# Veritas dowel maker



## EddieJ (5 Oct 2010)

Does anyone on here own one of the following Veritas dowel makers, and if so, where did you buy it?


.







http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.a ... ,180,42288

Sadly the UK supplier can only sell what's listed on the Veritas website, so doesn't have this particular model. Lee Valley are willing to supply me, but the postage and duty costs soon begin to mount.


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## brianhr (5 Oct 2010)

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/cgi-bin/psProdDet.cgi/J6001


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## paulm (5 Oct 2010)

I've got a set of those that Brian linked to, may have got them from Axi rather than Rutlands, can't remember.

Great fun and very effective, need a highish drill speed and slow feed rate to get a good finish on them and may need a bit of sanding after depending on how you plan to use the finished dowels.

I kept looking for stuff to put through them just for the fun of it, I ought to get out more ! :lol: 

Cheers, Paul


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## EddieJ (5 Oct 2010)

Sadly the ones linked to aren't big enough. 

All the dowel that I use is 1" and although I have a mate with an Intorex trunnell maker who currently supplies me, I hate having to keep pestering him to cut it for me.


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## brianhr (5 Oct 2010)

Tilgear also have a longer one but is out of stock at the moment.


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## AndyT (5 Oct 2010)

You could always knock up a hand powered version. Roy Underhill gave a handy drawing of an adjustable one here:

http://www.pbs.org/woodwrightsshop/howto/images/e2104Rounderplane.pdf


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## Woodchips2 (5 Oct 2010)

EddieJ":28xuq3zh said:


> Sadly the ones linked to aren't big enough.
> 
> All the dowel that I use is 1" and although I have a mate with an Intorex trunnell maker who currently supplies me, I hate having to keep pestering him to cut it for me.



Hi Eddie

Have you considered a timber rounder from Ashem Crafts http://www.ashemcrafts.com/products_rotary_planes.aspx. They're not cheap but well made and I used them on a chair-making course using green wood and they were very effective.

Regards Keith


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## EddieJ (5 Oct 2010)

Thanks Andy and Keith.

Keith that has to be the most impressive tools that I have seen in a very long time. 

I have literally just given my card card details for one of the Veritas units. I'm now going to have to phone to cancel the order in favour of your idea.

Many thanks for that, it is greatly appreciated.


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## jimi43 (6 Oct 2010)

Get some ear defenders while you are there!!

 

Jim


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## EddieJ (12 Oct 2010)

Change of plan..

I mentioned the Veritas to a lad who rents workshops opposite mine, and got a job making making his dowel. This meant the Veritas was a viable short term buy, as between us we use three differing sizes. 

The tool arrived yesterday from Lee Valley, which considering the distance etc, is better service than many UK companies!


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## jimi43 (12 Oct 2010)

Good Lord! That looks the biz!!!

How much did that set you back may I ask?

Jim


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## Argus (12 Oct 2010)

jimi43":qsos96do said:


> How much did that set you back may I ask?
> 
> Jim








It's not 1st April, is it? 

Naw....can't be........ sounds like a wind-up to me.

.


.


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## EddieJ (12 Oct 2010)

jimi43":25mco5zf said:


> Good Lord! That looks the biz!!!
> 
> How much did that set you back may I ask?
> 
> Jim



Approx £265.00 (419.00USD) This included a mount and a spare set of blades.

Luckily by taking on the order to make the dowel for the lads in the workshops opposite mine, the blow has been softened. Also by making dowel for myself, it won't take too many frames before the costs have been recouped. 

The tool porn that came with it was rather nice as well.


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## jimi43 (12 Oct 2010)

Cheers Eddie...

You are right...that is a lot of dosh but ultimately if it pays for itself and it is for professional use then it is probably the right road.

I saw the Veritas one being demonstrated at the Kent Bashe...it was really effective but hugely loud! Made everyone jump when it was started!

That kit is way more sophisticated....post some pics of the results when you get a chance.

