Tips for dowel making jig?

[ClarkeHome]

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

 

[grumpycorn]

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

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/wooden-curtain-poles-with-a-home-made-dowel-making-jig.121817/

 

[Argus]

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


https://www.oldtoolstore.co.uk/veritas-dowel-cutters-243-p.asp

 

[Droogs]

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

 

[Jacob]

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

 

[Jacob]

"....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

 

[Terrytpot]

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..

 

[Inspector]

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

Pete

 

[TheUnicorn]

just to show the basic idea, loads on you tube

 

[clogs]

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.....

 

[Cooper]

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.

 

[Jacob]

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
https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/what...nism,, factories, practicality and usefulness.

 

[recipio]

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

 

[Vinn]

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

 

[SkyBlue63]

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

 

[kinverkid]

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

 

[Demusss]

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

 

[Jacob]

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.

 

[RobinBHM]

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

 

[Jacob]

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

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