Hot Lee Valley JessEm Dowelling Jig

This is an outstanding jig for dowel joinery. Its versatility extends well beyond basic edge-to-edge connections into more complex work such as carcass corners, shelves and table or chair aprons. It is quick to position and straightforward to use, yielding accurate, repeatable results without an elaborate set-up. The jig simply uses the end or edge of the stock as a reference line, or uses a marked center line for positioning. Joint alignment is nearly foolproof because the same reference faces are used on both workpieces.

An adjustable fence positions the drilling block relative to the face of the work, so you can easily join stock of different thicknesses, add a reveal, or drill a row of holes centered up to 3 1/2″ from any face. The fence has a direct-reading scale with positive stops in 1/8″ increments for accurate adjustment. By registering the included indexing pin in the last hole drilled, you can quickly chain drill an extended series of holes for table tops or panels.

In situations where you can’t use the fence (e.g., a shelf joint) or when the dowels are widely spaced, the drilling block’s central slot lets you register the jig on dowels inserted in one workpiece to position it for drilling the corresponding holes in its mate.

CNC-machined from aluminum and hard-anodized, the basic jig consists of an indexing plate, a fence and a detachable drilling block with five 3/8″ hardened steel guide bushings. It comes with a 3/8″ HSS drill bit, a depth collar and an indexing pin. We also offer a master kit that comes with the basic jig and and expansion kits. The expansion kits include a drilling block with 1/4″ or 1/2″ bushings plus the matching drill bit, depth collar and indexing pin. Expansion kits are also available separately.

Made in Canada.