Plug cutter

Saw just such a thing in the Lee Valley tool catalog while reading in the Library this AM.

Dead common, you can get them in any of your favourite toolshops.

Aren't you in the UK ? Then get in touch with Axminster

BTW - They're not dowels. Dowels are long grain, for strength. The idea with these plugs is that you can cut them cross-grain (otherwise hard to do) so that they have grain running the right way for hiding a screw hole in a board.

Check out Harbor Fright. They have the same (?!) set (3 each in tapered and straight) for about half the price that a friend paid from another place. mahalo, jo4hn

Cheers Andy,

I thought it would sound "newbie-ish!!"

Thanks,

If a plug cutter is what you want you can find it in woodworking shops. If dowels are what you want to make you can make your own with a router and bullnose bit. Also, if you are on the cheap, you can mount a squared piece of wood rod in a hand drill and pass it through a bolt that is secured in a vise to get a rough dowel. It works pretty well.

No, generally I want a plug, but I thought that according to the book, you can make short dowels with it (up to 2 ins.) but I don't know if you lot count that or not :) Sorry for the misunderstanding, SB

Specifically, sam, you wan a tapered plug cutter. Although more expensive, the result in a *much* better fit.

There are really two types of plugs/dowels.

Here is a plug cutter:

Sam Berlyn wrote:

Very common. They come with two and three cutters. Buy the ones with three. I bought a set with two cutters and took them back promptly - way to much vibration to control the cut.

Jet and Veritas make them in sets of 8 bits - 4 cut tapered plugs and 4 cut cylinderical plugs. sizes range from 1/4" to 1/2" (I believe, without running upstairs to the tool box). Jet costs about $28/set and Vertas about

As others have noted the real value of these, over dowels, is they allow you to cut plugs from similar wood as your project and with face grain (not end grain) exposed. They won't make the screw holes disappear but they can come pretty close if plugs are installed with care.

Around here, the 1980s ain't "very old". Now if you meant that the book was in ITS mid-80s, that's something else.

Why not turn dowels from a piece of crosscut stock?

H.