Thanks again for the sensible answer... :wink: 

Jim


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## EddieJ (12 Oct 2010)

jimi43":uh058r2f said:


> Cheers Eddie...
> 
> You are right...that is a lot of dosh but ultimately if it pays for itself and it is for professional use then it is probably the right road.
> 
> ...



No problem Jim.  

When its up and running, I'll try and get someone to film it.

The one thing that I did find odd, was that in no part of the instructions that came with it, was any mention of drill size and speed. I found this strange given that the tool is designed to be driven by a drill. The reply that I got from Veritas when I emailed them, was 500watts and 500rpm.
I can match it fairly closely with my Metabo BE622 which is 620watts and 550rpm.


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## EddieJ (3 Nov 2010)

jimi43":2yqq1n3s said:


> Get some ear defenders while you are there!!
> 
> 
> 
> Jim



As a necessity I had stop making my current frame today and get on and set the dowel maker up.
The first problem was deciding where to put it. I didn't want it in my main workshop, as sooner or later it would get knocked and damaged. In the end I opted to put it on its own dedicated bench in the office. 
When time permits, I will link up a dedicated dust extraction unit to it, but for now it is a case of just getting the Hoover out!

Once bolted down, I set it up as per the written instructions and quickly discovered that the factory 'pre' set blade offsets and stickers were miles out! Not a good start!  
I re set both blades and both offsets and started to run out the 12.5mm oak dowel which someone has ordered. I have to say that once set up, it cuts almost faster than you can guide it. Fine adjustment of the roughing blade should hopefully slow it down a bit. The finish of the dowel is perfect, and as far as ear defenders go, the only noise was from the motor of the drill.  

I hope to get it set up properly sometime over the next few weeks, and I can then post up a YouTube clip of it working for you.


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## jimi43 (3 Nov 2010)

Another reason it is so much more I guess! 

The one at the Kent Bashe had everyone stop in mid conversation it was that loud!

Jim


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## Rob Lee (3 Nov 2010)

Hi Eddie - 

Sorry the blades weren't tuned out of the box - I'll pass that comment on to our assembly folks....

Look forward to seeing your video... !

Cheers - 

Rob


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## EddieJ (3 Nov 2010)

Rob Lee":508riefr said:


> Hi Eddie -
> 
> Sorry the blades weren't tuned out of the box - I'll pass that comment on to our assembly folks....
> 
> ...



Many thanks Rob.

Perhaps you could also mention that both sets of fine adjustment stickers have sadly peeled off as well.  
The blades were also loose, but I am a firm believer that you can't get to know a tool unless you can understand how to adjust and maintain it, so the little initiation wasn't a bad thing.  

Still a nice bit of kit, which should pay for its self in no time at all. 
I also have to say that I am incredibly impressed with the quality of dowel that it produces, and that any deviation has been of my error and not the tool.

My first mistake was not making sure that the dowel blanks to be finished weren't accurately square ended. If the wood to be used isn't ended properly the roughing blade snags up on it. Common sense when you think about it, and I won't repeat my mistake.


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## SVB (3 Nov 2010)

> *EddieJ wrote:* I opted to put it on its own dedicated bench in the office.



That is some pencil sharpener Eddie!!!!

Cool \/ 

Simon


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## EddieJ (17 Jul 2011)

Just a quick update on this one as I haven't been on the forum for a while.

Sadly, I still haven't done the YouTube clip yet, but have to say that the tool has easily paid for itself time and time again. I can't find anything to fault with its operation, although I am going to have to upgrade my chip extraction for it.

The biggest surprise came when I finally managed to stop making the 100's of metres of 10mm air dried oak dowel, to produce the dowel that I actually wanted, which was 25mm air dried oak dowel. I had imagined that turning the larger section of wood was going to be more taxing on the drill and somehow harder to use. In fact it was so much easier and far less strain. It was also easier to remove from the tool. The smaller dowel seem to compress slightly, so removal can on the odd occasion be a pain. This is in no way a fault of the tool, but could be something that I am doing wrong.
Making larger section dowel also allowed me to use oak with the odd knot in, where as the smaller section oak had to be pretty much blemish free in every respect to prevent a resonance shear. 

