# Tips for dowel making jig?



## ClarkeHome (23 Jan 2021)

I need to make a shed load of oak dowels from solid timber for a dining table where everything used in it comes from the raw timber bought for it - i.e. no 'foreign' material.
Does anyone have a design for a simple dowel making jig. 
The finished dowels need to be 10mm diameter and there needs to be lots of them so I need a mechanised way of doing this. I aim to start from 12mm square-ish stock
Thanks for any advice


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## grumpycorn (23 Jan 2021)

I’ve not tried it myself (been meaning to though!) but have a look at this:









Wooden curtain poles with a home made dowel-making jig.


A fun little diversion, now. We needed some curtain poles in the lounge, and decided that oak and wrought iron was the look we were going for. My wife obviously was confident that running up some wooden curtain poles wouldn't be too difficult.... I made a jig. I wanted lots of depth to the jig...




www.ukworkshop.co.uk


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## Argus (23 Jan 2021)

One of these with a slow (about 60 - 100 RPM) drill?










Veritas Dowel Cutters


Use like a pencil sharpener to make accurate tenons, or use a cordless drill and square socket to produce longer lengths of accurate dowel.




www.oldtoolstore.co.uk


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## Droogs (23 Jan 2021)

john heisz and mathias wandel have vids for how to make them using a drill at home nice and cheap

search drill powered dowel maker


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## Jacob (23 Jan 2021)

ClarkeHome said:


> I need to make a shed load of oak dowels from solid timber for a dining table where everything used in it comes from the raw timber bought for it - i.e. no 'foreign' material.
> Does anyone have a design for a simple dowel making jig.
> The finished dowels need to be 10mm diameter and there needs to be lots of them so I need a mechanised way of doing this. I aim to start from 12mm square-ish stock
> Thanks for any advice


The trad way would have been to drill round holes for the dowels and then to hammer in pegs, axe split roughly square shaped or better. Your 12mm stock would do - pointed up a bit with an axe or chisel and corners taken off.
Nest most trad way, but not for large production numbers, would be to hammer your 12mm stock cut to length, through a steel dowel plate to get them exactly to size


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## Jacob (23 Jan 2021)

"....a dining table where everything used in it comes from the raw timber bought for it - i.e. no 'foreign' material......"
Easy peasy - don't use dowels! They are only used in as a joint in modern cheap furniture as a rule. Traditionally only as a peg through M&Ts


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## Terrytpot (23 Jan 2021)

Droogs said:


> john heisz and mathias wandel have vids for how to make them using a drill at home nice and cheap
> 
> search drill powered dowel maker


add Neil of Pask makes to that list..


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## Inspector (24 Jan 2021)

Search for Making Dowels with a Router or Making Dowels with a Table Saw and lots of methods come up.

Pete


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## TheUnicorn (24 Jan 2021)

just to show the basic idea, loads on you tube


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## clogs (24 Jan 2021)

Appleby wood turning make em......they are a nice firm to deal with..
seem to remember the firm was started by Grandad making these dowels on a home made special lathe thats still in use.....
also supply all kinds of blades and cutters.....


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## Cooper (24 Jan 2021)

Jacob said:


> They are only used in as a joint in modern cheap furniture as a rule.


When do you consider a table to be modern? We have an oak gate-leg table from my great-grandparents' home, which must be well over 100 years old. The rails of the gates join the legs with dowels. I know as a couple have come loose and I need to fix them.


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## Jacob (24 Jan 2021)

Cooper said:


> When do you consider a table to be modern? We have an oak gate-leg table from my great-grandparents' home, which must be well over 100 years old. The rails of the gates join the legs with dowels. I know as a couple have come loose and I need to fix them.


Using dowels in place of M&Ts is modern. Basically machine made rather than hand made.
I've recently been looking at my parents furniture which was from Pearsons in Nottingham and top grade modern in 1932 - when they got married. Confirmed by a date pencilled under one of the drawers by the makers.
High quality oak or ash faced ply, machine dovetails, dowel joints, except for the chairs which are all M&T. Very cleverly engineered extending table etc. All good stuff but machine made to a great extent.
I've also got stuff from grandparents which must date back to turn of the century and it's all trad - no dowels, hand cut DTs etc.
So "modern" starts after WW1, by my reckoning.
PS just googled Pearsons Nottingham - they didn't have electricity until 1894. My grandparents house didn't have electricity until about 1950 - I can remember the gaslights. A B&D drill would have been as strange as a space alien!
Interesting stuff: Pearsons of Nottingham - Wikipedia








V&A · What was Modernism?


Form follows function – discover the utopian vision behind Modernist design




www.vam.ac.uk




.


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## recipio (24 Jan 2021)

Veritas make a dowel jig for use with an electric drill. The quality should be good but the price is through the roof !


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## Vinn (24 Jan 2021)

Most dowel-making jigs are like a sledgehammer to crack a walnut IMO. All you need is a piece of metal plate (or big square washer).

See here for details: How to make Small Dowelling In the article I'm making small dowelling. But it can be used easily for 10mm. I didn't invent it. Some vids on YouTube. Works brilliantly.

Cheers Vinn


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## SkyBlue63 (24 Jan 2021)

Izzy Swann also has vids on YouTube. There's plenty of ideas, some more practical than others for you needs.


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## kinverkid (11 Apr 2021)

Just saw this one on YouTube. First time I've seen it done like this.


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## Demusss (11 Apr 2021)

I made one something like this but with a plane blade. Is really just a big pencil sharpener.
Make the start of your dowel pointy.
Make it octagonal shape
Spin your drill up really fast


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## Jacob (12 Apr 2021)

Demusss said:


> I made one something like this but with a plane blade. Is really just a big pencil sharpener.
> Make the start of your dowel pointy.
> Make it octagonal shape
> Spin your drill up really fast



Nice one! I like his demo of how to use two push sticks - but they are bit on the short side for me.


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## RobinBHM (12 Apr 2021)

Jacob said:


> Nice one! I like his demo of how to use two push sticks - but they are bit on the short side for me.


Dangerous cutting such a short bit of wood.

I also use 2 push sticks on the saw table


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## Jacob (12 Apr 2021)

RobinBHM said:


> Dangerous cutting such a short bit of wood.
> ...


Yes, not recommended! But if you must do it, very much safer with the sticks.


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## rafezetter (12 Apr 2021)

kinverkid said:


> Just saw this one on YouTube. First time I've seen it done like this.





I've just seen that one too - thought ot was ingenious, especially making sure the blade teeth were in opposite directions.


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