Genius Idea? Game Changing trick for Perfect Dowel Alignment without a Jig

Рет қаралды 791,516

Жыл бұрын

So simple and easy, but oh so accurate. Using ordinary masking tape for lining up the holes for dowels is pretty much fool-proof. I used this method several times after I made this video and with the same results: perfectly lined up dowels.
Now I should mention that the tape locates the centre point precisely, but it's up to you to drill the hole straight. Using a brad-point bit is mandatory and getting a feel for drilling at a 90 degree angle is also very important. However, you can use a block of wood with a hole drilled on the drill press to help guide the drill bit straight, if drilling freehand. Or just drill the holes on a drill press if you have one.
But with that said, the holes don't need to be drilled at the exact angle - they just need to be close and the joint will go together without any problem. The important thing (and why the dowel centre pins failed) is that the holes are in perfectly lined up on both parts, and that's what the tape trick does.
Try it out for yourself!
Line Up Dowels PERFECTLY the Easy Way - Essential Woodworking Knowledge
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Пікірлер: 943

@JohnHeisz Жыл бұрын

@ClintsHobbiesDIY Жыл бұрын

@@snarkybuttcrack Have you tried brad point bits? They helped me with the same type problem.

@NICEFINENEWROBOT Жыл бұрын

Please warn your followers from false avatars using your name and channel logo.

@jameyfark8877 Жыл бұрын

@NICEFINENEWROBOT so I didn't win a major award?

@NICEFINENEWROBOT Жыл бұрын

@@jameyfark8877 What's the issue?

@charliebucket Жыл бұрын

Can you talk about the glue you’re using (and why it’s not the common Titebond)? How well does it last in that tube? Do you puncture the rear seal? Thanks!

@2121jwill Жыл бұрын

What is most impressive to me is how John can free-hand drill the holes straight and to a consistent depth

@xenidus Жыл бұрын

Me muttering under my breath: "oh so he just free hand drills the holes like some kinda lunatic?"

@garypautard1069 Жыл бұрын

Please will someone tell me how you manage to drill holes with those wood drills. All my friends who work with wood like me find wood bits are useless at clearing the swarth and usually stop progressing into your workpiece. We always end up throwing them back in the box and use twist drills. I have bought expensive bits and even had the them sharpened- no use - any ideas ?

@lukeblackford1677 Жыл бұрын

I got a set of Harbor Freight pilot bits, they’re pretty bad. Dewalt, Irwin or Bosch are pretty good.

@LewHarriman Жыл бұрын

@@garypautard1069 Hmmm.. y'know, I have the same problem. I noted that John's using brad point bits. They look like they might have deeper flutes and some sort of steeper flute angle, which might help clear the swarth. I also admired how he used tiny pin marks... nice and accurate, unlike my clumsy, thick-pointed awl. Those brad points go right into the tiny marks with no hesitation about exact placement. This particular video has convinced me... I'm definitely going to switch out my everyday set of of conventional "either-metal-or-wood" bits and move to to brad points for my woodworking, since I rarely need to drill holes in metal.

@MrSimonmcc Жыл бұрын

*swarf, not swarth.

@missamo80 Жыл бұрын

Well I thought the best part of my day today would be easting lunch with friends then watching the Super Bowl but no. I was wrong. It was sipping coffee at 6am and watching one of the simplest and most elegant woodworking tips I've ever seen on KZfaq. 🤯

@YerBrwnDogAteMyRabit Жыл бұрын

What's the "Super Bowl..?"...

@AmazonasBiotop Жыл бұрын

@@YerBrwnDogAteMyRabit Oh did the AI part of the Google search engine crashed again!? 🤣👍

@YerBrwnDogAteMyRabit Жыл бұрын

@@AmazonasBiotop I think it must have. I certainly hope I didn't miss it, it sounds important 🤣

@pathemep Жыл бұрын

@@YerBrwnDogAteMyRabit it's huge open top vessel for fluids, like super big one

@YerBrwnDogAteMyRabit Жыл бұрын

@@pathemep OOOOOHHH!! So I can have a family sized bowl of Fruit Loops cereal or Chunky Sirloin Burger soup!! Awesome, thanks. No need for a swimming pool now!

