Woodpeckers MT doweling jig

[Dan Rude]

What do you think of the new one time tool by Woodpeckers MT doweling jig? I have the newer Jessem, but like how fast this one seems to be able to use. Thoughts? I also posted this over on Bill H's thread for the MT Center Gauge, this can be added to it. Dan

[Wade Lippman]

It looks like it does what it does very well; but it is very limited in what it does. I can't see it.

But if you do decide to upgrade, I would be interested in your Jessem. That looks like something I could get some use out of.

[Bill Huber]

Well it is a self-centering doweling jig, you can buy one for $15 and up, all they do is put a hole in the center of a board. I guess if that is all you are going to do it would work. If you had the centering tool to start then you can just add to it with the doweling block.

But if you are going to put dowel in the face of a board they can't do it. From looking at it I guess you could just put the block on the face and try and clamp it some way.

If you are wanting to put 2 board together that are not exactly the same thickness you will have a little lip on each side. With other jigs you have one side that is dead on and a lip on the other so you only have one side to plan or sand down.

What if you had a wide board and you wanted to put 2 rows of dowels, side but side.

The other thing that I worry about is holding it and keeping it centered. If you hit the grain just right will it walk the bit and can you hold it in place.

I guess you could use the stop for a reference but then if you wanted to move down the board you would have to take it off and then when you put it back to drill the mate it could be off a little.

With some of the other doweling jigs, DowelMax, Jessem and some other it makes no difference if the boards are not exactly the same, you have a reference face and it will always match because you use a fixed reference on the tool.

I like Woodpecker products, I have a lot of them but this one to me just is a little bit over priced for what it does.

[Peter Kuhlman]

Watching the video, I noticed that every time they drilled a hole the jig actually moved and tilted. That would ruin any good alignment in my opinion. I own lots of Incra and Woodpecker products but this is not for me. Will stick with my DowelMax.

[Dan Rude]

Thanks everyone that was what I was wondering. Just needed a opinion on it. This time I will pass on it. Dan

[Rich Riddle]

Good decision to pass on it. Woodpeckers has been coming out with tools that seem more like gimmicks than serving an actual need. At the Woodworking Show they were displaying a prototype of the next tool like this, a tool that will perfectly center a tenon line with your choice of sizes for the tenon. You can see the new tool here:

http://blog.woodcraft.com/2013/10/the-precise-mortise-tenon-center-marking-tool-now-at-woodcraft/

Of course it has severe limitations, such as helping with offset tenons, etc. It sure does look nice though.

[Andrew Kertesz]

Personally I think they also create a feeding frenzy of sorts by calling it a "One Time" tool. Everybody gets the mindset that I need to get it now or never will be able to and then jumps on the band wagon. There may be others but Bridge City is the only other company I can think of that takes this approach with some tools with their Founders Circle members. Currently in production: a dual low angle smoothing plane listed at: $1796.00.

[ken masoumi]

this is not for me. Will stick with my DowelMax.
Couldn't agree more,I bought an older dowelmax in a garage sale that had instruction video in VHS! paid $100,best dowelling jig I have ever bought.

[Phil Thien]

I'm addicted to doweling jigs, so I'm just going to put that out there so you guys know where I'm coming from.

But I think it has some virtues.

First, in terms of flex/movement, I think it seems solid enough in the video to provide precise-enough alignment. I often use my jigs (shop-made as well as commercial) with nothing but hand pressure to keep them in place. You'd be surprised how well it works.

Second, in terms of centering, the normal centering jigs don't really work that well. The mechanism that centers them often allows the drill guide to skew slightly. I think the Woodpeckers unit would stay precisely centered.

I imagine if I tried one I'd like it. My doweling jig budget is kind of depleted right now (all my woodworking budgets are empty), but I think this jig is interesting.

[Michael Mahan]

I bought my Festool Domino & then quickly sold my Jessem doweling rig .
Never even consider these doweling rig/jigs anymore
by the time you guys place the doweling jig up & then drill holes I'm placing the Domino back in it's box as I've already cut my mortices on both boards :)

[Phil Thien]

I bought my Festool Domino & then quickly sold my Jessem doweling rig .
Never even consider these doweling rig/jigs anymore
by the time you guys place the doweling jig up & then drill holes I'm placing the Domino back in it's box as I've already cut my mortices on both boards :)

I've watched a Domino being used, and don't really think it is much faster than a doweling jig.

Maybe your drill was in reverse.

:)

[Michael Mahan]

I've watched a Domino being used, and don't really think it is much faster than a doweling jig.

Maybe your drill was in reverse.

:) :p So ,
You've never actually used both tools then ? :rolleyes:

[Phil Thien]

:p So ,
You've never actually used both tools then ? :rolleyes:

No, but I don't think I could really go any faster than the guy demonstrating the thing.

[Bill Huber]

I bought my Festool Domino & then quickly sold my Jessem doweling rig .
Never even consider these doweling rig/jigs anymore
by the time you guys place the doweling jig up & then drill holes I'm placing the Domino back in it's box as I've already cut my mortices on both boards :)

The Domino is a great tool, no question there and for a production shop I think they would be really good to have. Speed is very important in a cabinet shop so it would really help the bottom line to get things done fast.

But of the home user I am just not to sure of that, the $800 or $900 difference in price is a big one, for $800 I can buy a good used cabinet saw.

Plus I don't like Cool-Aid :D:D

[Joe Spear]

[QUOTE=Bill Huber;2257104] t
for $800 I can buy a good used cabinet saw.

But how well could it make mortises?

[Scott Germaise]

Today is the last day to order it as it's one of their one-time type deals. Which may be brilliant marketing in some ways, (I've gotten a couple of their other one time production run products), but can be a bit annoying!

I'm going to pass on this one and here's why...

It's about the self centering. It doesn't alway seem to be the right thing. That is, if you just don't have your own planer and for whatever reason a board's thickness is slightly off, your edge will be off. I'd rather reference from the edge. At least for the stuff I'm making, no one will notice if a board's thickness is off from another by 1/64th or even 1/32nd, BUT... if a joint is off by that much, it is potentially noticeable by look or feel. I really like Woodpecker's precision tools and quality machining. And if this thing was able to reference an edge, I'd get it.

I should qualify my statements with this is all just random thoughts on my part as I shop for a dowel jig, not experience as yet...

While I've never made a dowel hole in my life, right now I'm shopping for a jig and have been doing tons of research. As a relatively new woodworker, I've been using mostly pocket hole joinery and have had some really good success with some pieces that came out quite nicely. Now it's time to step it up a bit and after looking at dominos, headlocks, etc. etc., I've decided dowels will be easiest and fastest for me and will be fine for the stuff I want to build. It's a tossup right now between the Jessum and the Dowelmax. (And yes, I've searched and read voluminous comparisons both on this forum and elsewhere.) The key difference, (well ok, there's many), between these and the Woodpecker tool is they can reference from and edge. I just think that seems much better as your primary concern is really to have the joint be perfectly flush - if you want it to be - and it's edge reference that guarantees that far better than centering.

If I'm wrong here, by all means please point that out before I drop $200 - $250 on the wrong tools! I'm not usually a shopper, but for this kind of $$$, I need to spend the time doing research first. And this was just one of my conclusions as I was forced to think about it after getting the "Hurry up it's going away soon" email from Woodpecker.