Thread: Dowelling advice (Haron jig & drill problems)

Originally Posted by Dusty Dave

Are Haron bits known to be poor quality? Is the jig a waste of time too? Should I be using a forstner bit rather than a fluted bit?

Unfortunately yes, Haron bits are awful. I don't know about their jigs. A good forstner bit will drill a clean hole, but I don't see how you are going to keep it straight with a hand drill. A biscuit joiner or Domino is the tool for this job. Are you using benctop joiners to pull the pieces together?

Just a moment...

Not rocket science if the bit is not straight take it back for ,replacement/refund

Thanks guys. Disappointed to hear that about Haron bits, I trusted the brand to sell decent bits as they are all over the dowels and jigs etc. I'll return it and try to find a better one. I've mostly just used general purpose HSS bits and spade bits in the past, no experience with brad points.

I mentioned the forstner as it seems like the twist bit doesn't have enough 'meat' on it to sit very positively in the guide bushing of the jig. It occurred to me that a forstner bit might get the hole started better, then I could switch to a regular bit of the same diameter. Seems like a faff though.

There is an industrial supplier in town, not sure what they have in the way of woodworking tools but they'll probably have anything that the local chippies would need.

I'm trying to avoid buying a biscuit joiner as I can't see it getting much use after this job. I was hoping to be able to do this with dowels and a ratchet strap to pull the halves together, but I might get a couple of those bench connectors if I have to do a town run anyway.

That jig is utter c**p. I had it and after buying a proper straight brad bit used it for a few jobs but it was, even under optimal condition…very poor. You can buy much better jigs but they are expensive.

I don’t think that the dowels will pull the bench ends together though, and I think you need some of those linked to joiners.

regards

Do you have a router, if so you could use a feather joint, cut a stopped slot in the ends and insert a strip of ply, common joint in the past, but these days with YouTube it has been largely forgotten.
Carbatec sell router jigs much more expensive then Haron rubbish but they will do a adequate job e.g. Carbatec Self Centering Doweling Jig with 6-8-10mm bits | Carbatec.

Originally Posted by China

Do you have a router, if so you could use a feather joint

Thanks China that's a great idea, I do have a router. I'll see what kind of bits I can find in town. I just googled it and you can even get biscuit joiner bits, seems like that should work just as well as an actual biscuit joiner?!

Originally Posted by Dusty Dave

Thanks China that's a great idea, I do have a router. I'll see what kind of bits I can find in town. I just googled it and you can even get biscuit joiner bits, seems like that should work just as well as an actual biscuit joiner?!

I suspect that a router will probably give a better result as the "foot" supplied by a large 1/2inch router is much larger than a biscuit jointer platen.

If the teak panels being joined are for the countertops, then I would suggest using these or something similar....





These countertop joiners will pull the pieces tight and you can even re-tighten down the track if the panels shrink and the gap re-opens.

Ditto KohayKutter, comment. Have used many of them with great results.
Hope you solve your issue.

So I visited the industrial supplies place and found an 'Alpha' brand 10mm screw point 'shipper' auger. looked good, bought it.

That's fecking bent too. Nowhere near as bad as the Haron, but enough to wobble the jig around. I did my absolute best, but the dowels are so out of position on the piece I did that I'm not even going to bother trying to do the other side. Where do I have to go to find a straight drill bit?!

I did manage to find a 4mm slot cutting router bit at Bunnings. It'll only cut 10mm deep but that should be enough for the #0 biscuits I picked up, assuming 4mm biscuits fit a 4mm slot?!

The next best option was a 9.5mm rebate cutter, which I'm already half regretting I didn't buy, although it meant buying a $50 set of mostly duplicates to get it. That would cut a bit deeper, and I have plenty of 9mm ply on hand.

Tomorrow I'll try the 4mm slotter and biscuits, if I'm not happy with that then it's back again to return another wobbly drill and pick up the set with the rebate bit.

I did grab some of those bench connectors, seems like everyone recommends them and the ratchet strap idea could go horribly wrong. How many connectors would you recommend for a 900mm wide bench? 3?

With an angle grinder and a 1mm cutting disc its pretty easy to grind your own reasonable spur bit out of a 10mm standard drill bit . I do them and its not the spurs that matter so much but the center leading point you want. Just to start the hole dead on . Which I mark out using a square then a gauge then center them with a fine spike. Once the drill bit is in a few mm in its on course and shouldn't be a problem with a decent jig.

Do you have a drill press? If you do make a timber jig to do your holes in the right position. That'll be good for ten holes then throw it out.

Originally Posted by Dusty Dave

.......How many connectors would you recommend for a 900mm wide bench? 3?

Firstly, I'm no expert on them.

Secondly, if the countertop is straight (i.e. not L-shaped or similar), I would make or buy a panel that spans the entire length without any joins. Not only will it be stronger but better from an aesthetics aspect. I would only have a join and use these connectors for a mitred corner or bend.

Thirdly, to answer your question re: quantity, if the counter depth is 900mm and straight (i.e. not mitred), then you could probably get away with 3 but I tend to over-engineer things and would use 4. But that's me. For a mitred corner, the join would be longer than 900mm so I would use 4 at the bare minimum.

Lastly, I'd like to emphasize that I'm not a professional furniture/cabinet maker so take that into consideration. I still consider myself very much a novice so follow any of my advice with caution.




Cheers and good luck,

Mike

Slotter and biscuits . You'd want to be working fast putting it together as biscuits start grabbing if its a water based glue like it should be for biscuits. They start expanding which is what they are designed to do, so after the glue is in you want to line them up and knock the parts together with a mallet or a big maul/ Club or a decent branch off a Red Gum. Then slip in the connectors and do them up fast.

If you're using the connectors, the biscuits are only for alignment. Glue them into one side of the joint only.
Here's a video by kaboodle on joining benchtops. They just use glue and the connectors and tap with rubber mallet to adjust alignment. No biscuits or dowels.

Joining benchtops | kaboodle kitchen - YouTube