Replies

1. 
   Lataxe | Apr 17, 2009 04:28pm | #1

   Jack,

   You can make your own dowel centre by sticking a pin, small nail or sharp screw-body into the centre of a short piece of 3/4" dowel.  Use a centre-finder to mark the centre of the dowel then carefully knock in the pin/nail; or drill to make a starter hole for the body of a beheaded modern screw, which have very sharp points.

   http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pricing=INC&pf_id=21815&name=centre+finder&user_search=1&sfile=1&jump=44&cid=IVQJ7D6CB3AQSJBHPXASYGP94X1NFGYH

   To enable the pinned bit of dowel to go into your 3/4" hole, you'll need to scrape or sand it a bit until it fits without wobble or disappearing down the hole.  If you can cut a very short piece of the dowel (say 1/4") chamfering the hole-side edge ) opposite the pin-side) may be enough to get it to stick firmly in the hole.

   If you have a lathe, you could probably make a dowel-based centre with exactly the right diameter to fit in the hole but also with a small stop-shoulder, like on the metal dowel centres. 

   I've never seen a dowel centre larger than 12mm or 1/2", although there is plenty of larger dowelling sold.  I suppose 12mm dowels are about the largest to be used in M&T mode, which is typically when dowel centres are used.

   Lataxe

1. 
   jack7 | Apr 18, 2009 04:32am | #2

   Hi.
   thank you for your help.
   Jack.