I Bought 5 Star Tools Under $20

[@daylen577]

For that doweling jig you really need to start large and slowly move down, also go a bit slower. You're now giving it way too much surface to cut every time the wood hits the blade.

[@lifeofreilly]

Came here to say this

[@12Cortana]

Quite sure he also used it in the wrong direction. I think it should work like a pencil sharpener. the blade is slighte angled an the other side.

[@btrswt35]

I got the cutter and your right. It's not perfect by any stretch but it would be able to make a much better surface finish. I just wish the carbide cutter was skewed and make a shearing cut. That could take these to the next level with surface finish.

[@dimesonhiseyes9134]

Everyone talks about the surface finish not being perfect, but is that really an issue? I mean usually the dowel is just going to be shoved into a hole anyways most of the time.

[@daylen577]

@@dimesonhiseyes9134 for dowels, no. But this amount of tearout can lead to loose fibers blocking glue from getting to the solid part which wouldn't be good either.

[@Lost_in_southern_california]

I wonder how the dowels would look if rough cut one size larger, then run through the desired size.

[@NormanCox-x9n]

You did the dowel tool backwards as the blades normally on the out going side

[@MCsCreations]

Thanks for the reviews, Brad! 😊 What people use to do with the doweling jig is to start 2 sizes up and then come down to the size you want. Let's say you want a 10mm dowel, you'd start at 12mm, then 11mm and finish it on 10mm... (Just an example, I don't really know the sizes marked there.) Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@michaelmoss6584]

Brad, I am a Kitchen and Bath designer, cabinetry usually comes in either a full overlay or a partial overlay. For a full overlay the doors are 1/2" smaller than the face front, and Partial overlays are 2" smaller. So, your door setting tool would be adjust to hold the door either 1/4" up from the bottom, or 1" up from the bottom depending on the overlay. It would be nice if the support bar portion had a left stop, and could also be adjusted to set the 1/4" or 1" offset on the side of the cabinet as well. I have been following you for quite some time, and really enjoy your video's.

[@am2dan]

Woulda liked to have seen you check those "squares" for square.

[@franklangel1521]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@driverafranqui]

The included QR codes were very useful to go to the referenced product. Helpful!

[@T_Jonesy]

The last tool was cool, but I think that's a super easy jig you could make out of some scrap wood.

[@Fusion_Woodworking]

For the dowel maker, you could use a 12pt socket to drive a square stock. 12pt socket is also called triple square because it's not 2 hexegons stacked together. I don't think it's supposed to cut from square to a smooth round in one go. Once you have the rough one, go down by one size and see if it gives you a better result.

[@FredD63]

The door holder can be achieved with a scrap piece of wood and a clamp and cost a lot less not that the single digit price cost a lot. It’s just added expense for some people.

[@hansangb]

For flush mounting. If you wanted an offset of 1/8", it would be a little more involved. You could use a a shim, sure. This is handier, but for me a waste of time because I don't hang doors often enough. If I made cabinets for a living, it would pay for itself with one install, I imagine.

[@stans5270]

The Dowel Jig - wouldn.t it work better if you put it through the guide hole first? Operator error.

[@vonnyrotten]

Nylon washers probably prevent damage to the finish of the anodized aluminum…

[@aaronlandry3947]

For the second tool you can flip the ruler. Measure the drill bushing to be X milometers from the end of your work piece and you can flip the work piece for both dowels without moving the bushing.

[@jamesparks1735]

The large clamp area on the last tool is for face-frame cabinets. Your cabinet is frame less, so the thickness of what you clamp to is 1/2 or 3/4 inch. But faceframe could be clamping to 2" or whatever style size you use. You could also have doors that extend below to have no handles, as others have said.

[@sisepuede5612]

Does it actually matter what a dowel looks like though as long as it does what it’s supposed to do

[@101br03k]

I also think he was running it a little fast which i think caused the finish.