I rate this tool a straight ten out of ten. 


Edit.. With the smaller section of dowel, it is essential that guide blocks are used, but this isn't quite so critical on larger section material. I guess that the average dowel length has been 900mm in the smaller section material, and the longest in 25mm section was about 1,500mm. I didn't have the room to make it any longer!


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## woodbloke (18 Jul 2011)

The was a clip on Utube of a guy making some really accurate dowel using the _'pencil sharpener'_ method. All he did was to drill the appropriate sized hole in a block of wood, saw the top off at an exact tangent and then clamp on a wide chisel to form the blade.
I tried this the other week in the 'shop and it does work, but it's quite tricky to get the saw cut and chisel in the right place. The first time I tried it, I got perfect results (more by luck than judgement I fancy) though subsequent attempts weren't so good - Rob


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## graham7818 (15 Nov 2013)

Eddie (or any other member)

I came across your post and am intrigued to know how you got on with the Vertitas dowel maker.
I need to make approx 250m total of dowelling per year from iroko and oak in 8mm and 10mm size and think that this machine would do it well. What has been your experience with it? I would be hugely grateful for your (or anybody elses's) feedback. I have plenty of material so do not want to buy the dowels ready made. 
Many thanks


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## Jacob (15 Nov 2013)

Lotta dowel to make with a dubious looking gadget! 
Large quantities I'd use spindle moulder or router table. 2 passes with a half round cutter.
Small quantities I do by hand plus dowel plate. This would only be possible for shortish lengths for your sizes but the bigger the longer. I just did some 18" pieces of 5/8"


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## bugbear (15 Nov 2013)

graham7818":2q116jpj said:


> Eddie (or any other member)
> 
> I came across your post and am intrigued to know how you got on with the Vertitas dowel maker.
> I need to make approx 250m total of dowelling per year from iroko and oak in 8mm and 10mm size and think that this machine would do it well. What has been your experience with it? I would be hugely grateful for your (or anybody elses's) feedback. I have plenty of material so do not want to buy the dowels ready made.
> Many thanks



I'm guessing you posted to this thread having read only the first post; if you read the post just above yours, you'll find a detailed (and positive) review of the tool.

BugBear


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## pitts2112 (18 Nov 2013)

I once watched Harry Bryant, boat builder extraordinaire, make dowels by drilling a hole of the correct size in a plank and making a slight counter-sink in the hole. He then took an offcut that was about 1" square and 3 feet long, and used a spoke shave to take it down to an octagon-ish shape just bigger than the hole in the plank. Using a mallet, he drove the whole 3 foot rough dowel all the way through the plank, which compressed the offuct and produced a beautifully perfect dowel stock out the back end. Brilliant in its resourcefulness.


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## Jacob (18 Nov 2013)

pitts2112":3mgicqex said:


> I once watched Harry Bryant, boat builder extraordinaire, make dowels by drilling a hole of the correct size in a plank and making a slight counter-sink in the hole. He then took an offcut that was about 1" square and 3 feet long, and used a spoke shave to take it down to an octagon-ish shape just bigger than the hole in the plank. Using a mallet, he drove the whole 3 foot rough dowel all the way through the plank, which compressed the offuct and produced a beautifully perfect dowel stock out the back end. Brilliant in its resourcefulness.


Very traditional - a refinement is to use a dowel plate which cuts as well as compressing. 
The more accurately you prepare the dowel the cleaner the finish. What you do is crudely point each end of your blank and tap them into the dowel plate to mark the circumference and then plane between the marks to join them up. I think it works better if you keep it neat - from square to octagon etc, keeping control of the shape. Handy for planing (or spokeshaving etc) to hold it in a sash cramp held in the vice. 
Then hammer it through the plate.


