The Miller Dowel was sent to me all the way from the USA where it was released in 2002 and is now being distributed throughout the UK by BriMarc.

The Miller Dowel System is a stepped dowel with a matching drill bit called the ‘Miller TruFit’ that allows you to drill a perfect hole for the dowel to fit into and is used for securing butt joints. It's one of those ideas that’s so simple it works perfectly. All you have to do is align and clamp the work pieces, drill the hole with the ‘Miller TruFit’ drill bit, apply glue to the ribbed sections on the dowel, push the dowel into the hole, hammer it down, then either sand, cut or chisel it flush.

There are two ribbed sections on the dowel that makes the joint even stronger by increasing the overall glue area. The dowels are made from high quality hardwood that have been turned to shape then kiln dried to a moisture content of 7%-9%. They are available in birch, oak, cherry and walnut.

There are two sizes of drill bits and dowels, 1X and 2X. 1X is 70mm long and can join wood up to 25mm thick and 2X is 90mm long and joins wood up to 40mm thick.

The final joints seem to be very strong and look good - especially if using contrasting timbers and dowels and of course have the added bonus of being a non-mechanical joint which should please most woodworkers. Remember that unlike screws that grip the mating pieces you need some sort of clamping pressure while the glue cures. It really is a simple and very effective system - in fact I was surprised at how well the system works and how useful it is. I can see it being used in many of my woodworking projects.