[@bjorn301]

A dowel-jig is not hard to make, drill a few holes in a flat piece of steel and hammer or drill the wood thru it, start at the big diameter and stop when you have the diameter you want

[@patrik5123]

I was wondering that too. Who cares about the finish... it'll be hidden anyways. Besides, like Brad said - need some space for the glue anyways.

[@Thomllama]

you have to work down a few sizes to get the dowel maker smooth. just like a lathe, you can't just knock the corners off and get a smooth finish. The door holder/hinge thing is more for old fashion flat scissor hinges which don't adjust, not so much for euro hinges (though it helps as you saw). Makes it so you can easily install them level to each other.

[@diymaster101]

AliExpress and Alibaba is not the same, alibaba is made for mainly bulk buying & AliExpress is mainly retail

[@cipher893]

0:04 He did put the ”Aliexpress” stamp right in the video though. And all the website screenshots are from Aliexpress.

[@diymaster101]

@@cipher893did you see title & the video picture I know they do it purposefully for engagement because someone with such a size channel wouldn’t make this mistake

[@EKUL34]

Yeah I agree they shouldn't use the wrong store name, though to play devils advocate aliexpress is owned by Alibaba and I do remember a lot of people using that name early on

[@mos8541]

wow... someone doesnt know that?... i hear they have the interweb on computers now...

[@tschmath]

Thank you. I never understood that.

[@r.v.electronics]

@Brad you want to be able to adjust the doors lower than the upper cabinets body because in some cases you make the door bigger by 1-2 cm and install it with an underhang (i hope this is the right word) and don;t install door pulls, jut grab underneath the door, makes for a cleaner look.

[@pinkerbot]

That "combination square" isn't that. It is a ruler with a stop, which is handy in is own right. I own both (not the alibaba versions, though), and use both.

[@BlackRaven-w4e]

Used the dowel make4 many times for making dowels of hard exotic woods. The key is controlling speed and push force. Requires some practice but the results are good to very good with no splinters.

[@stephanedemers5095]

Do the dowels come out nicer if you don't push in as hard and as fast? Feels like a pencil sharpener.

[@yohannsantos4901]

That door mounting jig is, in my opinion, very well priced. Woodpeckers makes stuff like that much (emphasis on MUCH) more overpriced. I know they build their stuff in US and all that, yet still they charge this world and the other for the same amount of aluminium. Nice video 😊

[@sapelesteve]

I always enjoy watching your tool review videos Brad! Hope that you and your family have a terrific Turkey Day! 👍👍🦃🦃🔨🔨

[@Pens724]

As bad as the dowel cutter is.. Could those be used to fill pocket holes, which them get cut flush and sanded anyway?

[@LeVraiPoio]

Given how you use the last one, it might as well be any clamp with a board, or am I missing something ?

[@mothmansuperfan7513]

I think that dowel cutter would be good for wood plugs. I needed to plug some screw holes in a board at an angle and had to turn down some hardwood on the lathe. The dowel cutter would've saved a lot of effort on my end!

[@TheGreatWoodworkingOfficial]

Very useful tools. It deserve 5 stars a lot !!

[@Aus3DMaker]

We chose to not have handles in our overhead kitchen cabinets. The door extends past the bottom of the cabinet. The longer doors would use that adjustment.

[@waltp9509]

If using dowels to connect pieces, that sloppy look would be fine. It would give the glue purchase that smooth dowels don't have. I think it's much better than 1 star.

[@FadedOwlWoodworking]

Would the last one work well with lower cabinets on the floor though? Looks bulky for that application

[@mrboics]

You didn't check square on T-square? 🤯

[@Cave96]

You can fit the strips of wood in socket bits for your drill to make the dowels, no need to sharpen the point that goes into the drill, makes things inaccurate.

[@jeffbaker8808]

The hinge punch drilling 35mm jig also appears to be able to mark 32 mm shelf pin holes...

[@Azule74]

I just picked up the door holder for $9! I am starting on building my shop cabinets and that (plus your plans) will come in so handy.

