Hi All, Anyone use a dowel making tool , I have heard good and bad reports , any recommendations please .
Paul
Paul
Dowel making
- Thread starter paullap
- Start date
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For large quantities of regularly sized dowel I buy it, life’s too short. For a few small dowels of odd size I have a dowel plate, a piece of 5mm plate with holes drilled in it from 3mm to 20mm. It works pretty well but is laborious as you have to cut stock square and a touch oversized then bang the pieces through plate multiple times to get to your desired size. The finish can be a little rough.
I have the Ganwei dowel maker. Had it for a couple of years now. Before that, I used Fitzroy's dowel plate method as above which produces useable shorter dowels. If using a dowel as a joint fixing I will usually use regular bought dowels, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm. But when requiring blending or contrasting dowels I'll normally use the dowel maker. It's fast and can produce better quality dowels and longer ones than using the plate method. Better dowel jigs have now been developed but generally follow the same principle of using a TCT square cutter and 6mm to 20mm holes.
Orraloon
Established Member
I have the same one as kinverkid but dont think its the same brand name. Uses a tct cutter and as luck would have it it's same as the ones in my thicknesser. Some woods cut cleaner than others so at times the dowel can look a bit hairy. If they are for holding a joint together then that does not matter and the roughness holds more glue. Its a handy thing to have and does not cost much.
Regards
John
Regards
John
SVB
Established Member
Tried multiple methods has have recently made a few Rob cosman style ‘hidden hinge’ boxes so need dowel from same material as box. I used the carbide cutter ones from Temu that were fine for 10mm dowel, esp as a surface roughness is planed off in this project. 6mm dowel is more problematic as not found maker small enough and seem too slender to be bashed through dowel plate in lengths I need. However, as a turner I’ve just ended up turning some that works for the occasional time I need them.
HamsterJam
Let’s take it apart to see what’s inside….
I turn non-standard dowels on the lathe. You don’t get the grooves however.
Have done some supersized dowel joints like this using a 20mm forstner bit to create the holes/mortises/sockets.
Have done some supersized dowel joints like this using a 20mm forstner bit to create the holes/mortises/sockets.
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I use the veritas dowel cutters, they are now quite expensive but give excellent results. Also can be used for tapering larger stock with a straight blade.
https://www.axminstertools.com/veri...2WZenh3U26psTBHlmxaXdDysqeokf31hoC2VYQAvD_BwE
https://www.axminstertools.com/veri...2WZenh3U26psTBHlmxaXdDysqeokf31hoC2VYQAvD_BwE
MikeB1972
Established Member
Depends on what you are using the dowel for.
Hidden in joints - just buy it.
Visible things, hinges, pins etc, I use rounding planes. the Ray Iles ones work well, but they are fairly expensive, so I make my own rounders.
Hidden in joints - just buy it.
Visible things, hinges, pins etc, I use rounding planes. the Ray Iles ones work well, but they are fairly expensive, so I make my own rounders.
Ad @Fitzroy has said lifes to short and as I have said in other threads that dowels are not the fastest process going so why make it longer by making the dowels. I buy ready made fluted dowels in several sizes but also dowel rod in 500mm lengths and with a jig cut them to size when needed, the flutes really are needed especially in MDF and to some extent ply to prevent the material blowing by letting excess glue escape.
