Joint Genie Professional 3/8" Dowelling tool for precision jointing of furniture, home improvement, carpentry, garden furniture, kitchens. Ideal for all woodworking needs where strong, precise jointing is required simple and easy to use dowel jig.

Amazing jig! I cannot find one anywhere now. Is there anyone out there willing to sell me one? Bill Porta Hamilton NY

Quality, we’ll constructed. A little fussy to use at times but works well and accurately if you pay attention. Mine was missing a set screw for the depth ring for the drill.

When deciding what to buy, I also looked at the dowel max and Jessem jigs, and decided on this one because it seemed if one was getting the $100 version, this was the most versatile. Now that I have used it, I think the design is brilliant, and the quality is great. It is quick and accurate, and with it you can put dowels anywhere you want. The features that I specially like are the built in shims, the ability to align on two surfaces, the fact that you can screw it down, and that, if you have a section of aluminum fence (e.g. Rockler) you can attach it to the top T slot, clamp the fence and place dowels accurately across the face of a board with no measuring.

I purchased this jig and used it for a while. It will provide accurate alignment and has a capability that I haven't seen elsewhere - that is, the ability to screw it down so as to hold it in place away from the edge of your work piece. I don't consider this to be worth buying the joint genie over other jigs, but I can imagine some small production shops might find it useful.It's light and can be finicky to get set up. Once the set up is complete, it is accurate.After dealing with the joint genie for a while I purchased them Jessem gig and was just amazed at how much easier it is to work with. I've read another review here that down grades the Jessem for several things that I've found to be complete non-issues. Having used both, I'd take the Jessem over the joint genie in most all cases.

My husband loves this thing. I admit I worried he was falling for an infomercial but ever since he got this I have noticed the difference with his projects. He loves this thing and it totally helps him out. He is self taught, building things for us at home that we need.

A quality made product. I've used several jigs over the years, this by far is one of the best approached I've come across come.

Really helps in some odd ball situations.

Although this little jig doesn't look as high-tech as some of its competitors, it is as accurately machined as they are and is made from stronger material, steel not aluminum, and produces results that are as accurate and as repeatable as those of its competitors. Because the Joint Genie bar is made from steel, drill bushings are not required as they are with soft aluminum.The Joint Genie can do everything these glitzier jigs can, and can do it more simply. There are also things the Joint Genie can do that they cannot.Like the DowelMax and the JessEm 08350, the Joint Genie places hole locations relative to a reference face, and when applicable, relative to a reference end-grain edge. An example would be the holes where rail meets stile.But consider how differently each jig handles that common scenario.JessEm 08350:1. Place the rail and stile on your work surface and align them at 90 degrees to each other, making sure the top end of the stile is flush with the outer edge of the rail.2. Clamp the rail and stile together so they do not move relative to each other. (How long does this step take?)3. Find the midline of the rail and draw a pencil line there and extend it onto the stile.4. Align the jig, by eye, on the pencil line on the stile, clamp in place with a clamp, and drill.5. Remove jig and align it, by eye, on the pencil line on the rail, clamp in place, and drill. DowelMax (Junior or Pro):SKIP STEPS 1 through 3 above.5. Align the edge of the jig, by feel or with a straightedge, with the end of the stile. Clamp in place with a clamp (or with the jig's tightening screws when using the Pro version), and drill.6. Remove jig and align it, by feel or with a straightedge, with the edge of the rail, clamp in place, and drill.Joint GenieSKIP STEPS 1 through 3 above.5. Align the edge of the jig, using its end-stop, with the end of the stile. Flip each metal spacer down onto the face of the stile, and clamp each with a clamp, and drill.6. Remove jig and align it, using its end-stop, with the outer edge of the rail, flip a metal spacer down onto the face of the rail, clamp in place with a clamp, and drill.DowelMax and Joint Genie are clearly simpler than the JessEm, requiring no physical alignment of the rail and stile on the work surface at 90 degrees to each other, no centerline measurement, no pencil mark, and no alignment of the jig by eye to a pencil mark. They have eliminated several opportunities for misalignment errors that could produce a joint that is not perfect.And where the DowelMax is aligned flush to the edge of the stile by feel or using a washer or straightedge, the Joint Genie has a built-in end-stop. The Joint Genie is positively aligned flush to the edge of the stile with that end-stop. A positive stop is more accurate than feeling with the tips of your finger for lippage, and as an integral part of the jig the end-stop is more convenient than using a straightedge to make sure the edge of the jig is flush with the edge of the stile. A integral positive-stop is a superior approach.Now consider how these jigs would join a 2.5x2.5 leg to a 1x4 rail.JessEm 08350:1. Place the rail and leg on your work surface and align them at 90 degrees to each other, making sure the top end of the leg is flush with the outer edge of the rail.2. Clamp the rail and leg together so they do not move relative to each other. (How long does this step take?)3. Find the midline of the rail and draw a pencil line there and make a tick mark on the leg.4. Get a combination square and use the tick mark on the leg to extend a line up and then around to the outer face of the leg.5. Align the jig, by eye, on the pencil line on the rail, clamp in place, and drill. Remove.6. Align the jig, by eye, on the pencil line on the leg, set the offset for any desired reveal, clamp in place with a clamp, and drill. DowelMax (Junior or Pro):SKIP STEPS 1 THROUGH 45. Align the edge of the jig, by feel or with a straightedge, with the edge of the rail. Clamp in place with a clamp (or with the jig's tightening screws when using the Pro version), and drill. Remove.6. Add a shim to the jig for any desired reveal and align it, by feel or with a straightedge, with the top edge of the leg, clamp in place, and drill.Joint Genie:SKIP STEPS 1 THROUGH 45. Align the edge of the jig, with the integral end-stop, to the edge of the rail. Flip the spacers down and clamp in place with a clamp, and drill. Remove.6. Adjust the integral spacers for any desired reveal and align it, with the integral end-stop, with the top edge of the leg, clamp in place, and drill.Again the Dowel Max and Joint Genie have greater simplicity than the JessEm without sacrificing accuracy or repeatability. The Joint Genie's integral end-stop again is superior to the Dowel Max straightedge, and the Joint Genie's integral set of spacers are capable of quick yet precise fine-tuning of the offset for a reveal, quicker and more fine-tuned "out of the box" than the fixed-width shims of the Dowel Max. Both jigs can be supplemented with shop-made shims for reveals.The Joint Genie's looks are deceiving. Or should I say the JessEm's looks are deceiving? For all of its tick marks and appearance that is reminiscent of optical devices, and shouts out "accuracy!", the JessEm jig actually allows for quite a few opportunities for misalignment due to human error. It's easy to knock a piece of wood on the workbench when aligning a rail at a 90-degree angle to the stile, and clamping them in place is sometimes easier said than done. I think the choice comes down to Dowel Max or Joint Genie.What sets the Joint Genie system apart from the Dowel Max for me is the availability of 5/16 and 1/4 Joint Genie jigs whose holes are spaced proportionally to the dowel size. The Joint Genie system is able to handle narrower rails than both the Dowel Max and the JessEm because its 1/4" holes are closer together on-center than its 5/16 holes which are closer together on-center than its 3/8" holes. The holes in the Dowel Max and the JessEm are equidistant on-center regardless of the dowel size chosen.The Joint Genie can handle stock of any width: in scenarios where the stock is wider than any clamp on the market, the Joint Genie jig can be screwed to the face of the stock with wood screws that get hidden by the joint.The DowelMax and JessEm cannot be clamped on stock of any width unless one can find a suitable clamp.