[@jimrosson6702]

Great video Brad. Thanks for sharing

[@adamclark1928]

For the door hanger thing-a-ma-jigger, it goes all the way up for inset doors.

[@BissellMapleFarm]

This was entertaining. Do you think the speed and feed of the dowel maker can effect the finish?

[@alans1816]

Roughing out the dowel, and then smoothing it one size smaller might work. That's how a dowel plate is used.

[@BissellMapleFarm]

@alans1816 that makes sense. So if he takes the dowel down to the next size, it would be smoother?

[@alans1816]

@@BissellMapleFarm I don't know if it will work with this cutter, but that's what I'd try.

[@BissellMapleFarm]

@alans1816 gotcha. Have you watched two guys timber framing before? I sent them come blanks of white oak and they make pegs out of them. It's one of my favorite channels. Middlefield Custom Sawmill is a friend, too. If you like woodworking and milling.

[@eschybach]

Scrap piece of wood and clamp does the same exact job as that last gadget if you're just lining it up with the bottom of the cabinet.

[@LaurencePlays]

I would be interested to hear how many of the various cheap tools you've tested in these videos you've actually used again after talking about them! Have any made it into your actual workflows?

[@fqopi]

The last tool, I would actually consider buying for sure. but the rest, I'd say no. I'm still a beginner and having to hassle with not so great tools give enough anxiety to the project. Good question, if I want to convert my current cabinets hinges to the European style is that something would be recommended? I haven't looked for videos for such DIY project but if anyone recommends such a video please direct me to it. thanks

[@GorlysDIYStuff]

The "European style" hinges aren't a single style. Those hinges can do a range of things - from soft close, to snappy close, from inset doors to full covering doors, from 90° to 135° opening, different opening patterns (some use 2 or 3 axis movement). So, the usefulness of that tool might vary a bit.

[@oneshotme]

I very much enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@MFunkibut]

Maybe the drill was supposed to rotate the other way with the doweling jig??? I wasn't there I dunno...

[@eastwind319]

Might want to shop for combination squares at Harbor Freight if you're paying $20-50

[@karlriley1314]

You need to SAND the DOWEL after you cut it.

[@Possimpablee]

You should take a socket and hammer it down on the piece of wood and put that in your drill when you make a dowel.

[@emgriffiths9743]

I pull up the T-square and the second option's price is C$196,799.99 but free delivery

[@therick0996]

The Kreg hinge guide also guarantees a 90° hole if you're 90° impaired like myself

[@DaveBjornRapp]

More smart home videos please. Specifically if you're going to make your house smart soup to nuts what do you use? Matter everything?

[@sanyoshovah2887]

is it actually square tho?

[@rickcimino5483]

reflecting only on the jig for hanging the doors......I would like to see someone (you actually....the next time you do one of these) do a review of the simple clamp systems that places like alibaba sell for mounting drawer fronts onto drawer boxes. They look pretty cool and like they'd work but then I think sometimes that they are a gimmick.

[@alexviau6950]

Not checking if the squares are actually square?

[@williamellis8993]

I noticed that the return address on all of those was to Chuck. We haven't seen him in a while. Bill

[@Bozemanjustin]

1:35 That's not how you use a dowel maker. Admittedly, I've only seen it done traditionally with A 100-year-old dowel maker. You don't spin it through. You Hammer it through You start at the that will just take the corners down and you keep on hammering through smaller holes until you get a perfect circle

[@justinsayre4856]

I would like to know how accurate the measurements are on the rules. If they're going to make them "red" then they better be "red" accurate.

[@aaronalquiza9680]

i like how half of the comments are about the dowel maker

[@JorgenVonStein]

Needed to compare measurement accuracy on some of the tools.

[@jcdelmore]

Brad, the cabinet door holder is not very useful on lower cabinets with a 3” toe kick area. The tool clamp section is longer that the toe kick and can not be tighten. The work around that is to turn it upside down and have the clamp inside the cabinet, but not near as useful as you showed it.

