Even more fun with doweling jigs

[Phil Thien]

People that have been around here a while know I enjoy a good doweling jig.

And some people may remember my home-made doweling jigs.

Lately I've been working on some projects with wide enough parts that repositioning the doweling jig two and even three times is a must. So tedious...

So time to make line-boring doweling jigs.

Pretty simple, really, just use my Jessem jig to line-bore holes in 1/2" thick hard maple, insert my drill bushings (have to push them in with a vise), and push a 1/4" piece of dowel into the last one to use as a stop.

The wood stop is really the key, it just hangs over the edge of my stock and guarantees perfect registration when it comes time to assemble my parts.

I paused while inserting bushings and snapped a few pictures.

I've also got shorter versions of these that I often use instead of the Jessem because I find them easier to handle. They're lighter and not apt to fall over and I just find them easier to use. They're very accurate.

In the past I used t-slots and bolts to hold these things. Now with using the wood dowel as a stop, I can hold the thing with one hand and drill with the other. Sometimes I use a little clamp on it. I get very good results.

In the pictures with the clamps, that board clamps to the walnut provides a reference for the jig. The wood dowel is the other one. Real simple.

[Rick Potter]

Simple and straight forward. Just what a jig should be.

Good thinking, Phil.

[Phil Thien]

Thanks Rick.

And BTW, I won't drill all those holes in my project, I'll tape-off ones I'm not using. Just like having the flexibility.

[Kent A Bathurst]

cool

what do you use for drill bushings? or, are they a "thing"? Source?

[Phil Thien]

cool

what do you use for drill bushings? or, are they a "thing"? Source?

Steel spacers from my local Ace hardware store, they're in the hardware isle in those little Hillman boxes.

They remind me a lot of the bushings Kreg uses on their pocket-hole jigs. In this case 1/4" ID, 3/8" OD, 1" OAL. I also use the 3/8" ID, 1/2" OD, 1-1/2" (I think) OAL for 3/8" dowels.

[John Gornall]

I've built similar jigs using my Jessem - use these drill bushings:

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=40089&cat=1,180,40089

[Phil Thien]

I've built similar jigs using my Jessem - use these drill bushings:

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=40089&cat=1,180,40089

Two problems with those:

(1) Hugeness, they require a 5/8" hole. My stock when using 1/4" dowels is often only 1/2" thick so I want to avoid making the jig any thicker than that, otherwise the registration requires more complex spacers.

(2) The price, it would cost $6.40 for the insert + bushing, or $3.20 just for the insert. And if you get just the insert, you have to thread it into wood and that is a challenge to get 10+ of them inserted so they all line up.

[Art Mann]

Come to think of it, I do remember you publishing directions for a clever design. If I remember correctly, a designer/manufacturer appeared on the forum and threatened you with patent infringement even though your design was somewhat different and you didn't even offer to sell anything. I thought his complaint was foolish and reflected very badly on his company. The same manufacturer now sells something he calls a router lift but is really only a hinged top support. It is also patented.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Steel spacers from my local Ace hardware store, they're in the hardware isle in those little Hillman boxes.

Whooda thunk? I would never have gone that direction, out of concern for ID tolerance - that's always been my ilot jig bugaboo - too easy to wander off dead-vertical.

No problem with these, I assume?

[Phil Thien]

Whooda thunk? I would never have gone that direction, out of concern for ID tolerance - that's always been my ilot jig bugaboo - too easy to wander off dead-vertical.

No problem with these, I assume?

No they work well and they're very tough. In fact, I once had one that bound a little bit (out of the 30+ I've used) and figured the drill bit would clean it up during use. And it did, but it took longer than you'da thunk.

[John Gornall]

Don't need a full set of bushings - they screw in and out as needed. I made a jig similar to yours with a set of inserts pushed in square on the drill press. I had 4 bushings which met the patterns I used. Worked fine on half inch stock with a spacer on the jig "fence"

[Phil Thien]

Don't need a full set of bushings - they screw in and out as needed. I made a jig similar to yours with a set of inserts pushed in square on the drill press. I had 4 bushings which met the patterns I used. Worked fine on half inch stock with a spacer on the jig "fence"

One of these days, when you get a chance, try some of the Hillman spacers.

They aren't cheap (I think the 1/4" ID by 1" OAL is $1.20). BUT, I get these Ace coupons. $5 in reward money, $5 order of $20 or more, it gets them down to $.50 a piece.

I've used ones similar to your linked ones, they're good. But that jig in my picture has thirteen (I think) holes. So either 13 * 3.20 or a lot of screwing/unscrewing.

[Kent A Bathurst]

No they work well and they're very tough. In fact, I once had one that bound a little bit (out of the 30+ I've used) and figured the drill bit would clean it up during use. And it did, but it took longer than you'da thunk.


10.4.

thnx

[ken masoumi]

Simple and very functional, are you planning to insert those steel bushings in the rest of the holes eventually?

[Phil Thien]

Simple and very functional, are you planning to insert those steel bushings in the rest of the holes eventually?