@HexenzirkelZuluhed Жыл бұрын

The "random" placement also ensures one cannot accidentally join the wrong pieces together.

@coppulor6500 Жыл бұрын

good point!

@disklamer Жыл бұрын

Also you don’t have put some ¶ø#>% identifier on every single corner or edge of a box or frame. If it fits, it sits!

@nikiTricoteuse 11 ай бұрын

Ah. Thanks for that. I did wonder why someone who obviously knows their way around a set of tools, "couldn't" line them up properly.

@leonlionheart5927 5 ай бұрын

I like the "trick" very much but what I don't get it is how you drill the holes in the CORRECT ANGLE to make the dowels fit in BOTH sides of the workpieces? If you know what I mean.

@reed6514 5 ай бұрын

@@leonlionheart5927probably just takes practice

@stephandelange1776 Жыл бұрын

Honestly, for a man who's been doing a lot of woodworking in the past 30 some years. Did thousands of dowel holes! Lots were perfect, lots were complete disasters. Even with top-notch jigs. Your idea? Your idea is so ridiculously idiotic that it's absolutely genius! Brilliant! I'll have to try that one on my next build that requires dowels. Thanks. Love your videos!

@samking4179 Жыл бұрын

idiotic? have I been using this word wrong my entire life?

@gsp911 Жыл бұрын

It's not really his idea, that method has been used for decades.

@stephandelange1776 Жыл бұрын

@@gsp911 Do you really and TRULY think that it makes any sort of difference???? Do you have any clue about how many methods and ideas there are when it comes to joinery??? Do you know how many tips & tricks I've shared in my 30 past years of woodworking that weren't mine & still been told how great it was thanks for the tip? It's a simple way of saying the way you did it, was a very good idea that i never thought of. Thanks for the tip, NOT WHO THE HELL CREATED IT or anything ridiculous like that! It's appreciating one's technic that many may not have thought of.

@gsp911 Жыл бұрын

@@stephandelange1776 Amen

@dhrvb 7 ай бұрын

@@samking4179perhaps it's not HIS invention, but HE show it to them who don't know this trick ! Big difference, no ? I didn't know now I will use it for sure. Thank you for this video.

@patmash Жыл бұрын

Hey john, a bit off topic but, it is always a joy watching your videos with ZERO sponsors or ads popping up every few minutes! one of the super rare few.

@beetleb1801 Жыл бұрын

Whilst I agree that the tape method is more accurate than the dowel pins, I did notice that your drill angle was off when you did the dowel pin demonstration. Your drill was not aligned to the dowel direction in the wood. So predictably, your joint was off. Having said that, I don't want to take away from this innovative idea. Sure is a great way to do tricky dowelling when a jig wont help. I'll absolutely use this method!

@lexboegen Жыл бұрын

I’ve been a subscriber to your videos since long before you became a full time KZfaqr, and videos like this are why. No BS, and clever original ideas that I don’t find anywhere else. You’re the best!

@jeffgagne6439 Жыл бұрын

Super tip and timing! I’m going to be working on a new project and lining up the dowels and getting tight joints was one of my stumbling blocks. Thank you!

@scalpingdaytrader Жыл бұрын

The simplicity of this is just stunning, I have a not great dowl jig and honestly this actually looks about as quick, and a lot more accurate, thank you for your fantastic videos

@pseudomonad Жыл бұрын

This man is clearly in the pay of Big Masking Tape.

@lawrencelunsford6028 Жыл бұрын

Simple, effective, brilliant! Thanks John! :)

@philshock3805 Жыл бұрын

Awesome! Hardest part about this are the drill angles. Amazed you were able to do it freehand ... never would have thought that slight discrepancies are irrelevant.

