Making Dowels

[Saki]

Have been considering an upcoming project and just beginning to explore the possibility of buying a dowel making machine.

Anybody here had any experience with a machine that would do this? Might have a need for something in the 1.25 to 2.00 inch diameter.

Do they go that big?

Limit to the type of wood they handle?

How uncommen are they?

Available in single phase?

Limit to practical length?

Any input welcome. Just thinking out loud. Thanks, Saki

[Don_Papenburg]

A metal lathe will do the job in that size .  Semi automatic ,you chuck up a wood square stick make a couple of passes with a carbide tool( HSsteel would work also).
Would not take very long to make up several dowels.

[gfadvm]

I make all my dowels on the router table using roundover bits. 1" is the largest diameter I have made as my largest roundover bit is a 1/2" radius.

Quick, easy, cheap.

[Woodey]

Hello, Saki

I make my dowel up to 1"using a Veritas Dowel Maker.

I take square stock and drill the blank though the tool and out comes the
dowels.

Not sure about the larger dowels.  :

[Lud]

Where's the Donk when you need him???  He swears by the Veritas rig from Lee Valley.   Search for his threads and you'll see some dowel making. 8)

[DDDfarmer]

Shop teacher showed us how to make them with the table saw. They were not smooth enough for exposed work but ideal for glue joints.     1.25-2" would be too big for that rig, I would use the lathe if I couldn't buy them.  Guess it would all come down to quantity you need and how soon.

[beenthere]

Here is another method, using a router to rough out the squares, and a jig with a chisel to finish them.
http://woodgears.ca/dowel/making.html

[SwampDonkey]

The fellow on woodgears might just as well get the Veritas dowel jig and eliminate all the time consuming frigging around. Plus it looks like he's cutting softwood dowels. ;D

You should take up weaving, you'll find all kinds of things that need building from dowels. I've paid for my jig 4 times over by now.  An 8' x 1" diameter hardwood dowel will be $12 easy at a home improvement store. From $0.50 worth of wood. : Plus your own will be truly round if using dry wood. If you use green your going to make some nice oval ended dowels. :D

2" stuff I just turn of the lathe, and that requires stock at least 1/8" thicker. ;)

[barbender]

DDDfarmer, how do you make them on a table saw?