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Self-centring dowel jig: jaws, pins, and a mark that can lie

Updated: 22 October 2026

You want the hole in the middle of an 18 mm edge without measuring it with a tape. A self centring dowel jig is supposed to do that by touching both faces and putting the bush halfway between them. A line printed on the side of the tool is not the same thing. In this amazon.co.uk set, two UK reviews of the wide-jaw listing say that engraved centre was 1 mm out, or 2 to 3 mm out. The mechanisms, and which board each one suits, are below. Prices are on the [dowel jig comparison](/hub/screws-and-accessories/dowel-jig). No lab check was run.

You want the hole in the middle of an 18 mm edge without measuring it with a tape. A self centring dowel jig is supposed to do that by touching both faces and putting the bush halfway between them.

Our top picks

HuuppHip HuuppHip wide-jaw jig

Best overall

HuuppHip HuuppHip wide-jaw jig
5.2/10about £20.99
View offer
Wolfcraft Wolfcraft Dowelmaster 4640000

Rank 2

Wolfcraft Wolfcraft Dowelmaster 4640000
8.6/10about £12.96
View offer
Wolfcraft Wolfcraft Dowelmaster set 4645000

Best value

Wolfcraft Wolfcraft Dowelmaster set 4645000
7.8/10about £28.30
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What the jaws do
  2. 2.What the Dowelmaster does instead
  3. 3.When the centre mark is a lie
  4. 4.Which mechanism to buy

What the jaws do

Self-centring means the jig touches both faces. Opposing jaws move in together, so the bush stays between them. Kreg’s learn page describes that equal movement. It is a mechanism note, not a UK price. Rutlands sells an R6003 the same way, for 17–50 mm and 6, 8 and 10 mm, at £60. It is not an ASIN here. The Dowelmaster states 12–30 mm and is not this jaw design. HuuppHip claims 10–170 mm at about £20.99, which only helps if the centre is true. An 18 mm shelf is inside all three windows. A 12 mm side is outside the Rutlands figure. A tapered edge puts the bush between the faces the jaws touched, which may not be the middle you measured.

What the Dowelmaster does instead

The Wolfcraft Dowelmaster 4640000 is the top pick at about £12.96, 4.5 from 16,261 reviews. It is not a pair of jaws. Two centring bolts sit on the edge, then a guide slot goes over a dowel already in the first piece. Do not call every plastic block the same thing. You still clamp it. UK reviews say the gauge is hard to hold, and a UK Workshop comment says the collars slip on 18 mm MDF. The cased 4645000 set at about £28.30 is the best value when you need the bits. Centre points copy an error if the first hole is off. The drill order is on the how to use a dowel jig page.
HuuppHip HuuppHip wide-jaw jig

Testsieger

HuuppHip HuuppHip wide-jaw jig
5.2/10about £20.99
View offer

When the centre mark is a lie

HuuppHip is 4.8 from 12 reviews and calls itself self-centring. Two of six UK reviews say the centre is off by about 1 mm, or by 2 to 3 mm. Bits are not listed. Prove a 170 mm jaw on scrap. A 2 mm step on an 18 mm edge will not sit flush. If the bush is off, register the same face on both boards. Wood Magazine’s point is that both holes then share the offset, so the faces can still meet. That does not move a hole onto hardware already drilled in a cabinet side. NIYATA’s title says self-centring, and UK reviews say you reposition it for every hole. Lcyen’s edge distance is a scale you set, not a jaw.

Which mechanism to buy

For one joint in 18 mm board, inside 12–30 mm, use the Dowelmaster bolts and a clamp. The gauge is about £12.96 if you own the bits. The cased set is about £28.30 if you do not. Who should skip it is on the best dowel jig page. For a repeated edge, Idong’s reviews prefer the clamp to plastic, at about £31.99. The part number says a hinge jig, and a 6 mm bit did not fit in one report. HuuppHip is the wide jaw outside 12–30 mm. The £60 Rutlands R6003 is not in this comparison, so it is not the best value here.

Common questions

What does self-centring actually do?
It puts the bush halfway between two faces by moving both jaws, or both arms, together. The hole lands in the middle of the thickness the jaws touched, for 6, 8 or 10 mm, inside the jaw’s stated range. It does not measure with a tape, and it does not correct a board whose faces are not parallel. A printed line on the body is only a mark until you have checked it.
Is the Dowelmaster self-centring?
It uses two centring bolts on the edge, then a guide slot to transfer from a dowel in the first piece. That is Wolfcraft’s method, and it can put the hole on a repeatable line. It is not a pair of jaws that close on both faces by themselves. UK reviews say you have to hold the gauge, so clamp it. The bolts find a position only while the gauge stays still.
Why is the engraved line 2 mm off?
Because a line cut in the factory can be wrong, and a star average will not show it. On the HuuppHip listing, two of six UK reviews say the centre was about 1 mm out, or 2 to 3 mm out, beside a 4.8 from 12 ratings. Treat any engraved centre as a claim. Drill both sides of a scrap, close the joint dry, and look for a step before you trust the mark on the real board.
If the hole is off centre, can the joint still flush?
Yes, if you register the same face on both boards, which is Wood Magazine’s point. Both holes carry the same offset, so the faces can meet even though the pin is not in the geometric middle. That does not fix a row of holes that must hit hardware already in the cabinet. It also does not fix a dowel that has bottomed out. Flush faces and a centred pin are different goals.
Should I buy the £60 Rutlands instead?
Not from this comparison. The R6003 is a jaw jig at £60 on the Rutlands page, stated for 17–50 mm and for 6, 8 and 10 mm, and it is not an ASIN scored here. It cannot be the top pick or the best value on a page that did not include it. If your board is inside 12–30 mm, the Dowelmaster is the tool this set can support. Judge the Rutlands jig on its own page, after a scrap test.

Related pages

Dowel jig buying guide

Dowel jig

Best dowel jig: one gauge, and the set that fills the box

How to use a dowel jig so the joint actually closes

Dowel jig vs pocket hole: glued pin or angled screw

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk listings stored for this comparison. HSE wood-dust limits apply as workplace exposure figures. They are not a certificate for a domestic jig.

  1. Wolfcraft Dowelmaster (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Wolfcraft universal dowel set (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. HSE wood dust (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. HSE WD0, wood dust (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. HSE cutting and sanding wood (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. UK Workshop, dowel jig thread (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk, Wolfcraft Dowelmaster 4640000 (retrieved 22 October 2026)