Kreg Dowel Jig

 

What is the purpose of a dowel jig?

A purpose-made tool called a doweling jig will guide a drill in making perpendicular holes in the edge, end, or face of a board. With a good jig, the challenge of layout and proper alignment is met with ease.

How Kreg Dowel Jig works

The heart of the jig is a steel block with holes to guide your drill bit. On many models, the holes are threaded, which lets you install bushings for drill bits of various sizes. The holes are precisely perpendicular and located in the exact center of the block.

Center lines for each hole are scribed on the side of the block. They’re visible through two windows.

A screw runs through the whole block. Turning the screw’s handle moves both sides of the jig an equal amount as it clamps onto the wood. That’s why the jig is “self-centering”: Clamping the jig centers the holes on the wood automatically.

How to make a joint

1. Mark the parts. Position the parts and mark the dowel locations with a pencil. We’re showing a T-joint here, but most joints require the same steps.
2. Match up the lines. Align your pencil lines with the center lines on the jig’s block. Tighten the screw to clamp the jig into place and then drill the dowel holes.
3. Assemble. Add dowels and glue for a fast, strong, perfectly aligned joint. Next I’ll go into more detail on how to make specific types of joints.