Why the spray paint?

So you know which ones are the test ones 👍 ​@@DocXango

And store bought Domino tenons are the same way. I have about 20 or so of each thickness sanded down for dry fit. I just mark them with a Sharpie. But really you can tell because they are smooth and don't have the glue crinkles.

I have 3/8” Teflon rod I cut into test dowels. Easy peasy folks.

@@DocXango to indicate test fit dowells

Interesting! I like this idea.

I also prefer this method.

Thanks for the tip

Yes also @MakeSomething! Triton also makes some of the dowlling machines and, for reference, Peter Millard @10MinuteWorkshop is on his fourth I think...not all of them the cat's meow it seems and I would say more polarization than the Domino according to KZfaq videos!

@@jeffbaker8808 On his fourth and it's still sending him nuts 🤣

Yeah I was looking at those on Amazon

Yep. I did the same thing. makes it much easier to do depth centering without a lot of measuring/trial and error.

I have this jig and believe me, it is a load of crap, it is just another dowel jig; No better or worse than any other jig on the market, and much too much expensive. Don't waste your money. If you want to do dowel joinery, you can make your own simple jig that works as good as this one and it will cost you nothing. Don't get conned guys. This is my honest opinion of the jig and I paid for mine; Not a freebie so I didn't feel obligated to give a good report on it. These guys are paid influencers and their aim is to promote an item and brainwash you into buying it. If you buy this jig on an influencer's advice, you are a sucker.

Do you find dowels stronger than pocket holes?

@@Tigerratcat Sorry to chuckle at your question. Without question dowels are much stronger than pocket holes. There have been countless tests here on YT that show this. Pocket holes can be quicker, depending on what pocket hole equipment you have.

@@weldabar Chuckle away. I’m a complete newbie. To me it seems there’s a limitation to dowels where the whole project has to be assembled out in the open, where as you can assemble pocket hole pieces in place. I tried pocket holes for the first few time. I’m definitely not impressed with the strength. You can strip the thread so easily with an impact driver when it bottoms out

@@TigerratcatI use the dowelmax because I HATE the look of pocket holes. If they are completely hidden then so be it, but usually they aren’t.. or they are used on objects like chairs that need the extra strength of the glue joint and even a beautifully hidden pocket hole isn’t a replacement for a dowel or good jointery. They are fantastic for cabinet frames in particular because it is all hidden and none of those connections should ever experience much shear or any wracking force(s)

If you buy the drill press, be sure to check it for square. The problem is that the press bed flexes out of square from the post when you tighten it. I went through two of them before I finally decided to just make a drill press table and shim it square.

I have the Wen trim router, spindle sander and the VS drill press. The later two came up on Amazon as one day deals...$85 spindle sander and $195 drill press. Don't hate me 😢 Haven't run across the problem GD had with the drill press table, but am now aware of the potential. Thanks, GD 😊. Otherwise, all three have given me yoman's service and I am well satisfied. Dowelmax...hmmm. Don't really use dowels other than cheap shelf pegs. I did when I first started (Reagan was Pres then...) but had heinous difficulty lining joints up after drilling. So...I made my own pocket hole jig that fit my auxiliary drill press table and used that for years until Kreg came along. But ..I am intrigued by the Dowelmax and would certainly consider it if I should choose to use dowels again. I can see where functionality outweighs cost...as long as I don't tell Momma😂

Heck yes, I want to see a video on this

But it cant self center, right? Feels like you will never drill the holes exactly in the center... since the thickness of a board is never exactly a round number even if its supposed to. So flipping one board and then joining them together would result in the surfaces not aligning exactly anymore in my mind...

​@@martinsvensson6884 crazy how it lined up every time in this video

​@@martinsvensson6884 I think the point is the dowelmax references off the same face, no need for self centering.

I think the benefit/advantage is that the check marks remind one of the two reference surfaces so the offset of the holes is consistent for mating pieces. It doesn't matter if they are 100% on the centreline. I bet a doughnut that no Domino mortise is ever 100% centred...and it doesn't matter. What matters is the consistent offset to the reference surface of mating pieces for either a tool, (say even biscuit joiner), or a jig, (Dowelmax or home grown). Having used a Domino, and put several mortises where they don't belong, I can see how this jig can work effectively and better in some ways to ensure alignment and placement. The Domino wiggles as every user will tell you and that is where some error will come in. Do I want both? Yes. Will I buy the Dowelmax and all its accessories before I buy a Domino? Yup.

@@martinsvensson6884 Correct, that's why you need to keep track of the orientation in which you're drilling the pieces.

Doweling jigs in general are junk from my experience, just like you said. The only exception is dowelmax which I own and maybe Jessem which I don't have.

It's actually a very fast jig/tool, and there is an optional L-bracket you can get to put it upright on a board.