Doweller minimum fence height

[Simon C]

Hi. Ok ok so I bought the reviled Triton doweller - knockdown £90 on Amazon, 30 day return option. I might actually be able to live with/tweak it to cope with the accuracy issues but the fence has a minimum 10mm height setting. From my uneducated perspective this would prevent it working with much less than 18mm stock even with replacement 6mm bits. Since I bought it mostly for drawer boxes this seems like a show stopper unless I want to use 18mm which feels to heavy. Would anyone else like to share minimum fence height settings on other machines (domino, Mafell duo doweller or particularly other cheap kit like the Igoo or grizzly dowellers). Otherwise welcome any other suggestions. Just please no "why on earth did you buy it in the first place" comments!

 

[Doug71]

Can you put a packer on top of your workpiece, this will lift the doweller up making the holes higher?

 

[HOJ]

why on earth did you buy it in the first place

for drawer boxes

I hate to say it but you answered your own question, personally I've never made a drawer box using dowels.

 

[Simon C]

thanks Doug. Yes just been taping plastic packers to the fence and does the job. Jury is still out on whether the machine will cut the mustard overall but this at least will overcome this hurdle. Could I get away with 8mm dowels in 12mm ply do you think? Economies of buying a cheap doweller might go out the window with replacement bits!

 

[Simon C]

I hate to say it but you answered your own question, personally I've never made a drawer box using dowels.

Ah ok. Is there a reason why you wouldn't use dowels as such on a drawer box? Seemed a good bet in theory to me.

 

[HOJ]

Not knocking your theory, perhaps If you outlined the type of drawer boxes you are making, other more appropriate options and methods could be suggested.

I use the 1/4 - 1/4 method or a version of it, on most of my ply boxes, but I am geared up for that in the way of machines and tooling, as explained in Stumpy Nubbs vid:

 

[fleyh]

8mm dowels in 12mm ply do you think

I am not speaking from experience, so feel free to ignore, but the reason I have never tried 8mm dowels in 12mm ply is as follows:

1. if you plan to glue dowels in place. Glue may cause the wood to swell slightly, and with only 2mm on each side (if you actually manage to drill dead centre), you may (occasionally) end up seeing the shape of your dowels on the outside.

2. if your dowels have been stored for a while, acquiring some moisture and swelling a little themselves - depending on the actual size of the hole - there is a chance that a dowel will exceed the strength of the surrounding plywood and either split it or cause it to adopt a new shape.

In other words - if you must use 8mm dowels in 12mm ply - they will likely work most of the time, but not always.

Would anyone else like to share minimum fence height settings on other machines (domino,

The smallest distance between the centre of the cutter and the bottom of the fence on the Domino DF500 is 6mm. For 12mm plywood, I would typically use 5x30 dominoes (as I can't be bothered to change the cutter and have never had an issue with it), but the recommended size is 4x20.

 

[Simon C]

Thanks all for your help and here's the context for anyone happy to engage further. The situation is that I need to build 10-12 metres worth of fitted wardrobes/cabinetry to of 18mm oak veneer mdf. The majority of these will include large drawers (anywhere from 600-1200 width in the various cabinets and approx 300-350mm deep). Doors and drawers will be inset. Need to choose right material for drawers, decide whether to go for false fronts and choose constructional method. Did a test cabinet using quarter/quarter/quarter on my little trim router and tiny router bench. It was ok but seemed a bit unnecessarily fiddly without full setup so exploring whether to go either cheap doweller or Domino (to resell afterwards). Want to do the job well and solidly, the oak veneer isn't cheap and while I'm not a pro I don't need it to take forever and a day or to create scope for too many expensive/time-consuming mistakes. For info other main kit I have is tracksaw and Wolfcraft pseudo-MFT.

 

[worn thumbs]

You can slightly help your cause by tapping the dowels through an 8mm hole in a piece of steel plate.As most twist bits are a tiny bit undersize it will remove a smidgeon from the top of the serrations and postpone the point at which telegraphing of the dowels becomes a problem.If you are willing to spend a bit more and sell the kit on after the job,how about looking online for a bargain dovetail jig?They give a touch of quality and once you have a pile of components stacked up by the bench ,it doesn't take too long to work through them.I don't know if your trim router has the power but Lidl have been selling something suitable for £34.99 recently and this kind of jig isn't hugely expensive: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lumberjack...ds=router+dovetail+jig&qid=1708000742&sr=8-11 .The same thing comes in several different colours from other sellers but not necessarily with cutter included.It might seem like a bit more work but will impress anybody who sees the final result.

 

[Simon C]

thanks Worn Thumbs. I might (rightly or wrongly) draw the line at dovetails though. I think probably on the size of drawers I am constructing 15mm ply is probably a good idea for the boxes so can stick with 8mm size dowels if thats the way I go...Interesting to see Peter Millard (again all credit due to him for the magnificent YT channel) go for rebate and pinned dowels instead of false fronts on inset drawers.

 

[Rhossydd]

how about looking online for a bargain dovetail jig?

Nice for solid wood, but not really suitable for man made boards as the OPO plans to use.
Dowels, biscuits or loose tenons are far more suitable.
The reputation of the Triton doweller isn't good, I'd suggest getting a refund while you can and get a biscuit jointer instead.

 

[Simon C]

Thanks. I think drawer boxes may ultimately be best out of ply but might consider sticking with mdf if tests prove strong enough (welcome thoughts). Yes it would be hard not to be aware of Triton doweller's reputation but biscuits feel like a different beast strength-wise. At the end of the day the Triton is two drills and a fence so if I can tweak it to do the job I need then it's a bargain. Otherwise, it'll go back

 

[Spectric]

At the end of the day the Triton is two drills and a fence so if I can tweak it to do the job I need then it's a bargain. Otherwise, it'll go back

Dowels are a really good method for making joints if used in the right applications and with the right tools, precision is vital to get joints to close so please don't let that Triton put you off dowels as I use them all the time. The problem with dowels in MDF and ply to a lesser extent is the hydraulic effect when gluing up, the dowel even if fluted can act like a piston and just blow the wood apart so clamping can prevent this.

 

[Simon C]

Thanks Roy. Really useful to know and we shall see on the Triton!

 

[HOJ]

Another way of using the "doweller" is to make the box with simple butt joints, glue, clamp even pin them together, and dowel through the joints when set, they would show but only when the drawer is open.

With inset drawers, I would make them using plant on fronts, saves a load of grief trying to get them running true.

 

[Simon C]

Another way of using the "doweller" is to make the box with simple butt joints, glue, clamp even pin them together, and dowel through the joints when set, they would show but only when the drawer is open.

With inset drawers, I would make them using plant on fronts, saves a load of grief trying to get them running true.

 

[Simon C]

Interesting. Hadn't thought of dowelling after gluing. Not sure of the advantage apart from dispensing with any doweller alignment issues I guess!? Like the way it has acquired inverted commas - it's not that bad!
Just like a cheap biscuit jointer but using a method where precision is more of the essence. Yes agree false fronts seem to make like simpler but with undermount runners with 3D adjustment maybe it no longer matters as much?

 

[HOJ]

but with undermount runners with 3D adjustment maybe it no longer matters as much?

Your best off looking at the drawings for the runners, once you've made allowances for the offsets they need around the drawer opening aperture, you can then work out how the front will need to be made/applied as part of a complete drawer box.

For example, from Blum:

 

[Rhossydd]

but biscuits feel like a different beast strength-wise.

They maybe the least strong of the three options listed, but still a sound choice for cabinet construction unless you're expecting people to actually climb up the shelves.