@murphymmc Жыл бұрын

A great solution for those of us who don't dowel often, nice. The grain matched joint was a nice touch as well.

@denisdore643 Жыл бұрын

Absolutely BRILLIANT, ACCURATE, CHEAP and EASY. Can't wait to try it !

@davidslater7917 Жыл бұрын

Absolutely genius of an idea. Thank you John for sharing it with us. From someone who has consistently struggled with this multi dowel thing

@jamescole1786 Жыл бұрын

2/13/23; Green masking tape for Dowell joint perfection...! ..Yes ! Love your method. Will use it next time I need this. Much enjoy watching your channel. Your use of voice over, studio lighting, camera close ups & 'wide'shots are also on pro level. Keep up your good work! A+👍👍👍👏👏🪚🛠⚙️🍺😊

@rafvdp6391 Жыл бұрын

Every time you think you seen it all, John pulls something like this out of his sleeve. Just brilliant, simple and effective ! Tape manufacturers are gonna make a killing 😅. Great little tutorial John 👌I hope this gets a lot of views it certainly deserves it.

@Sinrise Жыл бұрын

Yeah you know someone is going to come out with tape that has little crosshairs printed along it just for this. "Dowel Alignment Tape"

@OutdoorExperience.101 Жыл бұрын

That's a brilliant idea! Thanks for sharing, John! Keep up the good work! 👍

@craignichols4634 10 ай бұрын

It’s insane the amount of knowledge that can be acquired on the internet. I didn’t have anyone to mentor me, so I’ve been soaking up all of these videos. Thanks for sharing all of your wisdom!

@busomite Жыл бұрын

Brilliant. So simple. Way cheaper than a specialized tool. You’ve done it again, John. Wow!

@markrbsir Жыл бұрын

That is awesome! I love the simple ideas that solve apparently tricky problems. Thank you John!

@makernova8160 Жыл бұрын

Absolutely brilliant! I will not be forgetting this one. Now I just need to figure out how to integrate dowels into my next project :)

@DB-dj6zk Жыл бұрын

This method saved my project. I tried a number of things that semi worked. After refilling the mistakes with dowels and redrilling, I finally got the holes to match up.

@harimuzumdar8269 Жыл бұрын

Simple and practical for anyone to use. Was very nice and thoughtful of you to demonstrate the process, and for different common joints too, and so reaffirming that it actually works in practice. I do have centering pins, but as you showed, one cannot hold the second workpiece flush with the first because of the pins protruding, and then accuracy depends on aligning the parts with finger feel or other flat surfaces for alignment. Your trick allows flush alignment. With a doweling jig, after drilling on the first workpiece, it can be tricky to figure out the right way to clamp the jig to the second workpiece. Your method works like a no-brainer. Thank you, John!

@hectorgarza5842 Жыл бұрын

Always the simplest way is the best way! Marvelous, appreciated!

@petersmith7003 Жыл бұрын

👏👏👏👏👏good for people starting out in carpentry who can’t afford these jig dowl tools, so simple

@pitsnipe5559 Жыл бұрын

You just alleviated one of my concerns about using dowels. Thanks!

@robertpshaw Жыл бұрын

Mr Heisz always has something to offer. Thank you.

@DanaOredson Жыл бұрын

This is awesome for lining up the hole positions. The next critical piece is ensuring you drill the holes accurately for the dowels to be aligned. Of course, the dowel pins suffer from the same problem.

@HonoredMule Жыл бұрын

Dowel pins at least cut the problem in half. With one side already drilled, its alignment is guaranteed to be perfect. Make those first holes in the mitered piece, and you're left drilling in a flat, level surface, maximizing your means of drilling those perfectly as well. Add in that you're not using up any consumable, and I'll happily stick with dowel pins.

@dougggiereid Жыл бұрын

It's so simple that it is genius. Thanks for sharing such a brilliant tip. See this is why I drop everything when a notification comes through for one of your videos.