[@Reese_RJ]

Are you going to return to the deer processing shop that you gutted a year ago?

[@thekiwinomad]

I guess my question is if the people had the time to make them and the ship them. why couldn't they have written some instructions and designed the packaging for them. Seems like a massive oversight

[@meilyn22]

People always complain about the packaging, but it will cost more if they package it any better than that. They are shipping from China. The packaging is to reduce the cost of shipping.

[@patrik5123]

It'd be cool to compare really old tools with these new chinesium tools. Like your grandfathers combination square - it's probably still perfectly square. 11:16 Are you aiming for Diddy-baby-oil levels of WD-40 mate? 😆😆

[@vonnyrotten]

I’ll second other comments, AliExpress is NOT Alibaba. Also, not sure what happened but I’ve seen that dowel maker on other channels and it worked much better. Not sure if yours has a nick or chip in the cutter, or you started with a piece that’s too large?

[@RonnieStanley-tc6vi]

For me, any kind of magnetic tool in a shop should have its own sleeve to store it in. If i leave a magnet out in my shop, it gets covered in metal dust. Sometimes i dont even know where metal dust is coming from. But it's there and is covering the magnet. Also, I'm kinda disappointed about the dowel maker. That thing looks very cool. I do a lot of dowel joinery and this would be awesome for me if it worked............ Better.

[@gailneal]

You are very generous 😂

[@standardissue15]

I think yea its important to do research before trying a product.

[@RazaXML]

do yourself a favor and just buy hinges that have a small piece that screws onto the side wall of the cabinet and then you just clip the door hinge onto them. you should never have to hold a door in place while you figure out where to screw in the hinges. it's easy enough to just make marks on both the door and cabinet when your building the cabinet.

[@jonbloodworth474]

08:30 I cant believe you missed demonstrating the 45 on the square lol. You were so close. When you flipped it you can see the flat face to register against for a 45 but only one way. You just need to use the face that was on the top and aiming at the board at 08:31, the one you rubbed at 08:35. You even mentioned after the review that it could oly do a 45 on one side but wasnt shown

[@jamescaneda9515]

The last time I used a Torque wrench it didn’t look like an Allen Wrench.

[@alans1816]

Torx wrench.

[@porthose2002]

Dang, that's a bunch of WD-40 at 11:16! ;-)

[@JamesTenniswood]

Remember that most people don't review products, and then the system automatically puts that as a 5 star review. 😂

[@paulholmes672]

Other than the odd one star for something that did NOT work, your ratings seemed to be a bit excessive. On the European hinge jig, yeah it marked for the bore (although how exact the bore was positioned was NOT checked and it still required you to match to a pencil mark, NOT a drill fixture) but missing the screw marks is a big 'doesn't work'. 3.5 rating out of 5 was a bit high. Oh well, a lot of these items are cheap but it is only so through 'girl math'.

[@jaro6985]

Clearly the marks were for another style of hinge, think it through a bit more.

[@Mike-vw4gy]

You are far too critical of that dowel maker. I have a similar one, square and in imperial sizes. I use dowels all the time and it works great. You just have to go slowly and keep the stick from wobbling too much. You should also pare it back enough so it goes all the way through. Don't try to pull the wood out once its gone through either. Just loosen the chuck and the dowel will just fall out the back. If it does have some tearout, a spin with the drill and sandpaper takes care of it. I've made dowels from all types of wood and they all come out just fine!

[@vonnyrotten]

I’ll add another comment about AliExpress, I think the majority of stars are actually concerning the buying/shipping/delivery experience, not necessarily the product itself. Whereas Amazon is SUPPOSED to be the product and not the issues they’ve had with their delivery person.

[@kaelwd]

AliExpress is supposed to be that too, the review page asks "How accurate was the product description?"

[@frijoli9579]

3.5 stars for the hinge jig? it basically failed the thing it was supposed to do.

