What is going on?

I needed ¼-inch round dowels. Easy enough, right? Not really, because the dowels you buy at the home store are not round; they are shaped kinda…like a…well, just not round, but they are more like…well, out of round. Not quite good enough for what I needed. Besides, the dowels I can buy around here are made of about three different species: oak, walnut, and poplar. Another little problem: The dowels available at the home store are usually (OK, nearly always) slightly oversize; this is not good enough for what I needed.

So, the question is: What’s a guy to do? Or what’s a lady to do?

Answer: Make your own, using the same (as in “identical”) wood you use for your project.

If I need a ¼-inch dowel, I start with a long stick (black walnut, in this case) just under 5/16-inch thick. I cut this at the band saw. Then I use an inverted block plane to make it octagon-shaped:

Dowel-1.

The rounded tip of the blank above, and also the octagonal shape created with the block plane, make it simple to insert the tip in a jig. Using a cordless drill I run the blank through a little jig to make a perfectly round dowel — in this case, a ¼-inch dowel:

Dowel 2.

The technique I used available in the Rob Cosman DVD titled “Wood-Hinge Box” – clicking on the link and buying the DVD will help support my work on this blog, as I will get a small commission from my Woodcraft Affiliate.

From time to time, a dowel will break; as a result, it is wise to prepare extra dowels, just in case this happens (normally, about 1 in 5, or 2 in five break):

Dowel 3.

Also covered in the DVD: instructions to build a very simple jig to allow accurate cutting of the dowels, to keep the edges perfectly straight square:

Dowel 4.

An added bonus of this jig is that precise dowel lengths can be cut, to be used later:

Dowel 5.

The result: nice, clean cuts:

Dowel 6.

The following 1-minute and 12-second movie might suggest what this is all about:

I will continue work on this “stealth” project. Shhh — don’t want to give away any secrets.

— Al Navas