@JohnHeisz Жыл бұрын

Thanks :)

@euartista Жыл бұрын

On the miter that you did, even the grain of the wood was almost perfectly aligned. That is a GREAT idea. No jigs, No expensive tools. Thanks for sharing, keep up the awesome work!

@KublaKhanONE Жыл бұрын

Have literally been scratching my head on how to strengthen a miter joint for a project and you give me this. God bless you.

@JohnClark-tt2bl Жыл бұрын

If you're going to be doing lots of the same holes on identical pieces, you can also use a scrap piece of wood. Just put the scrap over the work piece you're drilling into, and drill through the scrap and into your work piece. The scrap is your template now. Just lay it over the next work piece, lined up in the same way, and use the existing holes to drill into the second work piece. Rinse and repeat. You can even keep the template if you think you'll be making more of your project in the future.

@Tommy_007 Жыл бұрын

That is also a good idea.

@umtbozkr2358 Жыл бұрын

Only a man with experience, craftsmanship and a healthy mind can come up with a simple but effective solution like this. Bravo!

@DEtchells Жыл бұрын

Wow, what a *genius* idea! So easy and simple, but so effective! Thanks for the tip!

@vaughngaminghd Жыл бұрын

Awesome idea! Cheap, simple, and uses the stuff you already have in the shop… Kudos John!

@dogwoodtales Жыл бұрын

Excellent!!! Another problem with those dowel marking thingamajiggers is that I would misplace them lose them under a workbench or something a lot easier than I would lose the role of masking tape.

@jsaurman Жыл бұрын

Don't you just keep them in the same box/tray where you keep your shorty dowels? Plus it's easy to make replacement ones if you saw the head off a nail and cut it down to the appropriate length.

@daveparrish8031 Жыл бұрын

An actual woodworking innovation. This is why John is the king of woodworking.

@monkieie 11 ай бұрын

This is so simple and amazing. I have a new project ongoing which is a little more intricate and wanted to used dowels instead of pocket holes, but wanted really clean joints. Amazing! Thanks so much for this.

@jakematic Жыл бұрын

Genius idea. I despise center pins, they never work. Have a JessEm dowel jig that works superbly but tape is cheaper :^)

@ScotiaDroning Жыл бұрын

I think the fit would also depend on the angle at which the holes were drilled. I was surprised that your freehand hole angles matched so well that the joint fit tight.

@windsunh2o 10 ай бұрын

I believe the alignment of the holes is more important than the hole angles being the same. Wood is slightly flexible and compressible to allow for minor inaccuracies. As long as you're pretty close it should work.

@randysaylor700 26 күн бұрын

Thank you so much for this tip! Just ran into this angled dowel problem and your toe tip was so amazing and worked perfectly! Thanks so much for sharing

@tomasurbonas5835 Жыл бұрын

That's freaking genius, yet so simple! Thank you for sharing!

@rickgordon8377 Жыл бұрын

You continuously amaze me with your skill and deductive reasoning,while simple in procedure,it is a VERY BIG IDEA John. There are those in specialty tape mfg. That could ,if awake, make a product. I appreciate all that you demonstrate. Thank You!

@adamcoe 5 ай бұрын

that's absolutely excellent. no messing with finding the centers, no measuring, no jigs required. certainly if one was doing many of these for a large project, or making multiples of something then perhaps a jig might be quicker overall, but if you're just assembling a handful of joints, that's a really excellent method. thanks!

@Electric-Bob 7 ай бұрын

Lining up Holes Perfectly is the Bane of my Existance! Thanks John!!

@Joey.Darkwoods-Studio 11 ай бұрын

Just what I needed to see for my diy desk project and adding a 2nd tier shelf! Thanks John!!

@simonr6793 Жыл бұрын

It's good to know that this old dog can still learn a trick or two, how's the saying go John, upstairs for thinking and downstairs for dancing!!! Thanks John for sharing this one I never know when it's going to come in handy! As always buddy 💯% 👍 🇬🇧.

