Does anyone know if we have any dowel cutters? I need to make a bunch of 1/4" dia x 1 1/2" long dowel rods from maple
They are called lathes and we have a few of them.
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There is also the chisel/power drill approach.
How many tiny dowels is a bunch? Cost vs effort might make it worth just getting a premade dowel and cutting them to 1.5"
$2.50+shipping for 36" x .25" Maple Dowel
the problem is that I need them to be exactly 1/4" thick all along their length, and I don’t have that level of skill on the lathe
@Jeeves, I was hoping to make the ends be face grain, rather than end grain, to better match the grain of the wood that they will be sitting in
dowel+plug?
How strong would they be if you made them against the grain? It seems like that would make for break lines along the diameter of the dowel.
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I was actually joking. You could probably call a couple of hardwood places and see if the stock them.I turn but a 1/4" is a nightmare to make.
Jeff Whitcomb"The only good sense is one of humor, without it all the others are worthless." JCW
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I believe what you seek is a plug cutter. These are designed to cut plugs out of face grain to fill holes. The ones with a slight taper are great as they help conform to slight irregularities in drilled holes.
A dowel cutter would not work very well on end grain because 1) you would need very thick piece of wood or glue ups to reach that thickness and 2) there would be tearout as the grain changes direction.
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I missed the part about being 1.5" inches long.
What is the application? If they cut sidegrain (endgrain), it would not add strength.
Never seen those before, will need to give them a try.
They are going to be pegs to hold the sides of a box to the top/bottom. Ideally, they would only be there to help with alignment and for aesthetics on the finished piece, as the glue should hold much of the weight. But I forgot about about accounting for the dowel breaking along the grain. (thanks @Jeeves!) So I might just bite the bullet and get a maple dowel rod.
Get counter boring drill bits too then. I love these things. (I don’t know this brand though)
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milescraft-Adjustable-Titanium-Coated-Countersink-Drill-Bit-Set-4-Piece-5341/203618867
I like this idea
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These are counter-sinks and will not provide a true counter-bore, as in a flat bottom (giggity) effectively – if that was what you actually interested in. They will leave a cylindrical/straight wall on a deep counter-sink, but will not leave something you can drop a washer and bolt into.
Why don’t you marry them, then.
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Why not consider copper or brass rod? Obviously very strong and durable; will be very decorative/attractive (IMO); and easily sourced and shaped. Wax 'em for a smoother on/off experience.
Pro tip: square pegs don’t fit well in round holes.
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the client wants there to be no metal in the box (aside from hinges and a magnetic clasp) he has a very specific idea of what they should look like
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Matthias Wandel has, of course, an interesting solution.
No idea how well it might work for making “plugs” of 1.5" long rather than “dowel rods”…
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well I could just make longer rods and cut to lenght