Doweling Jig Reviews

Excerpts from The Message Boards

Larry in NW Ohio: I got my Dowelmax a couple of weeks ago and have been using it almost every day since. It is simple to use, and the manual has a lot of pictures (I hate reading detailed instructions). I'm getting quite good with it, although I still make mistakes. Like almost everything I buy I had to revamp it for my use. It was a good chunk of money, but I think well worth it.

Greg Early: I bought one years back and use it a lot. I like it.

Garrett Lambert: I bought the simpler and much less expensive “Task” unit from Lee Valley last month. If I hadn't already had a set of adjustable drill bit ring stops, I would have had to buy those as well.

I used it with ¼" dowels to glue up the solid mahogany end pieces and top for this small step stool, and the registration was perfect. While I probably won't abandon my biscuit joiner altogether, a doweling jig is so much more gentle in operation that the Dewalt will be seeing a lot less use.

The Task is heavy and well-made with a single clamping screw and one pair each of hardened steel threaded inserts for ¼", 5⁄16" , 7⁄16" , and 3⁄8" dowels. Use is intuitive, and all instructions are on the back of the 3x5 cardboard sheet (no DVD). It's not so massive as and cannot compete with the more refined adjustability of the Dowelmax, nor does it come with the accessories and range of applications the Dowelmax provides.

However, it does a perfect job on butt joints. The only manufacturing improvement I would suggest is to bevel the top edges of the cut-outs to make the thin white center marking lines easier to see (since the side plates are aluminum, I might try to do just that with a chamfering bit in my router).