# dowel maker



## okwoodshop (Sep 15, 2009)

Okay. I want a wood dowel maker that is electric,able to cut different sized dowels with a small amount of resetting or changing of cutters. With a dust collection port for a shop vac. something like an electric pencil sharpener on steroids. It should cost under 150 bucks. And while were at it make it blue to LOL. All you smart guys here is your chance to make it rich. Well, get to work.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

You want a Stanley #77 Dowel Maker

I almost bought one of these when they were being sold by Stanley, but I didn't Good luck in your search.

Also available is the Veratas

And the Dowel Plate

I've got the Veratas Dowel maker The Master Kit.

It is a little touchy making dowels. The grain has to be nice and straight. With any kind of cross grain the rod blows apart because of the torque on the drive end and the friction on the cutting end. But I've made a bunch of dowels for toy making.

A couple hundred feet of 1/4" Sapele dowels and the same in Walnut. Also made some Holly dowels and some misc ones for other needs.

On the sapele I have someone cut a bunch of 3/8" square rods and then get busy cutting. If they blow then throw the stock away and keep going.

I've made some limited dowel rods in Blackwood for hinge pins is a shaker cabinet that I made that couldn't used glue, screws or nails. So everything was using joints to hold the cabinet tobether. It's posted in my projects. My blog show the drill plate to make the blackwood rods. I started at the large holes and moved down to the next small hole. The bur on the upside of the plate was left after the hole was drilled.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Looks like some of the parameters are going to have to give a little )


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## okwoodshop (Sep 15, 2009)

I like the stanley #77 with an electric motor. The blades should turn and not the stock. The pencil sharpener type cutters with a hole all the way thru look perfect to me. maybe adjust one end to get different sizes.Wish I had some metal working experience I think I could make one.


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

Actually, if one has disposable income, there is a nice model on ebay right now. Out of my price range, but looks to be in great condition -

http://cgi.ebay.com/Stanley-No-77-Dowell-Maker-/150530031928?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item230c4a0138


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

I should point out that the Veritas dowel maker referenced above is sort of an electric dowel maker.

I say this because you clamp the dowel maker in a vice and use a drill with a square socket to power the wood through the dowel maker. The drill is doing all the hard work.

I have one and I will advise that you still need to sand the dowels a little after they come out.


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## okwoodshop (Sep 15, 2009)

David that is a nice stanley 77 but like you out of my league.
Rich, have to make a lot of dowels to pay for that but it is nice.
I also saw a way to make them with a bull nose bit on a router table.


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## woody57 (Jan 6, 2009)

okwoodshop,
where did you see the router dowel maker?


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

You would have to make a lot of dowels to justify $500+shipping )


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

You can make dowels with a bullnose bit in the router and 2 passes. You can also use a quarter round bit and make 4 passes. The problems with either approach - -

You may not get as precise dowels as you want.

You have to make a very good jig to hold the wood or risk having your fingers too close to the danger zone.


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## Edziu (Jan 17, 2010)

Check these videos out.

http://www.youtube.com/user/noho91#p/u/28/dwDjedeJCZ0

http://www.youtube.com/user/noho91#p/u/26/FCFBXaPnedY

http://www.youtube.com/user/noho91#p/u/27/mupv0bbjQe8

All home-made (shop-made) things, but pretty nice. Look at his other videos- he's got some great techniques.


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## okwoodshop (Sep 15, 2009)

Hey Woody57 , This was posted by Dick and Barb Cain http://www.routerworkshop.com/easydl.html


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## BarneyTomB (Jul 5, 2011)

How about using a rounder plane? American Woodworker had one in their Oct 1994 issue Page 63. All it takes is a is a plane blade and a little scrap lumber. " Here's a link to a fancy one from Roy Underhill. http://www.pbs.org/woodwrightsshop/howto/images/e2104Rounderplane.pdf . They may not be electric but they do work.


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## Jeffery (Sep 8, 2010)

I can't remember the name of the book I got from the library but I think it was called router magic. I copied 4 pages out of the book on how to make your own router dowel making jig with just a block of wood and a hand drill and a router hooked up to a mount from the jig. I haven't made the jig yet but I think it would do the job. It even explains how to make long dowels and what to build for a add on to make it work better. Depends on the size of the hole you make in the block of the jig is the size of the dowel that comes out the other end. You push the square stick that is a little bigger than what the dowel will turn out to be just push it through the jig with it in the hand drill bit and the router is at the bottom of the jig cutting the dowel while the hand drill is spinning the stick round and round real fast while you push it through the hole of the jig and bam you got a custom made dowel of wood of your choice. Cool jig I think.


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## Flyin636 (Jul 29, 2011)

4 pillow blocks,hold and maintian stock.Two on infeed side,2 on outfeed.The infeed are sized to accept sq,dimensioned pcs of wood.Outfeed blocks are drilled for size dowel you're "shooting".

>...>.R.>...>

Look above where R is,this is a router mounted to a pc of 3×5 steel angle.The 5" side rests on bttm of fixture plate.The router base gets bolted to the 3" "vert" side of angle,in effect the router is now cutting in horiz plane.You can mount a "follower" rest opposite where bit engages wkpc.It takes longer to describe than build/use….....ain't the end-all,be-all to shooting dowels,but it does work and is pretty cheap (time&materials).BW


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## Wiggy (Jun 15, 2011)

Ok… I am a total idiot, I suppose…
NEVER in any project that requied wooden dowels have I considered NOT simply grabbing what I needed, pre-made.
I stand in awe of your collective dedication…

:?)


