Replies

1. 
   mvflaim | Feb 01, 2010 11:16am | #1

   I've used a Stanley No 77
   I've used a Stanley No 77 with a dull blade. It works okay but like anything, you'll need a sharp blade to create good results. The biggest downfall of the machine is the price. The machine itself is around $300 and another $50 - 100 a piece for the cutters. For a lot less money you could invest in the Lee Valley dowel maker.

   Another alternative is buying a WoodRat or Router Boss. Each one has the ability to machine dowels but they will also cut a multitude of other woodwoking joints. If it were my money, I'd go with a Router Boss.

1. 
   tzbh | Feb 02, 2010 10:48am | #3

   Thanks for the reply on this, I will look into a WoodRat and Router Boss also. I would like the Stanley but spare parts and cutters may become a problem as I see it too.

2. 
   PSeverin | Feb 01, 2010 02:00pm | #2

   You must need large quantities of dowels. I needed some 1/8" & 3/16 oak dowels and tried making them by driving stock through a 1/8" and 3/16" holes bored in the bed of a ruined block plane bed. Well it was the only iron/mild steel I could easily get my hands on.

   What I found making them was that I had to split a straight grained blank close to the size I needed or it split apart with the first blow. At the size I was making, anything longer than about 1 1/2" just buckled under the blows of the hammer.

   Making dowels this way is an old technique shown in books on how to make craftsman furniture. Driving a stake through a round hole is not as easy as those illustrations suggested, but it works for limited quantities. They just never tell you about starting with a straight grained blank or that the dowels won't be as pretty as those ones coming from the expensive machines. But the method works.

   Peter

1. 
   tzbh | Feb 02, 2010 10:53am | #4

   I do tend to use dowel for various things in my woodworking. I am familiar with driving square blanks through a round hole, and have had the same results you have stated. It may be cheaper to change some design elements lol. Thank you for your input.

1. 
   derekcohen | Feb 03, 2010 07:18pm | #5

   Just another option:

   I tend to make all my dowels with the LN dowel plate. I primarily use them when drawboring, and this requires rived stock for strength. It is a quick process and I have the luxury of being able use whatever wood I like.

   Regards from Perth

   Derek