Dowel/Tenon Centers

Simple, cheap, effective, and very durable.

Earlier this year I started working on building a new desk for my home office and wanted to use as little visible joinery as possible so I opted to go with dowels. These little guys worked great at marking dowel locations for the legs and stringers. Just line up the workpiece, give a couple of taps with a hammer, and you've got perfect little indents for drilling. These things are solid, have nice sharp points and you can't go wrong on price at less than $5 bucks a pack.

The Milescraft 5342 8-piece Drill Center set is exactly what I needed to take the guesswork out of dowel joinery. Each center fits snugly into its corresponding hole size—¼", 5/16", ⅜", and ½"—and marks the mating board with pinpoint accuracy. No slipping, no misalignment, just clean, repeatable results every time. The quality is solid. These are zinc-plated steel, not flimsy aluminum, and the tapered sides and flanged edges make them easy to insert and remove without damaging your workpiece. I’ve used them on hardwood and softwood, and they hold up beautifully. For under $10, this set punches way above its weight. Whether you're building furniture, repairing joints, or just want to upgrade your doweling game, this little kit delivers professional-level precision without the pro-level price tag.

These small devices don't get much use in my shop, but when you need them, they are an excellent solution to getting well matched dowel holes. They are inexpensive enough to just buy and keep until you need them. If you are going to be doing a lot of dowel work, get yourself a good jig. But, for just occasional use, these are cheap and easy...

Simple to use, accurate, works fine. Just be sure the wooden parts are correctly aligned.

They work as promised

For someone who wants to accurately align dowels at a low cost, these are a viable option. They are strong and consistent. One reality is that the user may have to press hard to make an indentation in the wood so I decided to paint the tip with red magic marker which leaves an obvious mark. Lesson learned is that if the user presses hard enough that one of these gets embedded in the wood, it should come out easily with a magnet. Finally, I've found a few other uses for these when trying to make an accurate hole.

You'll Need A Drill Press Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2025 Color: Black It's a nice little kit, but I recommend avoiding it unless you have a drill press, guaranteeing that the holes being drilled for the dowels are precisely perpendicular (90⁰ angle in every direction). I tried setting up a dowel joint on scrap pieces first. The two pieces of wood needed to be in a very specific position. I tried hard to drill the holes carefully, but getting it just right freehand is hit and miss. Even a slight variation in the angle in any direction, and the two pieces of wood will not line up as you planned. If you have a drill press it could still be tricky, but with some practice it can be done. Some kits have a drill guide jig or a self centering gadget. I'll try that in the future.

Produto excelente. Satisfeito com a aquisição.

Por años no pude comprar los aditamentos de mi router Bosh y ahora que se me hizo comprar los aditamentos para mi Router estoy como niño chiquito con juguetes nuevos, si ya antes hacia muchas cosas con mi router ahora con la guia y la nueva base realizo muchisimas mas tareas que antes la verdad el precio fue mas barato que en mi lugar de origen dado que me salia mas caro comprarlo por los centros de servicio que por este medio me ahorre un buen dinero. los materiales son de muy buena calidad y los acabados son muy finos los recomiendo.

good price

Fiz uma mesa de madeira e consegui usar perfeitamente

My boyfriend says they're good. That's the most i'll ever get out of him regarding something he likes. He wasn't impressed that they didn't come with a little case. I solved that issue by keeping a container with a lid for him, but if you do buy these, get something you can keep them in, or you'll lose them. Package arrived on time, excellent condition.