How to Cut Wood Pegs / Dowels

[asca65290]

What is the best way to cut wood pegs or dowels out of a chunk of wood or a log?  I would like to make short (8-12") dowels out of Osage Orange.

Thanks for your help! 

[SwampDonkey]

Dowel makers, like the Veritas Dowel Maker, use square material and a socket that slips over the squared piece and a drill and run through the jig.  You can search Lee Valley for one , model #05J45.01

[Lud]

• Shaper with round over bit.  Use longer stock. Cut to length.
  V block with a stop and hand plane.
  A lathe.
  Drill a hole in steel plate.  sharpen hole edge and pound stock thru to make peg or dowel

[Brad_bb]

I think of a Dowel as completely round as in turned on a lathe.  A peg however...  For timber frame pegs, you use a Froe and rive a straight grained log chunk into square blanks, keep them wet, and draw knife them on a shaving horse.

[shelbycharger400]

about a month ago i found a 24 spindle lathe on craigslist with duplicator.    I cannot remember the brand. they make gunstocks and such.    The picture looked intimidating. with 15 in between the centers.   One motor drove 4 centers.

[Phorester]

How many do you want to make?  If just a few, maybe a hatchet for roughing them out and a and drawknife or even a pocket knife for smoothing. 

If you need a bunch, or if you'd be making some every year, maybe go with one of the options suggested by the others here.

[asca65290]

Thanks for everyones help.  I was looking for advice on how I could make a number of them relatively quickly.  I like the Dowel Maker product recommended by SwampDonkey.  Thanks again for everyone's help!

[ljmathias]

I bought a box of 40 or 50 from a dedicated maker- for the price, and given the time it would take me to learn how to do it and then make them myself, I couldn't justify not buying them.... plus they offer a wax coating that makes them slide in better.  Just my opinion, though, time being money and all.

Lj

[low_48]

Here is a link to a site for making a jig that uses a chisel as the cutting tool. A cheap version of the Veritas jig.
http://woodgears.ca/dowel/making.html

[terrifictimbersllc]

For timber framing pegs I rip wood into square stock corresponding to the right diameter.  Then set the table saw at 45 degrees and make octagons out of them.  Goes pretty fast.