Miller Dowel System

[Yorkieguy]

Not seen these stepped dowels before:

Miller Joinery 1X Kit 850959000053 | eBay

They sell the dowels in different timbers. It looks a very secure system with the ribs around the circumference.

 

[rogxwhit]

But - what's the point??? It looks like a gimmick dreamed up to sell something. :-(

 

[AESamuel]

I'm curious how much better they are than regular dowels with glue. Every review I've found has been shining though.

 

[recipio]

They have been around for a long time now. The secret is the shoulder near the top. It pulls the dowel tight and the wood with it. There are three sizes and of course you need a dedicated drill bit for every size. We get cherry, birch and walnut over here but the Yanks have more exotic woods as they use them for solid wood flooring.
I've used them occasionally and they work very well. There is no way of hiding the end grain plugs however so you have to live with the look.

 

[Spectric]

What about alignment, or do you clamp the workpieces in place and then drill.

 

[recipio]

What about alignment, or do you clamp the workpieces in place and then drill.

Yes you have to clamp or the pieces can drift when drilling. You probably need the medium size to start off and the dowel should end up a mm or so from the surface. Sand flush to finish. They are fine for light construction but not strong enough for weight bearing joints.

 

[Yojevol]

I have used them in the past but for light use only. You have to careful to use the minimum amount of glue otherwise hydraulic lock can occur. I've managed to split wood in this way. I prefer to drive the dowels in slowly using a G-clamp on the dowel head. when the shouder bottoms out the joint is then tightened under force from the clamp.
I have small and medium drills which I will not be using again. I'll send a PM.
Brian

 

[Spectric]

I think I will stick with a decent dowel jig, looks to be easier and more precise than this system.