Replies

1. 
   WillGeorge | Feb 13, 2005 06:31pm | #1

   Maybe that plastic caliper was set on Metric!

2. 
   jako17 | Feb 13, 2005 07:23pm | #2

   Buy or make a dowel sizing plate ,most dowel is not at all precise

3. 
   AlbionWood | Feb 13, 2005 09:04pm | #3

   I get 1" oak dowels from WW Supply and they are about 0.95" when they arrive. After a few days in my climate they get a little oval...

   Then I drill a 1" hole in some oak with a Forstner bit... and the 1" dowel won't go through it. Even though the bit is 0.99", the resulting hole is about 0.95, too close to the dowel diameter... I have to go back and ream the hole with the Forstner running at fairly high speed in a hand drill. Sometimes I then have to sand or scrape the wider sides of the dowels. PITA. I need a dowel sizing plate.

   Anyway, getting back to your question: The dowels are probably 1.00" +/- 0.05" when they come off the machine. What size they will be when you get them depends on how dry the wood was when the dowel was made, and the difference in humidity between the factory and the store where you buy them... with possible effects from storage along the way... then they might change again in your shop...

   "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."  A. Einstein

   http://www.albionworks.net

4. 
   EdHarrow | Feb 13, 2005 09:58pm | #4

   LOL, ain't it the truth.  Home Despot at its best. 

   This summer I was doing some kids' carpentry classes.  One of the projects was a tool/totebox.  It was two-feet long.  At Home Despot I was surprised to find 4' dowels.  A marriage made in heaven so to speak.  I forget what size they actually measured (when I measured them AFTER they fell thru the 3/4" hole bored to receive them.  I took them back (cut into 2' lengths).  No questions asked, nor answers given by HD staff.

   The 3' dowels were fine, of course.

5. 
   SawdustSteve | Feb 13, 2005 11:27pm | #5

   The dowels are most likely made in China or some other place that works in metric measurements. If you check the size with a 'metric micrometer' you will probably find the dowels are NOT 'American' sized. That is why I always buy the dowels and then check for the proper size hole to drill. SawdustSteve

6. 
   BarryO | Feb 14, 2005 06:51am | #6

   IMHO, expecting a store-bought dowel to fit well in a hole drilled to the nominal diameter is asking a bit much.

   Getting a snug fit for a round dowel in a round hole is fairly precise joinery.  I bet there's not that many thousandths of an inch difference between "won't go in", "just right snug", and "too loose".  Expecting production dowels to be made to this tight tolerance, and then keep it through transport and storage when it is made out of a material such as wood, that changes shape with changes in humidity and temperature, is asking the near-impossible, I think.

1. 
   tbird | Feb 14, 2005 06:32pm | #7

   My experience is that when you buy manufactured dowels from HD or Lowes or any lumber store that there is considerable variation among the dowels at the store.  The best thing to do is drill a sample hole of the diameter dowel you want in a piece of 1/2" or 3/4" plywood and take it to the store with you and buy only the dowels that actually fit well in that hole.

   Additionally, to yoru comment Barry on how many thousanths of an inch difference between a good fit and a loose fit - it is about .004" depending on humidity and wood type.  I learned this when making a quilt rack that had round tenons into round mortises.  I turned the tenons to approx diameter and then sanded on the lathe to get them to fit.  When I sanded one too much I went back later to measure a good one versus the bad one - yep .004".  Doesn't sound like much does it?

1. 
   EdHarrow | Feb 14, 2005 07:50pm | #8

   LOL, I ain't talking a thou or two, I'm talking a s'teenth or two (or maybe even three).  Why that gap was so big ya coulda drove a Kenworth right through it, with out even slowing down. ;-)

7. 
   cherryjohn | Feb 15, 2005 01:00am | #9

   I dont know how long your dowels need to be but the ones i use are never any longer than 2-3".  I bought that L-N dowel maker and it is great.  I didnt know how much Id use it when I bought it ( Mom gave me $50 for my birthday and it was the only thing I could get for that price that I didnt already have) but ever since I have been amazed at how often I reach for it.

    

   Wicked Decent Woodworks

   Rochester NH

   " If the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy........yessa!"

1. 
   bladeburner | Feb 15, 2005 05:21pm | #10

   I punched a hole in a piece of poplar cutoff and took it to the store. Also, I took my reading glasses this time. They have two sections of dowels stored in little boxes that are under the headings :OAK & HARDWOOD". ALL of the HARDWOOD samples fell through the hole (it looks like luan BTW) while the OAK was either just fir, snug or tight. Most of the dowels I use come fluted and in plastic bags. So thanks for all of the responses. Oh yea, I had picked up one from HARDWOOD the first day.

   Joe