Dowels

[Kevin B]

Folks, Pardon my ignorance, but is there a tool I can get that will make small dowels. Let say 2 to 3 inches long by 1/4 or 3/8 diameter.

Thank you,

Kevin B

[Mark Jerde]

BORG dowels & a hand saw.

One starting point:

-- Mark

[SawEyes]

Sure is. Available at Lee Valley.

Dean Bielanowski Editor, Online Tool Reviews 5 Reviews:

- Workshop Essentials Under $30

- Festool PS 300 Jigsaws

- Delta Universal Tenoning Jig

- Ryobi Reciprocating Saw

- Infinity Router Bits

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[Bridger]

yes.

[Jon Dough]

Make a subbase for your router. Say, about an inch thick (at least in the center) For a 3/8" dowel drill a hole straight across the center 3/8" diameter. Enlarge this hole to around 9/16", if my math is correct, half way across, to the point where the router bit drops down. Use a 1/2 or

3/4 inch straight bit in the router, cut a slot in the center where the bit drops down for chip clearance. (I wish I could draw a picture...) The square strips should just fit in the large hole, the turned pieces should just fit in the small hole when the router is set correctly. Then you can rip 3/8" x 3/8" square strips on the saw, slide them in the large hole while the router is on, rotating them as they pass through. You will have to play with the settings some but this jig will give you accurate 3/8" dowels... same setup could do 1/4" dowels. Minimum length will be about 7" with a standard router base, they can be cut to length after turning. The jig works really well with longer pieces, like 36" lengths.

[Lew Hodgett]

I don't want to rain on your parade, but why bother?

You can buy packages of serrated dowels from lots of supply houses at very modest cost.

It's hardly worth the effort.

[JohnV]

I have posted an interesting way to do this with a router and a bullnose bit in alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking.. Can't remember the source so if anyone recognizes it please help me give credit where due. I have also had instruction at some time on how to do this on a tablesaw with a jig that consists of two pieces of wood, one with a square hole and the other with a round. unfortunatley I cant find that literature. Good luck.

[Sweet Sawdust]

[Phisherman]

Most woodworkers buy dowels. One time I needed walnut dowels and made them on my router table starting with square stock and using a round-over bit. I could use my lathe, with the added benefit of easy sanding.

[Wood Butcher]

Almost right. Don't cut the wood. Find a straight grained piece and split it.

Art

[Frank Shute]

Lie Nielsen make dowel plates in either imperial or metric. I've just used my metric plate to make some dowels to pin some tenons on a cabinet I'm making. Made the dowels out of oak.

Aswell as dowels for pinning tenons, I use dowels for breadboard ends so it was a good investment for me.

Dowels for doweled joints I buy ready made - bashing bits of wood through a hole in a plate is tedious & best avoided if at all possible.

The good thing about the dowel plate is that the grain of the wood lines up along the length of the dowel as it's punched through ie. it's not severed like doweling you buy. Therefore, it's got a good deal more strength than dowel that's been cut, although I haven't tested that empirically.

[Silvan]

Sure. Get a wood lathe. :)

[Dave Balderstone]

It looks a lot like the demo I saw on The Router Workshop last spring. They were making oak dowel for a towel rack IIRC.

djb

[JohnV]

Thank you Dave. Was the Router Workshop.

JohnV

I have posted an interesting way to do this with a router and a bullnose bit in alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking.. Can't remember the source so if anyone recognizes it please help me give credit where due.

It looks a lot like the demo I saw on The Router Workshop last spring. They were making oak dowel for a towel rack IIRC.

djb

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