Yeah, I did that when I got home and made a sample joint and took a few more pics.

My sample joint is 1/2" BB plywood.

8" wide, given the spacing of the dowels I can run ten 1/4" dowels across that joint. Overkill of course, just making sure things line up.

For drilling the holes in the edge of the plywood, I clamped a guide to the board and used a dowel in one of the bushings as my stop to register off a corner. I just held the jig with my hand.

When drilling the holes in the face, I clamped the workpiece to the bench and used a block and the dowel in the bushing to register off the two edges. Again, just held things with my hand.

NOTE: When holding things with your hand, you can drill the first hole and then push a dowel through the bushing and into the hole you just drilled. Doing that a couple of times on a line helps keep the jig positioned.

I will also be applying a bit of sandpaper to the side of this, too.

[Rick Potter]

You do realize you ended up with a nice shelf pin jig also, don't you? Couple simple removable edge guides and.......presto! 1/4" shelf pin jig.

[Allan Speers]

I like it !

- but I still don't get it.

How exactly do you make the initial holes? What is this "Jessem" you speak of? Surely not the pocket hole jig?

[Phil Thien]

I like it !

- but I still don't get it.

How exactly do you make the initial holes? What is this "Jessem" you speak of? Surely not the pocket hole jig?

The Jessem is a commercial doweling jig you can see in my very first picture. The one I've got will drill 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" holes by changing-out the bushings. But it will only drill 4" or 5" across at a time, then you have to reposition the jig. The aluminum dowel pin they provide will allow you to move the Jessem jig down a line with great accuracy, but it does take some time. For example, if I want to drill across a 12" wide board, I'd have to reposition the Jessem as many as three times.

Also, with the little line-bore dowel jig I've made, I can more easily setup for a shelf than any other method I can think of. The jig I've made is 1/2" stock, and would be very suitable when working with 1/2" stock. So basically you clamp a piece of aluminum angle on the exact line where you want the top of the shelf, register the jig against the "stop" dowel and the aluminum angle, and drill your holes. Bam.

But in order to make my jig, you either need a drill press and know how to accurately step the wood, or you need a commercial dowel jig. The jig is much easier for most people. I'm capable of drilling extremely precise holes on my drill presses but even I run into technical problems on occasion. But using the Jessem jig makes this a fool-proof endeavor.

BTW, if you want different spacing you can skip holes to make the holes further apart, you can also step the jig using a clamp and a spacer (like the brass setup gauges).

[Phil Thien]

Here are a couple pics of the drilling jigs in use.

In this first one, I'm setup to drill the edge of a board. I've clamped a piece of plywood to my workpiece, and I've clamped the drilling jig to the plywood. A snug-fitting wood dowel is inserted in one of the bushings and provides a stop used to reference the front of the piece of wood.

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In this second one, I'm setup to drill the face of the mating board. I've clamped a piece of aluminum angle to my workpiece, and I've clamped my jig to the angle. Again, a dowel is used to provide a stop that references the front of this piece.


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When the two workpieces are assembled, they are perfectly aligned. You can't catch a fingernail at the joints, they're so precisely aligned.


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[Phil Thien]

Here I'm getting read to drill a board as if I'm adding a shelf, or a divider. First, I use a square and draw a pencil line on my board, where I'd like the top of the shelf.


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Next, I clamp my aluminum angle right to that line, and then I clamp my jig to the angle. I'm still using the dowel as a stop to reference the front of my test pieces.


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Here is the joint, assembled. I moved the top of my cabinet now to simulate a shelf. Again, perfect alignment.


317147

[Phil Thien]

I got tired of fighting stop collars. Now I'm using a combination of spacers, as you can see if the photo. I can stack them and get a depth that will work well quite quickly. Also, the 1/2" OD of these works well if the top of my jig is slightly below the aluminum angle, where larger steel stop collars don't work that well.

What I need to do, though, is find some slightly tighter fitting ones. These are a little loose. They work fine but I'm going to find some tubing with a slightly less than .25" ID and bore it out so it is a little snugger. Then I can just cut a bunch of lengths.


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[John Gornall]

My first jig was meant to be a do everything jig - 24" wide with bushings every inch - 22 bushings - LV has a 25 unit discount.

Didn't find this jig as useful as I thought.

Next jig was 24" wide for base cabinets and I used 8 dowels for base cabinets. I used 4 dowels for upper cabinets. Then I realized I only needed a 12 inch jig as I could index off front and back for base cabinets. So I made a 12" jig with 4 inserts and 4 bushings and I do a complete kitchen with this jig. That's about 22 bucks for hardware. Sorry no picture - it's loaned out right now.

I now have the Jessem for everything else.

In my manufacturing shop (no dowels or cabinets) we stopped using drill collars about 25 years ago. They slip, damage the bit, clamp out of square, and are frustration. We tried many things but settled on some thick wall flexible plastic tubing we found that we can cut to length and push with tight fit onto the bit. We cut a bunch of these for 3 bit sizes years ago and never needed more - drill about 10,000 holes per year with them.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Glenn - -

Check this out - metric tubing; variety of materials.

