut anyway. I am presenly modifying a trim router to flush cut these things off.

[Paul Murphy]

For those wanting the MP, it's on sale at the moment, $25 off of the jig kit plus free UPS Ground shipping.

[Rob Price]

for about the same price of the dowelmax have you looked at the Freud doweling machine? Works like a biscuit, strong like a dowel. You can do two at a time or one at a time for real narrow pieces.

[Russ Massery]

Another vote for the Mortise Pal. Love The jig I use Festool Dominos when I being lazy and don't want make my own. Mostly the 6mm and 8mm.

[Chris Padilla]

I just received the new issue of WOOD magazine and they did a one-pager on the MP...the reviewer gave it a 5 star rating (out of 5 stars).

[Ray Schafer]

I would buy the Kreg Master kit for $139 to use for face frames (and lots of other things). When you get to the point that you need dowels or M&T, I would buy the Dowelmax with all the bells and whistles and I would build one of the mortise jigs (one was in FWW in 2008 [don't remember which issue], and one is in this month's American Woodworker [which I received 2 days ago) and would use loose tenons.

I have the Kreg Pocket hole jig, which I think is the greatest jig ever made.

I have the Dowelmax, which I think is the best fine woodworking jig ever made.

I have the home-made mortise jig on my to-do list for this spring.

I have often looked at the possibility of getting the Mortise Pal, but I don't know what it gives me that the mortise jigs don't. Maybe someone on this thread can tell me. I figure that for the cost of the hold-downs, I can make a jig that will allow be to easily do all of the Mortises that I want.