I know a lot of woodworkers who bang their heads against the wall whenever they are trying to figure out joinery for their projects. They struggle with the different hand-cut methods or don't have the funds to invest in some of the very expensive joinery systems on the market. This is one of the reasons I've become fond of the JessEm Dowel Jig Master Kit. This is an inexpensive joinery system that creates a strong joint that is perfectly aligned. When I first picked up this jig, I saw all of the tell-tale signs of JessEm quality. The Jig itself is machined from solid aluminum and hard anodized to protect it from bumps and jolts in your shop. The white alignment marks are easy on the eyes and the handy registration grooves on the bottom of the plate allow you to securely set your fence to prevent misalignment. These grooves register the fence in 1/8" increments for repeatable and accurate jig setup. The JessEm Dowel Jig Master Kit includes 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" dowel guides which are the most popular sizes on the market.
When I was trying to think of a good way to build a project using the JessEm dowelling jig, I instantly thought of James Krenov and his cabinet on stands. Krenov was a huge proponent of dowel joinery and used it on many of his cabinets, so building a cabinet on a stand seems like a good choice.
First off let me say that the JessEm Dowel jig is easy to use. Set your fence to your desired position (you must use one of the 1/8" registration marks), clamp it on, and drill away. There is not much else to it.
I first used it when I glued up the cabinet's sides, top and bottom and it worked great aligning the panel glue-ups.
Next, I did the cabinet carcass joinery. Since I was planning offset joinery on this, I needed to figure out how far I would want the setback of my sides from my top. I also would need to make sure that my bit stop depth was changed from side depth length to top and bottom depth length. Figuring out those lengths and dimensions was the hardest part of that joinery (and that wasn't hard at all). The only thing I might recommend in the future would be to have two different drill bits set up so you do not have to switch back and forth between the bit depth stops.
The cabinet fit together perfectly and feels very strong and secure when I dry fit the joints. It really shows the strength and ease of use that the JessEm Dowel Jig Master Kit helps you achieve. From simple alignment to full strength carcass joinery, this jig provides way more bang for the buck than most of the other joinery systems on the market. We think this JessEm jig is a worthwhile addition to your shop if dowel joinery is in your future.
We also carry pre-grooved dowels that fit perfectly with the JessEm Dowel Jig.