Biscuits, dominos & dowels · review
A €19 dowelling jig with 150 dowels and three drill bits in the box — and a different brand on it than the one we searched for.
The end of it Good value and a genuinely versatile drilling guide, provided you accept that the bushes are a consumable.
Every figure is a manufacturer specification, read off the listing itself, and the judgments are ours — drawn from how the specification behaves in this class of machine and from what long-term owners consistently report. Where a figure is missing, we say so rather than fill it in.
A drilling jig for dowel joints, part number 7581-00, from kwb. A rotating disc selects bushes from 3 mm (0.12 in) to 12 mm (0.47 in) — 3, 3.3, 4, 4.2, 5, 6, 6.8, 8, 10 and 12 — and the jig is rated for corner, angle, T and face joints with 6, 8 and 10 mm (0.39 in) dowels. The body is hard plastic with a rubber anti-slip face. In the box: 150 wooden dowels and three CV twist drills in 6, 8 and 10 mm (0.39 in).
A dowel joint is concealed, symmetrical, and strong in the direction the grain wants to be strong. It also has to be laid out accurately on both halves, because a hole in the wrong place cannot be moved. A pocket-hole joint is a screw driven at a shallow angle into an oversized bore: no clamping time, no glue-up to plan around, and a visible plug on one face.
Neither replaces a mortice and tenon in a chair that will be sat in for thirty years. Both are entirely sound for carcases, jigs, shop furniture and repairs, which is most of what actually gets built.
The search asked for a Wolfcraft product and this listing is kwb. Both make jigs of this type and they are not the same company. We name what the listing names, because a reader who ordered expecting one and received the other would have a legitimate complaint, and the difference is invisible from the search results.
Dowelling uses three of them. The other seven turn the jig into a general drilling guide: a way of getting a hole perpendicular into an edge, a face or a tile without a drill press. That is arguably the more useful function, and the rubber face is what makes it work on surfaces where a bit would otherwise skid.
| Bush sizes | 3, 3.3, 4, 4.2, 5, 6, 6.8, 8, 10 and 12 mm (0.47 in) on a rotating disc |
|---|---|
| Dowel sizes supported | 6, 8 and 10 mm (0.39 in) |
| Included | 150 wooden dowels, three CV twist drills in 6, 8 and 10 mm (0.39 in) |
| Body | Hard plastic, with a rubber anti-slip face |
| Part number | 7581-00 |
| Amazon reference | B001BB1RSQ (identical on 6 markets) |
| EAN | 4009317581000 |
No. The search asked for one and the listing at this reference is a kwb Dübelprofi, part number 7581-00, under the kwb brand. Different manufacturer. We review the product that exists at the reference.
Longer than people expect and not forever. A twist drill running against a plastic bush wears it slightly oval over time, and an oval bush lets the bit wander, which is the one thing a jig exists to prevent. Hardened steel inserts are what the more expensive jigs have; at €19 this is the trade.
Grip. kwb lists it for drilling on smooth surfaces — tile, mineral composite, porcelain — where a jig would otherwise skate on the first turn of the bit. It is useful well beyond dowelling.
A listing is not an offer: the reference exists on these stores, availability changes daily.
7.5/ 10
Good value and a genuinely versatile drilling guide, provided you accept that the bushes are a consumable.
Occasional dowelled carcase work and repairs, and accurate freehand drilling
Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for woodworking machines and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.
22 mm (0.87 in) depth · 105 × 22 mm (4.13 × 0.87 in) cutter · dust bag
The professional biscuit jointer that publishes its cutting depth and ships with the cutter and a dust bag.
Best for: A professional workshop where the jointer is used weekly rather than occasionally
Pocket-hole jig · Easy-Set bit · case · cheapest in Britain
The pocket-hole jig most people mean when they say Kreg — sold in five European markets and, oddly, not in America.
Best for: Repairs, shop furniture and carcase work where speed beats invisibility
Pocket hole jig · with bit and screws
The joint that needs no clamps and no glue-up time — and the one that shows on one face forever.
Best for: Carcases, jigs, shop furniture and anything where one face is never seen
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
