JessEm’s Master Doweling Jig Kit produces strong, accurate dowel joinery with a handheld drill. Made in Canada, it’s constructed of precision CNC-machined aluminum, anodized for durability and laser engraved for fast setups. The jig places accurately spaced holes on the ends, edges, or faces of a workpiece using bushings with 1/4-, 3/8- and 1/2-in. inside diameters, to suit common dowel sizes. The jig will accommodate stock ranging from 1/2 in. to more than 3 in. in thickness.
The bushing blocks enable three or five holes to be drilled from a single setup (depending on the block), and the included three indexing pins (one for each dowel-drilling size) allows you to easily repeat a series of holes beyond the actual width of the jig by inserting a pin into a bushing hole and one you’ve already drilled into the workpiece.
Dowel locations are set off the edges of boards in repeatable 1/8-in. increments up to 3-1/2 in. — perfect for creating multiple hole configurations without unclamping the jig. This indexing feature makes it easy to lay out dowels in several rows, producing significantly stronger joints than a traditional single row of dowels.
The built-in alignment slot allows you to match up dowel locations on pairs of boards: with the boards clamped together, just drill a hole in one board and insert a dowel, and the alignment slot automatically sets the hole location in the mating board. It makes short work of joining boards to create wider panels.
JessEm’s new Master Kit (item JE08350-MASTER-KIT) includes accessories for 1/4-, 3/8- and 1/2-in. sizes: three drill guide blocks, three drill bits, three stop collars and three indexing pins. Wood dowels and clamps not included. It sells for $199.95.