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## chipmunk (18 Nov 2013)

I'd be interested in whether the Veritas gizmo is any better than these rounders and trapping planes...

http://www.ashemcrafts.com/prices.aspx

Jon


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## chipmunk (18 Nov 2013)

I know this is the handtool forum but for largish quantities, Steve Maskery has a nice video on a router jig for dowel making which may prove useful....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4D8lW8uouw

Jon


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## graham7818 (19 Nov 2013)

Many thanks for the replies. I thought I would show the method I have used for the past 8 years or so. Hopefully I have been able to include an image which is pretty much self explanatory. 
The cutter I have used is a dowel milling cutter held in a special block in the cross slide of a metal working lathe. The cutter is positioned exactly on the centre line of the 4 jaw self centring chuck and with the axis of the cutter perfectly in line with the bed. We are able to make very accurate dowels using this method approx 320mm in length. Once set up by me my wife makes the dowels whilst I busy myself doing other things.
My reason for enquiring about the Veritas tool is that this piece of kit can make many sizes of dowel and the cutters can be easily sharpened using standard workshop sharpening methods. After making something in the order of 1250 m of dowelling my 2 cutters (8 and 10 mm) are worn out and cannot be resharpened and at £168 each they are a bit expensive. 
I am looking forward to leaving my metal working lathe set up as to turn metal!


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## Jacob (19 Nov 2013)

Strewth! With a spindle moulder and power feed you could do the same thing effortlessly, much faster and with very cheap re-sharpenable cutters.
I guess about 20 secs per metre which makes your 1250M a days work just standing there poking them through while you listen to the radio. Very rough guess I admit.
Basically spinning the wood against the tool is necessary for complicated things, vice versa for simple shapes like dowels.


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## Tony Spear (20 Nov 2013)

Jacob":tp8zksiy said:


> Strewth! With a spindle moulder and power feed you could do the same thing effortlessly, much faster and with very cheap re-sharpenable cutters.
> I guess about 20 secs per metre which makes your 1250M a days work just standing there poking them through while you listen to the radio.



God, a whole days productive effort wasted in being a "machine minder" making up a load of dowels - buy in the bloody things! (hammer)


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## bugbear (20 Nov 2013)

Tony Spear":1bdatbga said:


> God, a whole days productive effort wasted in being a "machine minder" making up a load of dowels - buy in the bloody things! (hammer)



I'm not sure where eddie could go to buy dowels in the sizes and timbers he wanted.

BugBear


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## graham7818 (20 Nov 2013)

Some interesting responses.
I do not have a spindle moulder and power feed so Jacob's solution is not for me (and I suspect not for many other small workshop users) and buying in accurately machined dowels in the timbers I need as suggested by Tony is also not my solution. Spending hard earned pounds on dowelling when I can make from scrap is not in the spirit of the small workshop and a hour or so now and again using my own kit is not an issue. The money I save means more money for beer.


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## Jacob (20 Nov 2013)

Router table plus mini power feed?


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## chipmunk (20 Nov 2013)

bugbear":2va23xrf said:


> I'm not sure where eddie could go to buy dowels in the sizes and timbers he wanted.



Well I think they are available - how about here for starters?...
http://www.toolsandtimber.co.uk/dowels-cat2-230

...but I know what you mean. 

I know it's the wrong forum  but I think I'd favour the cheap and cheerful Steve Maskery router jig myself.

Jon


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## bugbear (21 Nov 2013)

chipmunk":3h97dwmz said:


> bugbear":3h97dwmz said:
> 
> 
> > I'm not sure where eddie could go to buy dowels in the sizes and timbers he wanted.
> ...



Wow - an impressive company! Thanks for the link.

They don't make the iroko dowels I used to peg an iroko bench hook and shooting board though...

BugBear (with a car boot dowel plate)


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## Tony Spear (21 Nov 2013)

graham7818 said:


> Some interesting responses.
> and buying in accurately machined dowels in the timbers I need as suggested by Tony is also not my solution. _*The money I save means more money for beer.[/*_quote]
> 
> Well, even I can appreciate that!
> ...


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