2-in-1 DIY Cross Dowel Jig | Barrel Nut Jig (For Detachable Wooden Furniture Joints)

[itzikdiy]

Hi all,

I made a Cross Dowel Jig (also called Barrel Nut).
Unlike other Jigs, I made the Jig detacheable into 2 pieces, so it has dual use (2 in 1) for the Cross Dowel & also for additional wooden dowel.



Such drill Jigs requires metal pipes which fits the drill bits well. I made this Jig in the middle of the Coronavirus lockdown and was limited with the materials I have.
I looked in all of my junk boxes and later in my screws organizers to look for metal pipes.
Finally, I saw some Jumbo screws / anchors which I had in different sizes, and tried their metal 'pipes', and they made the job well!

This is the video. Some additional explanation, below it.
What do you think of the result?

There are different kinds detachable joints.
One popular & strong joint for furniture and specially beds, is a Cross Dowel / Barrel Nut & additional wooden dowel, which makes the connetion better.

Lately I planned to make a bunk bed for my kids. I wanted the option to disassemble the bed in the future, like the detachable beds you buy on the stores.
The challenge with building a furniture using Cross dowel joints, is making precise drill holes which meets in accurate position.
It's hard to make such perfect holes at home, and especially when you have many of such joints in a bed, so I decided to make a special Jig for it.
The video demonstrates this explanation the best.

If you have questions, you're welcome to ask.
Enjoy!

The Jig - attached state



The Jig - detached state



Barrel Nut



Cross Dowel - Bolt & Nut



Joint Example - with additional wooden dowel