[@jaro6985]

Its for a 48mm space hinge

[@dh-no2ke]

I don’t understand why anyone would buy the last tool. If your cabinet door is to align with the bottom of the cabinet like 90% of the time then just clamp a piece of wood to the bottom to support the door, you don’t need some special gadget. If you need an offset you could just glue a spacer to it.

[@matthewgaylen2827]

sand paper the dowel when finished.... it's not hard.

[@truthdogschell8473]

Are you sure that tool accepts that length of wood to do dowels? I would bet if you shorten the wood, you would make better dowels

[@danielbender4327]

3-1/2 stars for the hinge cutter set?! SHAME ON YOU, BRAD! It drilled the big hole badly and marked two of the three holes wrong! 2 stars max!

[@kclefthanded427]

You can put a Milwaukee sticker since nobody knows who made them

[@Grumpy_Guy]

My only critique with your review is that you didn't check the accuracy of the measuring marks. These cheap tools are infamous for being off.

[@miasgirls3]

❤❤❤

[@Motocicleiros]

I came for the dowel maker. Duh.

[@Woodeorking52]

They look like tools from Temu

[@stephenking1218]

How often do you hear an engineer say "yeah, looks parallel" with regards to cut lines? Hopefully the Fine Measurement Guild doesn't see this video; they'll take away your guild card over "looks parallel."

[@UrBasicGuy]

just my opinion but it seems as if maybe you were going about using the dowel jig incorrectly. You should give it another shot and review it again. Though it may still be junk given where it was purchased and it's price. Also i think most likely most of the reviews for that site are fake.

[@-_-John-_-]

✅

[@glennryzebol4472]

Lmao! Do you think you have enough WD 40 in that cabinet??

[@cdkx655]

3.5 stars for something that doesn't do what it's built for?

[@jaro6985]

Its for a 48mm hinge..

[@hersir557]

For the dowel maker. You just need to put a real blade in, never trust a blade from China. also youðre supposed to whittle both ends of the square wood to chuck it and start it in the jig, if the blade is sharp enough you will get good loooking dowels

[@mos8541]

BUT.... do "those people" really use stars the way we do? i mean amazon ratings are bot ridden ... so... LOL , i know

[@emssmiley2002]

Yeah I think Ill stick with Woodpeckers. Buy once, cry once.

[@meilyn22]

You must work for woodpeckers.

[@clydedecker765]

Brad - Waaaayyy too generous. You did not give points off for packaging or shipping (unmentioned). Most tools are kind of multifunctional. These seem to hit a niche and barely at that. Not getting the entire mentioned parts is a no-no and you gave too much credit for something you could achieve with probably two or three things you already have. You did not mention safety as in that hinge boring. I never saw you make a 45 degree angle on that "combination square so ... I think I am going to give you a three stars on this one.

[@mdhensel750]

IMO you are way too generous with the stars.

[@JamesTenniswood]

You're way too generous. Those were all crap tools

[@lawrencevillalobos7962]

You are too generous on your rating. Especially when the "tool" doesn't do what has been claimed.

[@jonathanbrown6605]

Does he realize the ugly dowels will work better and why do you need a pretty dowel the whole purpose is to not be seen duh 🙄

[@oneshotme]

Not a single tool link went to any of the tools you show here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@cabman86]

Alibaba is not the place to buy tools. TEMU is the place for 5 star tools.

[@cabman86]

I bought a bunch of small squares on Temu and they were all right on the money and square.

[@DingusSquatfordJr.]

President Xi knows much about you already

[@InsanityPlusOne]

So uhh in literally what case are you going to care how a dowel looks? those fuckers are made for pinning things together. If you can see the dowel then it is too ugly, it is the screw in non screw based project, the mistake you hide with the actual edges... Who judges the tool baseed on that and not a practical limit like it lacking the tools to fit wood into a drilll or otherwise spin the wood.

[@InsanityPlusOne]

and then he rates the mutant ruler higher... yeah he's cooked