@jeffrozak2435 Жыл бұрын

This is one of those genius “why didn’t I think of that!?” tricks! Thanks for sharing, I’ll be using this IMMEDIATELY. 😃

@noi5emaker Жыл бұрын

Definitely genius! This is good timing because I’m going to need that technique this week. Thanks for this!

@drewlawrence696 11 ай бұрын

Many thanks. Invaluable info in assisting me making a wood surround for a counter-top coffee-grinds 'knock-box'...TY 👍

@ricopaxton 4 ай бұрын

One of of the best advices for that need! Thx,man!

@clemmcguinness1087 6 ай бұрын

John, that is genius and so are you. Thanks for this!

@tanner4828 Жыл бұрын

Simple is always better. Great work (as always), John.

@dann8558 6 ай бұрын

Thanks. First dowel joints I'd made (attaching a bench seat panel to the tops of two side panels) and everything aligned perfectly. Much appreciated.

@jrgallagher1 10 ай бұрын

Man, this is amazing. I'm starting my first actual woodworking project - a coffee table with angled mitered legs. I have been struggling to find a way to fixture my doweling jig on the small mitered cross sections. You probably saved me from ruining my pieces and having to start over. Thanks!!

@Accumulator1 Ай бұрын

Brilliant! Genius! I came looking for way to match dowel holes for two planks. I searched. I found this. Thanks!

@hrhbucket4268 5 ай бұрын

Thank you very much. I need to do exactly this to fix a broken chair. I though of using a dowel but was wondering how to line it up. This solution is perfect, much appreciated.

@HypoceeYT Жыл бұрын

I did a variation on this a few months ago when I had to cosmetically position screw holes for hidden hinges on a bunch of nightmare variable cabinet doors. Marking the holes on sticky-side-out masking tape with release pull tabs allowed me to position the door, press it, pull the tab, and have the holes marked. That part of the project, at least, came out great.

@sparrowhawk81 7 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for this video. I've been torn between saving up for a pricier dowel jig (I don't make much money and don't want to use a cheap one) and trying to make my own. I'm gonna try this on my next project.

@szcustomwoodworks6401 Жыл бұрын

Brilliant. Crazy how such a simple solution produces great results like that. I am going to try to remember that next time I do mitered corners.

@MRrwmac Жыл бұрын

John, In the last one, you even got the grain to line up. Now that is magic!

@dannelalbert7111 7 ай бұрын

I JUST bought an [expensive] Jessem dowel kit and now that I see this, I feel like a complete tool 😂 This is so simple; brilliant!

@hsjawanda 5 ай бұрын

When I saw you do this tape trick the first time, I immediately thought, "Why didn't I think of that!!??" Which makes this a brilliantly simple idea (it is brilliant in it simplicity). Thank you for sharing it!

@petriepretorius4085 Ай бұрын

Thank you for that tip! This will save me hours of hardship! May you blessed for sharing this tip! 😀

@MrJohnnyboyrebel Жыл бұрын

John I tried your technique on my project to make some pantry doors taller by joining an 8” section to the bottoms. It worked FANTASTICALLY!

@louislandi938 Жыл бұрын

Without a doubt, the finest tip (For me) I’ve seen anywhere. I will definitely try this next time I’m in my shop. Only took a few seconds to decide to subscribe. THANK YOU!

@emilcasas2707 Жыл бұрын

Wow! This is so clever and I believe I may actually be able to do this! Thanks for sharing your expertise and experience!

@thomasclemens1386 Жыл бұрын

Thanks John! I have a dowel project coming up and I was thinking I’d use dowel points…. Much better idea for my application!

@trentthompson2928 5 ай бұрын

I have not tried dowels, but now I might! Thanks!!!

@lonniecrook1684 5 ай бұрын

What a great, simple, and accurate method! Thank you!

@EngineerMikeF Жыл бұрын

Gotta hand it to ya John, this is as great an idea as the screw-in-table-saw-plate for scribbing a line off the table saw fence.

