Matthias Wandel makes a doweling jig for less than $25

[smorgasbord]

An interesting video:



He makes a wooden doweling jig that he then uses to make his hardened bushing doweling jig.

A previous video is here:

This got me thinking about using my CNC to make the jig out of layers of 1/4" - 1/2" thick aluminum. But, since owning a Domino I haven't used a dowel....

 

[Packard]

A side note: At one point it was cheaper to buy an entire self-centering dowel jig from Harbor-Freight and use the drill bushings for other jigs, than it was to purchase the bushings alone.

The Harbor-Freight jig looks OK, and it might be OK once you are able to adjust the thing to be in the actual center. But I struggled to do that and quit. Some of those self-centering jigs have integrated the bushing into the jig so those are not removable (Dowel-It, for example). Others have two removable and two integrated. The best have all four removable as that allows you to use one setup to drill 4 same-sized holes.

There are some “bushings” out there that are simply accurately sized steel tubing, and are not hardened as a true bushing should be. Those are cheaper and far less durable, especially considering that with each use of the drill bit you will be essentially teeming the I..D. oversized. By appearance, that is the type that is shown in the videos.

Also note that plating does not “throw” well inside tubing. So any plated bushing is likely to be bare or nearly bare in the interior of the barrel. Of all the metals for plating, nickel “throws” best but is very soft and wears out quickly. Black oxide + oil is probably the best, Treat with WD-40 for storage.

Infinity Tools produces one of the best of this type with all bushings being removable and from-the-factory centering accuracy. At about $70.00, it is also one of the more expensive ones (and the one I always use). The bushings appear to be of a universal size and seem to be interchangeable between brands.

The image below from INFINITY TOOLS. The blue tape is a poor-man’s depth clamp. The best (and easiest to use) clamps are of the type that squeezes the two halves together (cheap ones on Amazon). The ones that use a single set screw for clamping require careful placement of the screw and often does not sit level. I would avoid those. The image below shows the better type to use. The pictured one was likely plated prior to assembly and the interior of the clamp has full plating coverage.

 

[Steve1]

A side note: At one point it was cheaper to buy an entire self-centering dowel jig from Harbor-Freight and use the drill bushings for other jigs, than it was to purchase the bushings alone.

The Harbor-Freight jig looks OK, and it might be OK once you are able to adjust the thing to be in the actual center. But I struggled to do that and quit. Some of those self-centering jigs have integrated the bushing into the jig so those are not removable (Dowel-It, for example). Others have two removable and two integrated. The best have all four removable as that allows you to use one setup to drill 4 same-sized holes.

There are some “bushings” out there that are simply accurately sized steel tubing, and are not hardened as a true bushing should be. Those are cheaper and far less durable, especially considering that with each use of the drill bit you will be essentially teeming the I..D. oversized. By appearance, that is the type that is shown in the videos.

Also note that plating does not “throw” well inside tubing. So any plated bushing is likely to be bare or nearly bare in the interior of the barrel. Of all the metals for plating, nickel “throws” best but is very soft and wears out quickly. Black oxide + oil is probably the best, Treat with WD-40 for storage.

Infinity Tools produces one of the best of this type with all bushings being removable and from-the-factory centering accuracy. At about $70.00, it is also one of the more expensive ones (and the one I always use). The bushings appear to be of a universal size and seem to be interchangeable between brands.

The image below from INFINITY TOOLS. The blue tape is a poor-man’s depth clamp. The best (and easiest to use) clamps are of the type that squeezes the two halves together (cheap ones on Amazon). The ones that use a single set screw for clamping require careful placement of the screw and often does not sit level. I would avoid those. The image below shows the better type to use. The pictured one was likely plated prior to assembly and the interior of the clamp has full plating coverage.

I looked into making a dowel jig once, and I found exactly what you are suggesting.
Real, heat treated industrial drill bushings are not cheap.
And then you end up with a tool that doesn't have the flexibility of some of the better dowel jigs.

I ended up getting the Dowelmax.
Dowelmax is not cheap either, but it's well thought out and can be used for just about any situation, and very precise.

 

[Packard]

I looked into making a dowel jig once, and I found exactly what you are suggesting.
Real, heat treated industrial drill bushings are not cheap.
And then you end up with a tool that doesn't have the flexibility of some of the better dowel jigs.

I ended up getting the Dowelmax.
Dowelmax is not cheap either, but it's well thought out and can be used for just about any situation, and very precise.

Dowelmax is a very versatile jig from what I’ve seen.

Most of my dowel work (I don’t have a Domino machine) is for cabinet boxes. I have the CMT dowel template, which is easily the fastest for that specific application and very easy to use. It is not imported to the USA (why?), but I got it from Amazon.DE (Germany) and shipped from Amazon.sp (Spain). I am very pleased with the setup.

CMT does not make a very effective video, but IGM, which rebrands the CMT jig does. They are identical except for the labels.

Judging from videos I have watched, the CMT is about as fast as a Domino on boards up to 12” wide, but faster than the Domino on wider boards where the Domino has to bank from both the front and rear edges.

 

[smorgasbord]

@Packard , are those self-centering drill bit thingies available separately? Easy enough to make one's own templates with CNC/SO.

 

[Packard]

@Packard , are those self-centering drill bit thingies available separately? Easy enough to make one's own templates with CNC/SO.

I never looked. They fit a 14 mm hole. I bought a 14mm router bushing for my plunge router in case mine fails. CMT makes various drill bits for that holder. It does hole everything nice and virtical, so a faster version of a plunge router and easier to handle.

They do make them. I see that IGM offers it in both long stroke and short stroke. The long stroke has a spacer available that instantly converts it to the shorter reach. Otherwise, the drill depth can be set with a set screw.

IGM is a very reputable company and a huge distributor in Germany. I could not get their system to accept my Amex card. I searched various Amazon sites (Germany, England, Australia, Spain) but I ordered from Germany because they offer an English language conversion. If you have an Amazon account, that will work fine at any of the sites. I did not try New Zealand, but that would be in English anyway—so easier.

I suspect that the shipping costs via Amazon will be less than from IGM.

Some items that they can sell in Europe cannot be shipped to the USA. In any case, 59 Euros including VAT. I phoned first to discuss. They had English-fluent staff, so pretty easy.

Replacement bits (CMT) are available in the USA and are the same as in CMT’s multi-head boring machines. Make sure you get a right hand spinning bit. They make both RH and LH bits.

IGM Boring Spindle, Long Stroke for Boring Jig FKP656 and FKP900 | IGM Tools & Machinery

The IGM Boring spindle with prolonged stroke FKP102 is ideal for making holes with universal drilling jigs FKP900 and FKP656. The FKP102 spindle has a 10 mm prolonged stroke compar

igmtools.com

 

[Steve1]

I frequently use the Dowelmax indexing tool.
I have glued up 8' boards and every one was tap fit.