Making tiny dowels (4mm)

[Rorschach]

I need to make some 4mm dowels, can't buy them as I need to make them from specific woods.

Tried a box turning tool I have, too much stress, the wood split. Tried turning normally (metal lathe), again too much stress. Managed to make 1 using tail stock and plunging in, but it was slow and I could only size it by measuring, couldn't test fit so had to hope for the best, it was a little sloppy.
Ideally I want to do this quickly and easily as I need quite a few. Only need to be about 2-3" long though.

Any clever ideas before I torture myself turning them?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

How many? It might influence people's thinking.

 

[Rorschach]

To begin with, probably 20, but this is possibly an ongoing thing so a reliable method for production would be good.

 

[Jacob]

Buy some kebab sticks?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bamboo-Skewers-Diameter-Natural-Sausage/dp/B0848NJJL9

 

[Austin Branson]

Hi. Could you use a dowel plate? Best wishes, Austin

 

[--Tom--]

Dowel plate would be my suggestion, and if possible pick stock without grain run out to reduce chance of splitting.
Surprised turning on metal lathe didn’t work with short lengths supported at each end a sharp HSS bit.

 

[Daniel2]

How about this ?

Home made dowel cutter

 

[Droogs]

As you have access to a metal lathe, you could make a large "hypo needle" with a 4mm ID and a 6mm OD with a chamfered end about 30mm long fitted to some sort of holder you can put in a vice. Then using 8mm sq stock use the needle like a like an internal dowel plate and hammer the stock onto the needle which will then allow the core of the stock to pass through and give you a 4mm dowel out the bottom.

 

[Rorschach]

Buy some kebab sticks?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bamboo-Skewers-Diameter-Natural-Sausage/dp/B0848NJJL9

Put your reading glasses on

 

[Rorschach]

Dowel plate would be my suggestion, and if possible pick stock without grain run out to reduce chance of splitting.
Surprised turning on metal lathe didn’t work with short lengths supported at each end a sharp HSS bit.

It did work as I said in the OP, but it wasn't easy or efficient.

 

[Rorschach]

Don't think a dowel plate would work as you can't really hammer on something that thin.

 

[Rorschach]

How about this ?

Home made dowel cutter

Hmm now that has given me an idea!

 

[Droogs]

@Rorschach obvs. the drawing isnt to scale lol

 

[Setch]

I've made 5mm dowels using a DIY dowel plate. I found that chucking the bits in a power drill and driving them into the plate removed the need for hammering. For best results split the stock to eliminate runout.

 

[JSW]

You'll hate this, but I absolutely guarantee it will work, and produce dowels to within tolerances of a thou.
It's the devils own job to set-up, but once done easy enough to sharpen as and when needed.
Just make sure your blanks are as close to the finished size required and away you go.

 

[Rorschach]

You'll hate this, but I absolutely guarantee it will work, and produce dowels to within tolerances of a thou.
It's the devils own job to set-up, but once done easy enough to sharpen as and when needed.
Just make sure your blanks are as close to the finished size required and away you go.

Why would I hate it?

That method would work if I didn't need dowels so small, you can't spin a 4mm bit of wood without it crumbling.

 

[J-G]

I need to make some 4mm dowels, can't buy them as I need to make them from specific woods.

Tried a box turning tool I have, too much stress, the wood split. Tried turning normally (metal lathe), again too much stress. Managed to make 1 using tail stock and plunging in, but it was slow and I could only size it by measuring, couldn't test fit so had to hope for the best, it was a little sloppy.
Ideally I want to do this quickly and easily as I need quite a few. Only need to be about 2-3" long though.

Any clever ideas before I torture myself turning them?

I did think to chastise you -- until I saw that you need them 3" long

I turn dowels at 1 and 2mm dia, but only 10 - 15mm long, on my Myford Super 7. Last year I needed some 3mm dowel in longer lengths - 80 to 150mm - and came up with an idea which you may have alluded to in your statement 'using tail stock and plunging' . I made a 'die' by drilling & reaming a hole in some silver steel (with the possibility of hardening it) held in the head-stock and a 'pusher' for the tail-stock. Mine were Maple and I cut 150mm lengths of 4mm Sq. from some straight-grained stock which I simply pushed into the die using the tail-stock hand-wheel.

I had some 'failures' of course but overall I made over 2m very quickly.

​

In the event I didn't harden the silver steel and I didn't need to 'sharpen' the die but both options would be possible if the production run needed to be longer.

One of the limiting factors will naturally be the timber you need to use - ie. interlocking or 'swirly' grain stock could be problematic.

 

[Droogs]

OOH OOH, just remembered this vie day o

 

[Adam W.]

Don't think a dowel plate would work as you can't really hammer on something that thin.

You can easily make 2"x 4mm ø dowels on a dowel plate. You just need wood with a straight grain and split it down to approximate size with and a slight taper on one end, before putting it through the plate.

 

[Rorschach]

I had an idea, if I can find a suitable part.

I have a counterbore which takes interchangeable pilot bits. If I could find a counterbore that had a 4mm hole in it, I could use that.