@mtran66 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this tip! Learned something ONCE AGAIN

@jerrystark3587 Жыл бұрын

As you said, dowel jigs can be used for some applications, but not for all. If you don't have a dowel jig, if you don't want to make a dowel jig, or if the pieces you are joining are irregular, or are of very different sizes, then your approach will work well. I agree with you about using dowel pin markers; they work, after a fashion. Guiding them properly sometimes takes quite a bit of additional setup time and effort. Your approach is far better, which I can say from personal experience. It works like a charm. Great video and great advice! 👍👍

@Ralphs-House 15 күн бұрын

I like this! Will be my go-to method from now on. Thank you John.

@scottparkin4439 Жыл бұрын

One of those delightfully obvious things that it takes a special mind to make obvious to we more mundane types. Thank you, John. Again.

@Devil-Made 9 ай бұрын

1:25 the whole idea is perfectly explained and demonstrated in the first 1:25. THANK YOU! I hate resorting to video instructions demonstrating how to complete a task (whatever it may be) because there’s usually a 30 second intro, and brief summary of why the person wants to do that thing, a minute or two explaining what they’re going to be doing in this “short” video, maybe an anecdote or two about their dog, then an ad spot, thanks to our sponsors, a whole 2-3 minutes outlining the safety procedures, what tools you’ll need, where to find them, how much you can expect to pay, another explanatory 2-3 minutes about the underlying theories involved, then FINALLY they begin. 15 minutes later I know how to remove my front fender to access my fog lights. You get straight to the point. The value of efficiency cannot be overstated. Thank you for a great video! I’ve tried this but I never thought to use an awl. Getting the actual holes to line up is too difficult, but using the awl is genius!

@rhyswilliams346 Жыл бұрын

Unbelievable! I went right out to my shop and tried it! worked perfectly! Thanks John

@georgearturrocha Жыл бұрын

Genius!!! Great job. Simple and perfect!

@bernardkroeger4045 Жыл бұрын

Apart from the excellent idea and execution , the use of masking tape warrants a mention.Wonderful stuff. I can't live without it. Use a quality tape everywhere. I even use it to tape/ reinforce a band aid brand closure on my hand if injured.

@PatJones82 Жыл бұрын

Brilliant! This is one of those "why the heck didn't I think of that" kind of things. Well done sir.

@watcherdude1330 Жыл бұрын

Hey John. Just have to say that I have watched so many of your videos , learned SO MUCH from you, and I think that this is the most genius idea you’ve ever had. You definitely are as they say smarter than the average bear. You make me proud to be Canadian. Hey Lol. But I SERIOUSLY hope that one of these ideas you come up with will make you a shit load of cash, you deserve it. I say that not as a suck up comment, because you could easily take your knowledge and teach it at a Trades School and make money teaching the future generation how to PROPERLY build. God knows they need all the help they can get . Anyway thanks for all your knowledge.

@stevenclarke5606 Жыл бұрын

This a genius idea, I have previously tried to use dowels to fix joints and failed, this is a game changer. Thanks

@claudeelliott3993 Жыл бұрын

Clever idea and one that actually works!! Congratulations.

@ClintsHobbiesDIY Жыл бұрын

You the man John. Thanks for making life better.

@paulcrabb7167 2 ай бұрын

Oh so simple, clever and practical - thanks !

@robertoortega1801 5 ай бұрын

Amazingly simple. Super Precise!!!! Thank you!!!!

@gregmislick1117 Жыл бұрын

Love your solutions as usual - throwing away dowel centers from X-NAS and buying more tape !

@WolfgangEysholdt Жыл бұрын

Das ist die beste Art Dübel passgenau zu setzen, die ich bisher gesehen habe, werde ich ab sofort nur noch nutzen. Danke dir.

@bridgetb3480 Жыл бұрын

I'm putting together a gazebo/arch thing with weird angles, and I used this trick. It works pretty good! I don't have a doweling jig, so I also ran a piece of tape over the edges with the ends matched up, and then sliced it in half with a utility knife so I would make sure I was drilling the right direction.