Tip #97
How To Drill Holes For Dowels
In Mitered Corners
Description:
A doweled miter joint is made from two pieces of similar stock by drilling matched dowel holes at an angle fo
90-degrees to the surfaces of the miter cuts.
Use:
Doweled miter joints are sued in door frames, built-up panels, frames having simple mitered corners, and in
furniture. It is a joint that provides additional gluing surface and increased resistance to bending and breaking
stresses.
Operations:
Let us make a four-sided frame having doweled, simple mitered corners.
1. Prepare four pieces of stock 3/4" x 2-1/2" x 12".
2. Make 45-degree miter cuts at both ends of each piece leaving outside edges 11-1/2"
3. Scribe longitudinal center lines on each miter cut. Square lines 7/8" from both ends of the center lines and
punch mark the intersections.
4. Set MARK V in Horizontal Boring position.
5. Secure 3/8" drill bit in chuck.
6. Set miter gauge at 45-degrees to right of 90-degree. Place in left table slot and in reverse position.
7. Place one piece of stock on table, long end butted against face of miter gauge, and mitered end even with edge
of table.
8. Position the back punch mark in line with point of drill bit, and close to it, by adjusting table, miter gauge and
carriage. Lock miter gauge to table.
9. Position fence with left side touching right end of stock. Lock fence.
10. Clamp a scrap block on fence which prevents stock moving away from face of miter gauge.
11. Holding stock firmly against miter gauge, drill one hole in each end of all four pieces to a depth of 1-1/16".
12. Adjust miter gauge and scrap block to position forward punch marks in line with drill point. Drill remaining 8
holes to the same depth.
13. Prepare eight 3/8" diameter dowels 2" long.
14. Assemble frame as indicated in following sketch.
Note: Dowel holes were centered exactly, instead of approximately, in this tip. By so doing, less adjustment of
the stock and its supports is required. However, if one face of all four pieces of stock is marked, and this marked
face is always kept down on the table, holes need not be centered and joints will be flush.