Start a new project, Buy a new tool

now isn’t THAT interesting (and I never thought of making my own dowel thingy for my little heart box… )

That’s quite an amazing group you are part of—what a wonderful gift you give the community.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

You could have purchased a lathe and had a tool that would have done more. Of course, depending on the length of your dowels, 1/4” would be tricky in lengths over 12” without some support in the center while turning. It’s just a thought, because I use my lathe to turn dowels when I need one right a way or of a size that is not readily available..

My hat is off to you and the Mason Dixon Woodworkers Club’s charity work.

-- Jesus is Lord!

Oscorner: I need to make 120 ft of 5/16 walnut for the axles and it takes about 20 seconds to turn a 3’ section. Lathe is an option but it would be hard to beet this jig for some small production runs.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

I started making my own dowels with my cordless drill. I had a hole. I got a piece of square scrap, cut the stick down to about 6-8” and stuck it in the end of the cordless drill with a piece of 60 grit sandpaper and squeezed the trigger. When you don’t have much money to spend but have a lot of sticks and time on your hands, it was kinda like sandpaper lathing. I’d sand while I watched videos on my computer. It also works when you need a special dowel made from a special wood. I’m just getting started and have to make due with what i have, until the Money Boat reaches my port.

And the guy that has me build all the stuff just so he can justify giving me money without making me feel like a charity case said he wanted me to build a mission style table for his remotes (and a mantel for his fireplace, and his kitchen cabinets, and a wind stop for the fireplace hole to stop the wind from rushing into his front room) and I told him I wanted to do mortise and tenon but needed the bits for which I am short of funds so he’s going to order them for me. God must really, really, really like me to give me such good friends, and surround me with such Quality People.

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

There’s no way you can make 3’ of 5/16 dowels on a lathe in 20 seconds. That tool can NOT be beat for the purpose you bought it for. Good Buy, Karson.

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

I beg to differ. If you start with 1/2” stock and at 1000 rpms, it goes pretty fast. But, Karson knows what works best for him. My main point was that for the money, he could have bought a machine that would have done more, that’s all, Obi.

-- Jesus is Lord!

Maybe I should have said there’s no way I could have made 3’ of dowel in 20 seconds

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

I like your sentiment Karson… but unless the tool figures into the project I’m afraid the wife would surely veto the purchase (If it doesn’t magically appear that is). Maybe that’s why I keep such a diverse list of projects, some to show I’ve got everything I need and others that only need “one little” thing. :)

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

That is a nifty tool you picked Karson. Maybe you can use the end bits to turn pens or something. Then you would not waste the wood.

Obi, that was a good economical idea! I will have to keep that in mind next time I need a dowel.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

When I first started making rustic stuff, I drilled a 1/4” hole in an old framing square. I’d rough out a dowel with a carving knife and when I got close to 1/4” I’d pound the roughed out dowel through the hole in framing square. Worked just fine. Now I’ve read where you can purchase steel plates with various sized holes to make dowels doing exactly the same thing. I didn’t invent this method. I read about it somewhere and gave it a try.
I wish we had something like you all have Karson. I like making toys. Keep up the good work.

-- Dennis, Tennessee

I made a jig for making 1/2” dowels, when I built my Windsor chairs. It’s very simple. You mount a router on it, If anyones interested I’ll take an image of it. You can make a different jig for each dowel size.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

Count me as interested, Dick.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.hilsbiblechurch.org/

I would like to see that plan too Dick!

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

i’M INTERESTED TOO, dICK I wanna be the Dowel King of Central California

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

I didnt have the $300 to buy your fancy riggin’ so I ordered this one instead

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

Dick, how thick do you recommend the steel to be to drill your own holes in it for dowls?

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

For smaller pins, I bought a dowel plate from Lie-Nielsen. You drive wood through the plate with the hammer. I’m not sure that it is really a cheap option, but I have a thing for Lie-Nielsen tools.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Obi, did you get the socket set to go with it, so you can hook it up to your drill?

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

Bill,
Bought the socket, but didn’t need it. Just clamp the wood in the drill chuck and run it through the dowel maker. That way I don’t have left over wood. After I run it through, I turn the dowel over and stick it in the other end, and do the last 4 or 5 inches.

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

Karson,
I get new tools with new projects too but I try to purchase the tools that I need for the project. That’s how I’ve been able to get my woodworking tools and automotive tools. Instead of paying a mechanic $50/hour to fix my car or pay a couple of hundred dollars for a piece of furniture, I do the work myself. The money I save, I invest in tools.

-- There are three types of people in the world, those who can count and those who can't!