JessEm Doweling Jigs - Old VS New - Which Jig Will Reign Supreme

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Wood Working-

Tools-
As of now, I don't think Amazon is the best place to get these JessEm jigs.
But here are some links if you want to check them out

The activities in this video can be dangerous. If you are unsure of something stop and get professional assistance.

[craigspencer]

Cudos, well done, . I will buy the new one. thanks

[johnstride]

Your videos are excellent. Based on your reviews, I have just ordered the stainless steel professional kit. Unfortunately, Jessem does need to work on their very weak customer service.

[stevesiefken]

Thanks for doing such a thorough review and comparison of each. I bought the old jig about 9 months ago. Got it on sale through Amazon for $189. Less than 2 months or so after I bought it they came out with the new one. Frankly that was pretty frustrating because it did seem to be a better jig for less Monday as you said.
I’m retired and a hobbyist so for me not having to change the dowel sizes isn’t too big of a deal. The storage would have been great but I, like you said, end up storing it in the box it came in. It does have a good feel to it. I’ve never had the new jig in my hand. It the old one is pretty nice and does seem like a quality built tool.
The alignments on the new jig are much better and would be the biggest deal for me. However having the 1/16” adjustment would be great.
My biggest problem is with the clamping. I have difficulty sometimes keeping the jig appropriately seated on the workpiece. The other feature both jigs are missing is self centering. The lack of on board clamps and lack of self centering makes me sometimes wish I would have purchased the Dowelmax.
I admit that the clamping issue I have may be a user problem. I would be open and interested to hear your thoughts about clamping and how you manage it. Do you have a video where you went over how you clamp your workpieces? (I scrolled through your videos but didn’t see one, but I could have easily missed it 🤦‍♂️). What are your thoughts about the lack of self centering?
Thanks again for a great review. ✅👍🏻

[Willybeanmcgraw]

How do you line up the Dowels for a 45 degree waterfall edge? Do you just transfer the markings?

[NWGR]

This is definitely an interesting addition to the jessem jig family, though I do see the lack of included drill bits as a huge letdown. SOmeone buying a premium jig for the first time may not realize they need to buy the bits and collars separately and have to make an extra purchase.
For storage, I'm not really sold on all these wall mounting options (woodpeckers does this a lot too); small cases make for better storage efficiency. I keep my dowelmax with all the accessories in a small dewalt tough system compact organizer (DWST08020) and it takes up very little storage space.
Great comparison.
edit: Someone mentioned flex in the SS version; if that's true I'd just splurge on the aluminum jig and be confident knowing I have a jig they didn't cut corners on. I'm happy with my dowelmax, but it's always a good thing when competition ramps up.

[gregf]

I just bought the old version a couple of months ago. The reason I bought it over the new one was the ability to screw the jig down to a bench to create a fixture along with some stops to do a series of repetitive joints. I was able to get it on sale for around $200 from Acme. There weren't many reviews pitting the old versus the new jig at the time. This review should make it easier for the buyer in the market now.

[carlitochakra]

I'm in the market for a Doweling jig. I'm drawn between the JessEm and the DowelMax. I was unaware that there are two JessEm models. Thanks for the heads up. I will continue my research before I commit myself to a purchase. 💛💜💛

[dgs]

Thanks Matt for the comparison review! Looks like the SS jig is a winner in all categories except the beauty contest. It does make me wonder why Jessem has decided to continue to produce both jigs and why they didn't choose to just upgrade the original jig instead of rolling out a new jig. Maybe cost was driving the decision? In any event, I don't see them selling a lot of the original 8350 jigs going forward based on your analysis.

[terrydanks]

Just the video I was hoping for. I was leaning towards the older version on cosmetics alone. Now I am torn as the SS version offers more bang for fewer bucks even though it looks flimsy in comparison to version one..

[chrisholmes]

Old jig has holes on the frame that can allow for rails etc. to be attached (like a router). And get some 1/16th shim material to decrease the old jig's adjustment. Starting out now, I would prefer the new Master kit. You make very useful videos, great job!

[mattssi]

I am torn between the two. I need to do shelf boards and it seems nearly impossible on the new one because the dowel reference slot is only 11ga steel, so that will just slide underneath the dowel where as the master kit is a huge piece of metal which will securely surround the dowel.

I called Jessem and they said it should work for shelf dowels, but when they sent the manual, it contained only information about edge and corner joints. This is unliked the master kit manual.

Too bad there isn't a combination of both jigs option!

[hu]

Can you use the new 45 deg plate with the old jig? Don’t know why, but the new jig just seems chincy to me. The old jig seems more rigid, more accurate and just more beef to for better work. Also, I’m never going to flip back and forth different dowel sizes, so I prefer not having to store 3 of a thing vs one and some accessories. (Which you still need to store some accessories with the new one). So I’m leaning toward the old one and add the 45 deg plate if I can.

[johnnym]

Very nice comparison. I own and really like the old version but this video will definitely give new buyers plenty to think about.

[davidshupe]

Good video. Thanks for the info. One good advantage of the old jig is the thicker dowel referencing slot. The new one is too thin to use in all situations. I think the biggest advantage of the SS is cost and the 1/16 " increments of mesurments. Old jig wins in all other categories

[samweston]

Thanks for the video. Do you mind explaining a little bit about how you did the measurements for the inset table leg/skirt joint?

[annabanana]

Just bought the stainless steel version, we'll see how i like it when it comes eventually.

[telphermangrum]

Really good review. Personally, I have a old style self centering jig that I have used for many years. As seldom as I use dowels it is fine for me. However, if I was looking for something to replace or add function to the process this review would be very helpful. Thanks for posting.

[gdonham]

I have the master kit but also have the workstation that comes with the Pocket Mill Pro. I can make 45 degree joints by buying the little plate to attach it to the workstation. The workstation works well but they use the Microjig clamps which I am not so in love with. They work but they are a little hard to move in the slots. I think that t he 1/16" might be more useful because plywood is never the exact size it is advertised at. You can plane your solid wood but again it is never perfectly the increments advertised. Nice video.

[allencurry]

Great review; however the prices you mention seem high. I bought the 3/8 complet jis for $89 direct from Jessem. The 1/4 and 1/2 jigs are also $89 each. The weekend hobbist bundle is only $129: seems like a great deal.

[jeremyjohnsen]

I have a really great storage unit for the old master kit.. 3D printed on ebay