Silverline508819 Dowelling Jig 30 mm

In my newly refurbished workshop I am very much in to building "stuff". My latest effort is a printer stand, for which this jig had its first use. It's pretty easy and straightforward to use: find the right hole for your dowel size, find the right drill bit for the hole size, mark where you want to drill and line it up over the spot to keep the drill bit straight. I found it easiest to drill a shallow hole (more of a marker) first as it's hard to keep the jig complete still until the drill bit is in the material. The plastic has a tendency to slid along the wood or chipboard. It would be good to see some rubber strips added to the bracket to stop this sliding. But otherwise it's an essential tool for the woodworker, and very well priced.

I've ran a few test holes in melamine board and a piece of plywood. It's relatively easy to get to grips with the system, however I would suggest running multiple tests to ensure you are satisfied with the result and methods before moving onto any finish pieces. My melamine test was not perfect, I had to reset the retention face plate as it moved slightly when drilling into the "face" board meaning the finished result was probably quarter of a millimeter off. Not the end of the world and likely my fault as i can often rush my tasks.The end drilling is far easier as the simple twist method centres the dowel perfectly everytime. I think it just takes some practice for this to be an excellent cost effective way for joining small cabinets together. I think almost anyone could start using this tool and produce near perfect results within half a dozen goes

Good product for the price but it is a little flexible and needs to be held tight while drilling

A useful little gadget for use when building units or jointing timber. Simple to use, I found it easier to have an extra pair of hands to use, and does the job. For the money and how often I’ve used it I’m pleased with it.

I found the jig difficult to get consistent results on a test piece. I put that down to it being hand held. I have a lot of experience in making things but at speed and I have to get it right the first time and every time. I think if I were to do a lot of doweling I would splash out for a more expensive one. I did not use the jig again.

Great value for what it is. It might not be the tool for fine furniture making but for everything else it's quick and easy to use. There are some great Youtube videos that show you how to use almost identical jigs - I recommend viewing a few. You could spend ten times the price on a more expensive jig, but you won't get five times the tool.|I ended up modifying mine a little to make it easier to use on a project - at this price you risk nothing!

Having never used a dowelling jig before Sunday, I was pretty happy with the output of my efforts using this little item. Incorporating some kind of clamp mechanism rather than hold with one hand and drill with the other would be a huge improvement, but for a comparatively cheap and accurate method of drilling inserts for dowell, this was a huge success. Slightly concerned over it's longevity / expected life span as after only one use the metal guides were showing considerable erosion from the drill bit, but time will tell.

A great price to assist in learning more skills during the lockdown.