Media Resources

Posted 03/17/17

JointPro and Dust Router

I have had my eye on these tools for a while now and was excited to use them. I have wanted the JointPro for several projects, and the Dust Router is a great addition to my war on dust.

The first project I wanted to use JointPro for was a simple frame for a mirror, I was upcycling an old desk into a vanity table and wanted to add a mirror to it. I figured I would start with a simple project so I good get comfortable with the JointPro. The JointPro allowed me to create strong mitered joints using just wood glue and Milescraft fluted dowels. In addition, I had to route a ½” rabbet (1/8’ deep) and ¼” rabbet (3/8” deep) along the inside edge at the back of the frame to mount the mirror and install a LED strip to illuminate the mirror. This allowed me to use my router and the Milescraft Dust Router.

First impressions of the Dust Router weren’t good, I didn’t like how the dust cap was attached to the underside of my router lift. The instructions required you to drill into the router lift to screw the mounting plate into the router lift. I didn’t want to do this as my router lift was an expensive purchase and didn’t want to drill into it. I used Gorilla tape to attach the mounting plate and that seems to be working well so far. Maybe the mounting plate can be attached using magnets instead of screws. Second impressions were a lot better, when I started using my router with the Dust Router I was thoroughly impressed by the dust collection of this system. Everyone knows that routers spray dust everywhere, but this system was able to contain all the dust, with very minimal clean up required after use. Less clean up means more time for projects which is a huge bonus especially for someone like me who balances a full-time job with my woodworking business.

First impressions of the JointPro were very good, right out of the box the jig seems simple to use, the instructions are very detailed for each joint you can create using the JointPro. I wanted to create 45-degree miters and the JointPro made it very easy, I could set the jig up within minutes by clamping the jig down to my work bench and then clamping my material into the jig. I then began drilling the holes for each dowel. I choose to drill 3 dowels per joint as I wanted the joint to be as strong and stable as possible. I was using ¾” pine to make the frame, therefore I used 3/8” jig holes and fluted 3/8” dowels (1-1/2” long). I drilled all holes in less than 5 minutes, I then did a dry fit and everything lined up perfectly. My only issue with the JointPro is that there is no way to collect the sawdust, so although it didn’t take long to drill the holes, I had to spend another 5 minutes sweeping up all the sawdust.

Once I had drilled the holes and routed the rabbet’s I could begin the glue-up. This again was another easy process due to the accuracy of the JointPro. Once the glue had dried I took the frame out of the clamps, since the joints were so accurate it took very little sanding to get the joints smooth.

Both the JointPro and Dust Router are inexpensive products but the value they add to my shop and woodworking business far exceeds the initial cost to buy these items. I would recommend these products to any aspiring woodworker.