The purpose of this blog is to open up dialogue and provide actual and honest advice with respect to dowel systems and a genuine overview as to how these systems compare with others.

No doubt some of the more outspoken among you will declare bias at every turn, and quite frankly it would be an exercise in futility to try and change the views of these same people. I can only give you my word that I will be absolutely honest in my discussions.

In another life I worked as an Engineer Officer on both the English Channel and British Columbia ferry systems. The shift systems on both were a complete disaster and very unhealthy. I spent months working out a more stable and healthy system for both. In fact the Canadian system I calculated provided, by default, an additional three weeks leave per annum. When presented, the idea was quashed by the very vocal minority( roughly five percent) What was more interesting, was that that small group, did not under any circumstances represent the brightest sparks within the terminal, just simply the loudest, and most aggressive.

That in itself was an education and an eye opener, and further, it gives me an insight into what to expect when presenting a new concept. These can be labeled into four basic categories: (1) It won’t work (2) I’ve always done it this way and I don’t want to change, (3) I’ts too good to be true, and (4) It’s too expensive. In fact not one of these is remotely true, and not one can be reliably proven.

This brings me to a scenario which occasionally rears it’s ugly head, i.e. reviews. I mean would you want unqualified people compiling reports on important aspects of your life, like your house, your car, or God forbid your health? Particularly if an error is published for which there is absolutely no recourse whatsoever.

We have about seventy odd reviews on Amazon, almost all, probably in excess of 95% are five star reviews. To be fair one bad one which in fact related to the Dowelmax Junior, turned out to be justified, and we went to considerable lengths to rectify the problem. A second review was less than complimentary, and could be harmful. I, in fact designed the tool, the instructions etc,. and use it almost on a daily basis. The first thing I noticed, based on the written contents was that the person had not followed our instructions, or our guidelines. In other words he made statements which were in fact untrue. Had he used our unique referencing system as clearly shown most of his problems and frustrations would have been eliminated.

Our system is machined to very fine tolerances, and therefore one of our tenets related to excellent joint results is to ensure the workpieces are as straight and true as possible. The more inaccurate the piece, the more inaccurate the join. It’s that simple

My quandary is whether to respond to these reviews or not. In other words any attempt to help can sometimes be misunderstood, and the subsequent frustration can on occasion lead to an even worse review.

We have a guarantee which is, within reason, unconditional. We also encourage people to call for advice, if they’re having difficulty. We enjoy solving problems related to the use of our products.

Speaking honestly as a woodworker and not the designer, this is undoubtedly the best joining system on the market, bar none!! If you’re having difficulty, call us. If we do not solve your problem, that is the time to put pen to paper.