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## okwoodshop (Sep 15, 2009)

Thanks for all the renewed interest, I still would like to see a commercially made dowel maker about the size of a drill doctor, It should have changeable cutters that would allow you to cut different size dowels. Just open the top pull the cutter for one size out , pop in a different size and start cutting. Ryobi or black and decker should be all over this. ( I want royalties)
WIGGY I am only an Idiot in training but hope to be total some day LOL


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

As Karson said…










http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?grp=1239#


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## bluesman (May 1, 2012)

i have a stanley dowel maker,the handle was removed and a wooden pulley mounted but can be taken off,dont have the handle but otherwise in good condition,has a 3/8"cutter…haven't used it in awhile so i'd consider selling it..


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## bluesman (May 1, 2012)

i have a Stanley 77 that i would sell,the crank handle was removed and a wooden pulley in it's place,but could be returned to original if you can find a crank handle but it works well the way it is and i will sell it for 250.00 plus actual shipping cost


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

In the last 3 weeks I've made about 600-800 feet of dowels using the Veritas dowel maker that I referenced in the first or second post on this thread.

I was making these for the Mason Dixon Woodworkers toy making. We are making 2 toys that require a lot of dowels. This week I made about 150' of 1" dowels. i thought the wood was beech, but after the planks were cut at 1 1/8" square it looks like Ash. They were a bear to turn. We will be drilling a 3/4' hole in the end of 6" pieces and inserting a 3/4" threaded dowel that will then have a wooden nut screwed on them. Each toy requires 6 nuts and 6 threaded sections. Some are 3/4' and others are 5/8'.

The other toy is what we call a Beat'ty Bang. It's a toy where you have 6 dowels inserted through a table and you beat them flush with a wooden hammer. You then turn it over and beat them back through.

The problem we had were bought dowels fell right through the holes that were drilled so I had to make all of those dowels .020 Thousands oversize to make them tight in the hole. None of the above suggestions would give that option. 1" dowels are about $1.00 a foot.


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

I've seen somebody on here who made a thing which holds a chisel in just the right position so that you can put a square stick through there with a drill to make dowels. You can adjust the position of the chisel to make different sizes.


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## smokie (Dec 29, 2012)

Get an old saw blade. Drill ythe appropriate sized hole in the blade. Rip your stock to almost that size. Sharpen one end like a pencil and put the other in an electric drill. TADA!! Dowels. JMTSW


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

By the way; I buy most of the dowels for our toy making but these had a special requirement. They were being threaded and we needed good wood/wood holding so the tips don't break off.

Many of the dowels that you buy today are oval in shape. They were cut with extra moisture in the wood and when they dried they dry oval. Also when you measure each end they are a different size. I believe that the dowels that I've bought at California Dowel and Turnings Inc are the best. they seem to be round and consistent. But, then I don't go there are 5 dowels.

I always take a drill guide with me to the big boys shop to check out the dowels that I buy there.

If you need to size a dowel the a special size. I've found it useful to drive a dowel through a threaded nut that I've drilled the hole size that will give me the perfect fit dowel. We had some dowel pins that swelled up and wouldn't fit the holes drilled in the toys and we pressed all of them through a nut to compress them to the size that would fit.


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

Here it is

http://woodgears.ca/dowel/making.html

-Paul


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## higtron (Jan 26, 2011)

band saw dowel jig


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## okwoodshop (Sep 15, 2009)

I like all these ideas and especially the hacksaw blade cutter. you could make several and have them on standby for different sizes. HOWEVER, I still think there should be a commercially made dowel cutter with an electric motor, interchangeable cutter sizes and a dust port for chip removal. A little larger than a drill doctor and works on the same principal as a pencil sharpener that TIM TAYLOR got a hold of. 
Thanks again for your ideas. Does anyone have a picture or video of a commercial dowel operation?
Karson, I just want to say I think its great how you all make those toys for the kids, keep up the good work.


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## okwoodshop (Sep 15, 2009)

This is what I am talking about only a smaller version for the home shop.


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## okwoodshop (Sep 15, 2009)

there is a smaller version on utube but I cant get it to load.


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

Can anyone find a working link to Roy Underhill's Rounder plane plans? The link in post #12 above doesn't work. 
The stanley 77 looks really cool too, but spendy.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

This might be an image of it.










I found the issue of American Woodworker Issue 51 referenced above Send me you email address in a private message and i'll send you a pdf of the article.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I have one, similar to what you described only mine cost $175, used. I call it a lathe.


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## okwoodshop (Sep 15, 2009)

I think I have it now


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## okwoodshop (Sep 15, 2009)

okay try this one.


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## okwoodshop (Sep 15, 2009)

__ https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1030388187012209


Now thats a dowel maker. Like to have a modern version of this with a smaller motor and dust collection.


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## hugger (Nov 13, 2018)

Was reading about the stanley 77 dowel maker and its good points and rememberd finding one in my dads stuff it looks pretty much new i have had it for 30 years and never once used it. I have allways bought dowels. Just lazy i gues the older i get the more i lean toward power driven over hand crank but it does look cool on display


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## WoodenDreams (Aug 23, 2018)

How many dowels do you plan on using. Making your own vs. Purchasing the dowels. The local hardwood supplier "Woodstock Supply" they sell the hardwood 5/16×2" fluted dowel pins for 3 cents each, and the hardwood 1/2"x 2 1/2" spiral groove dowel pins for 4 cents each.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Hugger: 
You should be making some dowels just to make sure that you will know how to use it when you get that special need like Cherry dowels or teak, or Red Heart, or Pink Ivory or Wenge.

There are many kind of dowels that you will never find or afford - Just learn a new skill.


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

from black walnut for stacks on trucks oh BTW this thread 5 years old :<))


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

It's interesting how it came back to life.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

Hugger should definitely be figuring out that Stanley #77, it's a very cool tool!

-#77 Owner, currently with cutters 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2"...


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