Australianwoodsmith55_Ozzie_Jig.pdf

jigs & accessories

the jig and inserted the glue and

dowels in place. After matching the

joints I clamped the work piece and

wiped the excess glue. That simple.

The basic step-by-step process is

shown in the box at the bottom of

this page.

The key to the accuracy and easy

use of the jig is the precise spac-

ing of the holes and the fact that

you drill both sides of the work-

piece at the same time. What this

means is that you don’t need to do

any measuring. You simply place

the timber, face side in, against the

spacer plate and butt the edge of the

timber against the stop plate. Then

clamp and drill. This saves time and

eliminates the chance of setup or

measurement errors.

My first attempt was completed

in no time and when I assembled

the joint, both the faces and edges

were perfectly flush. And once you

have the fundamentals sorted, most

other types of joints come easily.

Next, I tried a mitre joint, as in the

main photo on the opposite page,

and things went just as smoothly

with identical results.

BEYOND THE BASICS . Simple frame joints

are just the tip of the iceberg for the

Ozzie Jig. One of the things I espe-

cially like about this jig is the ease

in which you can dowel a glued-up

panel. If you’ve ever tried to use

dowel jigs to reinforce an edge-to-

edge joint, you know how difficult

it is to get the holes to line up so

that the joint fits together easily. The

Ozzie Jig solves this problem like

no other jig. By clamping a spacer

between the two boards, and sliding

the jig along, drilling at the required

intervals, you end up with accurate

dowel holes every time. See photo

at the right. The result is that the

holes match up perfectly and the

joint goes together without a fight.

By adding a simple 45 degree

angle bracket (and watching the

supplied DVD) you can also rein-

force a mitre with a through dowel

joint (photos below right).

AND MORE. The Ozzie Jig can be

used simply and easily to create

angle joints for louvres, rail-to-post

joints, T-butt joints for shelves, cor-

ner joints and face butt joints.

The jig suits most standard timber

sizes but if you use thicker stock,

spacers (washers or nuts) can be

inserted between the guide blocks.

The spacers also allow you to make

an offset joint, such as when joining

a table rail to a thicker leg (rail to

post joint).

WORTH THE COST? The Ozzie Jig comes

in two sizes; for 6 and 8mm dowels

or 8 and 10mm dowels. The price

starts from around $250 including

the 45 degree plate, dowels, instruc-

tional DVD and postage. This may

seem high but I can't think of too

many other tools that can deliver the

way it does for the price. And given

its solid design, it will never wear

out. The jig is only available through

the Ozzie Jigs. See the Sources page

for details. W

{ Edge-to-edge joints. The unique

design means that once you clamp

up you can drill both sides together.

Multi Jig

{ Reinforce a mitre joint. Using the

supplied 45 degree plate drill the holes

through the mitre.

A versatile dowelling jig that’s easy to use,

accurate and fast. And it’s Australian made.

“A marvelous example of Australian

ingenuity”. That’s what the Senior

Curator of Engineering and

Design at The Sydney Powerhouse

Museum said when he first saw

Ozzie Jig’s Mirror Image Guide

Block system. And I’d have to agree

with him.

In the past, my attempts at dowel

joinery have often

been a bit frustrat-

ing. It seems that

no matter how

hard you try,

you can’t

g e t t h e

holes in

t h e

matching pieces located accurately

enough to make the joint fit well.

Like a lot of other woodworkers, I

had pretty much abandoned dowel

joinery in my projects.

That’s why I had a pleasant sur-

prise when I first used Ozzie Jig’s

Mirror Image Guide Block system.

Using the jig can be summed up eas-

ily. Firstly, it’s quick and easy to use.

Secondly, the joinery it produces is

next to perfect. And it’s also more

versatile than almost any other jig

on the market.

THE JIG. When you pick up the Ozzie

Jig, the main thing you notice is its

simplicity. The body is hardened

steel and it comes with an array of

spaces, plates and socket head bolts,

but the real key is in its design. The

jig allows you to drill the holes for

both workpieces, without the need

to reconfigure.

A BASIC JOINT. When the jig first

arrived, I found a couple of pieces of

stock, got my cordless drill out, and

had a quick look at the instructions.

The jig comes with two rows of six

holes on each mirrored block. The

holes allow 6mm or 8mm dowels,

at either 11mm or 22mm intervals.

I simply marked the face side of

my timber, placed the two pieces

against the blocks and clamped

them in place. I then drilled the

holes, removed the timber from

{ Create the box. Insert dowels, cut

to length and sand flush for a strong

yet interesting mitred joint.

Step-by-Step: the Mirror iMage guide blockS

Q Cutaway of

dowel joint

{ Mark-up. The first step is to mark

the face side of the timber and the face

that will be joined. There is no need to

measure.

{ Set-up. Place the two work pieces

face side in, against the spacer plate and

butt the edge of the timber against the

stop plate.

{ Clamp and drill. With the work

pieces firmly clamped to the base plate,

drill the number of holes required on

both pieces.

Australian Woodsmith

No. 55

Australian Woodsmith

Ozzie

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