Rockler Beadlock

[Eric Arnsdorff]

Maybe after using it a 1000 times you might get some slop in it and have trouble. It also may be slow but if on a budget WAY cheaper than a Domino..

Carl I haven’t used the Rockler jig but it appears like it would work well. I like the idea of being able to do either individual dowels or using the beadlock tenon. That looks like a nice feature/design they have. As I’m sure you know it isn’t for high production rates. I have the JessEm dowel jigs and for my one off occasional use it is close to as fast as I can make use of my biscuit joiner which I’m sure is as fast as the Domino tool. The dowels offer locations in smaller places. Granted for larger panel glue ups the biscuit joiner is my go to tool. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised with the precision of the dowel placements with my jigs. The Rockler tool looks like it could work well.

Thanks for the measurement for the beadlock spacing. My JessEm jig has 3/4” spacing for the 3/8” dowels and 1/2” spacing for the 1/4” dowels. While I’m very happy with my JessEm jigs that makes the beadlock not work with my JessEm jig. When I laid it out I see that the JessEm spacing wouldn’t work with the beadlock design but does allow putting a full dowel between the 2 holes if desired.

[Carl Crout]

Carl I haven’t used the Rockler jig but it appears like it would work well. I like the idea of being able to do either individual dowels or using the beadlock tenon. That looks like a nice feature/design they have. As I’m sure you know it isn’t for high production rates. I have the JessEm dowel jigs and for my one off occasional use it is close to as fast as I can make use of my biscuit joiner which I’m sure is as fast as the Domino tool. The dowels offer locations in smaller places. Granted for larger panel glue ups the biscuit joiner is my go to tool. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised with the precision of the dowel placements with my jigs. The Rockler tool looks like it could work well.

Thanks for the measurement for the beadlock spacing. My JessEm jig has 3/4” spacing for the 3/8” dowels and 1/2” spacing for the 1/4” dowels. While I’m very happy with my JessEm jigs that makes the beadlock not work with my JessEm jig. When I laid it out I see that the JessEm spacing wouldn’t work with the beadlock design but does allow putting a full dowel between the 2 holes if desired.

You are welcome. Rockler currently is out of stock on the bit and on the stock so I will test it out once I get one or the other.

[Mike Henderson]

For many applications, why not just go with regular mortise and tenon? You can drill out the mortise and then square it with a chisel.

Mike

[Carl Crout]

For many applications, why not just go with regular mortise and tenon? You can drill out the mortise and then square it with a chisel.

Mike

It should be faster to use the beadlock system

[Mike Henderson]

It should be faster to use the beadlock system

Go with a loose tenon approach. You can use a dowel jig to position your holes for the mortises and then square the mortises with a chisel. Tenon material is easy to make, and you get two full surfaces of long-grain-to-long grain glue area. And you can make your loose tenons in bulk and cut to length when needed.

If speed is really important, a Domino is the way to go but more expensive.

Mike

But making a regular tenon is easy. I use a sled on my table saw and stop blocks. I can knock out a tenon pretty quickly.

[Stan Calow]

My two cents: with a beadlock (or other loose tenon), the advantage over a regular M/T joint is that you can measure and cut the (for example) aprons of a table to exact length, without having to deal with cutting shoulders and cheeks on the long boards. There's always room for error when having to account for tenons, and especially if you are going to have tapers or splay on the legs.

[Justin Kwong]

You can use a dowel jig to position your holes for the mortises and then square the mortises with a chisel. .

Great tip - thanks!

[Robert Mayer]

The Beadlock is just messy and time consuming. The jig moves around because of the pressure needed to drill the holes. You also have to cut the Beadlock stock to the right length, which is a real pain. Especially if you cut it a bit long. It never seems to drill very straight, so the joints don't fit great. Its probably usable if you spend some time with it. I sold it after one project and got a Dowelmax. I used that Dowelmax for 15 years, built a massive amount of furniture with it. Its works really good. Finally last year I bought a Domino and so far I love it. The speed and dust collection are amazing.