Dowel Cutter

Mike Gabbay

Member
Messages
180
Location
Herndon VA
I've noticed (no big surprise) that store bought dowels are slightly undersized. For example some 3/8" dowels I got from Woodcraft have a noticable slop when inserting them into a 3/8" hole. I've tried several 3/8" bits. Measured with calipers, the dowels are slightly undersized. I would not be too worried about it but there is enough gap to be noticable after glue up on some scrap.

Do you guys make your own dowels? Any particular recommedations for the dowel cutter?
 
On sizes, I actually had to buy a 25/64" drill bit to accomate some 3/8" dowels I was once using. I belive the imports have little conscience when it comes to precision.
On making your own. Pictured are two different dowel cutters. The black one on the left is a cutter that is inserted in a hand crank machine. My father had the machine in his shop and used it for many years. He sold the business then about twenty years later I saw an ad for tools for sale. When I went, I essentially found the contents of his shop being sold off. The dowel cutter was part of what was there. The owner didn't know what it was and, even after explaining, he sold it to me very cheaply. I later traded that off to a friend but kept three of the duplicate size cutters.
The one on the right is a hand-operated cutter that works much like a pencil sharpener. The one pictured is 1/2". I inherited this and a couple others of different sizes. They were branded "SPEE-DOWEL" and were manufactured by John's Manufacturing Inc. of Dunllen, MI. There is no zip code and I presume they pre-date zip codes by a good number of years.
 

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Frank - I was actually looking at either the LN Dowel Plate or the Lee Valley dowel cutters. I stopped by HD today and picked up a 23/64" bit to try tonight.
 
Don - point of clarification, the dowels I'm setting are for draw bore (pinning a tennon) so the size of the dowel should match the hole to get tight joint and good looks.
 
Don't know about dowel cutters but I became real frustrated with inconsistant dowels. Now I buy all my dowel stock from Midwest Dowels. Their dowels are made just a hair over usally requiring a quick sanding.
One thing I liked most is they sell white or red oak most other places I have found there will be a mix
Dan

Not affiliated just good product and nice people to deal with
http://www.midwestdowel.com
 
Mike, I've got one of the Lee Valley dowel cutters (the 3/8" model). I've had some trouble getting consistent dowel diameter with it, and the sides of the dowels are not as smooth as I'd like, especially when using harder woods like purpleheart. This may be due to my own ignorance in setting it up, but I usually have to run a few feet of material through the cutter in order to get a few good inches of dowel.
 
You can quickly and easily make your own dowels with a router and a cordless drill. I do it on the WoodRat but you can mae a quick jig that attaches to the base of the router and use that instead. When I make them with the WoodRat, I start with a handy scrap and drill a hole of the desired size cross ways through it. Then I chuck up a handy router bit--I've used both straight and a corebox bit--and plunge it gently into the hole from the top. I raise the bit up so it is cutting just tangent to the edge of the hole.

A long square pece of dowel stock is whittled at each end. One end is chucked into the cordless drill. the other end is whittle to fit into the hole to start the thing. Turn on the router and go to town.

If you the size you're after is one you'll do frequently, I can envision a jig that would clamp in a bench vise. A drawing would be easier if you want it.

On a slightly different topic, I've often wondered about doing draw bore tenons and cutting the dowels a bit short so the holes could be bunged. this would eliminate the exposed end grain of the dowels.

I've also wondered about using varnish or whatever the finish is for seating the dowels instead of glue. I don't know if that makes any sense for that but a common boat builders trick is to seat bungs (plugs) in varnish instead of glue. This way there is no glue line to repel the finish and the bungs are easier to remove in the event the piece they are in needs to be replaced or repaired. since the bungs have no structural job they stay in just fine with the varnish.
 
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