Dowel Chamfering Jig
Create precise chamfers on dowel stock with this nifty disc-sander accessory jig.
Create precise chamfers with this nifty disc-sander accessory jig.
Chamfered dowels insert easier for alignment purposes, and chamfered ends also create glue space for stronger dowel joints.
To quickly create your own consistently chamfered dowels, build the jig shown. We used 1/4" plywood for the base and 3/4" plywood for the two 45° guides.
The key is that the right-hand guide is moveable to widen or narrow the gap between the guides, allowing you to increase or decrease the size of the sanded chamfer. We screwed the lefthand guide in place, and secured the right-hand guide with double-faced tape. To use the jig, simply clamp it to your disc-sander table so the inside edge of the jig is next to but not touching the sanding disc. Start the sander, slide the dowel along the left-hand guide, and rotate the end of the dowel clockwise against the disc. The right-hand guide acts as a stop to prevent you from sanding too large a chamfer. If the chamfered end isn't sanding enough, simply move the right-hand guide away from the other guide.
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