6mm ID is a scootch shy of .25". Maybe that will work for drill bit depth stop[s]?



http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-plastic-and-rubber-metric-tubing/=y0bssk

[John Gornall]

We used something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/ATP-Vinyl-Flex-Plastic-Tubing-Length/dp/B00E6BD6FU/ref=pd_sim_328_15?ie=UTF8&refRID=0B7HEQ3J8QSMVME6P5ME

[Bruce Wrenn]

I know you like doweling jigs, but a plunge router would do the same job. HF sells a set (three - 1/4") HSS up cut spiral bits for around ten bucks, less the usual 20% off coupon.

[Phil Thien]

I know you like doweling jigs, but a plunge router would do the same job. HF sells a set (three - 1/4") HSS up cut spiral bits for around ten bucks, less the usual 20% off coupon.

I like plunge routers, too.

BUT, the plunge motion on them isn't very precise, there tends to be enough slop that dowel holes don't align as precisely as those drilled with a bushing.

[Phil Thien]

My first jig was meant to be a do everything jig - 24" wide with bushings every inch - 22 bushings - LV has a 25 unit discount.

Didn't find this jig as useful as I thought.

Next jig was 24" wide for base cabinets and I used 8 dowels for base cabinets. I used 4 dowels for upper cabinets. Then I realized I only needed a 12 inch jig as I could index off front and back for base cabinets. So I made a 12" jig with 4 inserts and 4 bushings and I do a complete kitchen with this jig. That's about 22 bucks for hardware. Sorry no picture - it's loaned out right now.

The problem with that type of jig is that if you're using four bushing to drill four holes, you're indexing off the ends of your jig. So you either need to have both ends perfectly equidistant from the nearest bushings, or the bushings have to be perfectly centered so the jig can be flipped. Any error will double in the final product. So if you're .004" off on centering or bushing-to-end, then the best joint your jig can produce will be off by .008" (which is actually quite a lot).

And that is sort of a best-case scenario, .004" precision while drilling holes in wood is tough, most people can't achieve that consistently.

The beauty in the jigs I'm demonstrating here is that they are using a bushing for the end stop, and the jig gets flipped when drilling a mating piece. There is no doubling of any error, joints come together perfectly, you can't even catch a fingernail. And you can bore all the holes I'm demonstrating above in five minutes, I'd be done before you'd even be halfway done setting-up/adjusting a drill press. And my jig will be spot-on super-precise every single time.

Also, I've had very poor luck indexing off both the front and back at the same time. If one workpiece is even a smidgen narrower (like the workpiece drifted from the fence a tiny bit), the dowel holes will be misaligned enough that assembly is a chore. You can get away with it in soft woods and soft plywoods to a point, but not so much on hardwood or BB plywood. It is an exercise in frustration.


I now have the Jessem for everything else.

In my manufacturing shop (no dowels or cabinets) we stopped using drill collars about 25 years ago. They slip, damage the bit, clamp out of square, and are frustration. We tried many things but settled on some thick wall flexible plastic tubing we found that we can cut to length and push with tight fit onto the bit. We cut a bunch of these for 3 bit sizes years ago and never needed more - drill about 10,000 holes per year with them.

The vinyl tubing was the first thing that occurred to me but it starts awfully soft and just keeps getting softer as the bit gets warmer from use.

I found some other stuff that works a lot better.

[John Gornall]

The panels are ripped to the same size using the same saw setup. So if you index the first 4 holes from the front edge of both panels and index the second set of 4 holes from the back edge of both panels you get exact alignment.

[Phil Thien]

The panels are ripped to the same size using the same saw setup. So if you index the first 4 holes from the front edge of both panels and index the second set of 4 holes from the back edge of both panels you get exact alignment.

Yeah in a perfect world when I set the fence for 24", all my panels would be exactly 24" wide. Sometimes a larger panel will drift away from the fence a bit. It doesn't take much, an few thousandths even, and now you're fighting dowel alignment if you indexed off both sides.

Perhaps the difference in our perspectives is a difference in approach. Back in 9/2014 you said (about your Jessem):


My jig works just fine with 3/8 dowels using a 3/8 drill bit. The dowel plate is shaving at max a couple of thou - it doesn't remove the grooves.

Sometimes I have to do a little adjusting of dowel and/or hole - that's woodworking. A dowel with a kerf and a little strip of sandpaper makes a small flap sander to clean a hole. Lots of simple, quick solutions.

Using high precision drill bits, reamers, and precision dowel pins is metalworking.


I'm shooting for extreme precision and consistency while maintaining speed. Just a difference in approach.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Phil,
Thank you! This is a very timely post since I have a bunch of drawers to slam together and this should make that a lot easier than any other method. I can dowel them and shoot some brads to hold things while the glue sets.

I picked up one of the Rockler doweling jigs on closeout (the one for drilling 1/2" holes) and have been trying to come up with some stuff to use it on. This should be perfect.

[Dan Forman]

Phil --- What have you settled on for the drill collar substitute?

Dan