Customer Reviews

Grizzly G1874 Improved Dowel Jig

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having been satisfied with Grizzly machinery & tools in the past, I took a chance on this inexpensive jig. First, the ganged holes on one end are not drilled parallel to each other. Second, holes are not bored squarely to the face. Third, the clamping action is so sloppy that it can't center itself perfectly every time.

I could go on, but you get the point. This is a less expensive copy of a much better jig on the market. I shimmed mine with masking tape until it is useful. Still, I must shake my head and laugh at myself for buying this.

The jig works well and is easy to use. It's not as precise as I had hoped. The holes are not centered as precisely as I would like.

The title says it all. I've made a bunch of joints with this jig and they almost always turn out very well. However, there are a few things to watch out for. The piece you're doweling really needs to be clamped. When you tighten the jig around the wood, the clockwise rotation of the clamp will sometimes turn the jig slightly on the wood (clamped or not), giving you a slightly non-perpendicular hole; double-check this before you drill. It's sometimes a little difficult for me to line up the jig's marks with my own marks on the piece, but again, with sufficient care, it works fine. The manufacturer recommends using brad-point bits, but I've had no trouble with regular bits. In short, the jig is very helpful and can be used to make great joints, but you need to take your time and use some care.

This is a so-so doweling jig. Its the minimum I'd go for if you can't afford or justify a [the] really expensive one. 3-stars.

The reviewer Algren ("You get what you pay for") is pretty much dead-on w/ review. The resulting drilled holes in the wood are not perfectly perpendicular to face of the wood. I'd say its due to the fact that the jaws don't stay in the same plane. I think the alignment rods are relatively poor. When jaws are tightened, the end of the jaws deflect out from the workpiece. Meaning the jaws are closer at the side w/ the screw and wider at the base (where the workpiece is). This allows the wood to not sit perfectly perpendicular against the boring/jig face. Use shims or light clamping pressure. And yes, jaws do not 100% center the workpiece. But its slight and consistent. So this is still somewhat OK for face frames and such since you orient jig on the appropriate side of the 2 pieces you're joining.

Replaceable bushings are used for the 3 smaller hole sizes; the larger 2 (1/2" and 7/16") do not have replaceable bushings. Only the 3 smaller sizes can be drilled in pairs...assuming the jig's hole spacing is OK for you. If drilling the end of a narrow piece of stock, definitely use a scrap piece to keep jaws as parallel as possible.

For occasional hobbyist use, you'll definitely get by with this jig. Its not horrible; its a better design than a few others out there and I don't hate it. Note that some others brands which have similar designs have fewer hole options.

For pro woodworker w/ absolute precision or repeatability a requirement: look elsewhere. I bet better guide rods, true bushings, better tolerances and fine-tune capability would make this a perfect jig. Aka: The DowelMax.

This jig is extremely easy to use and very accurate. I use it to align thick slabs of oak for benches and tables and alternate dowels and biscuits for a strong joint. It helps align long planks and makes joints easier to make while minimizing sanding.

This tool was a real disappointment, the first thing I noticed were two screws holding the twist mechanism in place which was an obvious after thought. I could easily live with that but as I began to drill dowel holes I discovered that the white marks on the tool that were needed to line the tool with the project did not extend all the way to the bottom of the jig thus requiring a certain amount of guessing. Still, something I could probably live with but when I drilled the holes and the self centering jig did not center the holes but was anywhere from a 32nd to a 64th of an inch off, (requiring the jig to be rotated to the other side and a second hole drilled in the same position but on the opposite side) I became disappointed. I was going to return the tool but the company, Grizzly Tools, has a very rigorous return policy requiring the tool to be returned in the same condition it was received, impossible if the tool is used. Moral of the story, I will never buy from Grizzly again.

had a big doweling job on some furniture I was building but didn't want to invest in a machine so this was a good alternative.

I'm not a big woodworker, but from my general uses...this jig was very strongly built and worked well. I'd recommend removing "tailing" every couple holes and not going right down a board as they will pack and build up under the jig...but this is probably common with all of them.

This jig works like a charm. Everything lines up perfectly. As durable as this looks it'll be one of those tools that my grandkids will still be using 50 years from now.

This is a cheap Chinese knockoff of the USA-made Task Pro Center self-centering doweling jig (Self-centering Doweling Jig with 6 Hardened Drill Bushings). Spend the extra couple of bucks for the real one, and get a tool that will last a lifetime, or save a few bucks on this sweatshop-produced version. See also the larger 6-inch version: 6" Self-centering Doweling Jig - Task Pro Center Line