Cedar Dowels

[ejs1097]

I'm building a bunch of bird houses for a "workshop party" for my 3 yo and some of his friends. The birdhouse has a front porch that I currently have the prototype supported with 3/8" square posts to hold the roof up. The roof is 5/8 bevel siding and is pretty thin on the outside edge (and inside edge for that matter).

To fasten the the posts I was going to use a 1/4" dowel as pegs fitting into holes into the roof and post and post and floor. An easier method would be to build the posts out of 3/8" dowel and simply insert it into holes in the roof and floor.

I can't seem to find cedar dowels anywhere. Anyone know where I can find some or make my own (without a lathe)? I have a router and router table but I'm not sure of trick to make a dowel out of a square (of octagon) stick.

[JR]

How about using a plug cutter? Drive it in the end of the board to get long grain and you'd be in business.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11486

JR

[ironace]

From this months American Woodworker:




Scanner is not working..... had to use my camera..... I have a two bigger pictures just let me know if you want them and where to send them.

[Russianwolf]

check Lee Valley also, I know I saw something in there catalog that would fit the bill of making them, without using a hammer.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,180,42288

The other way, if you have a router table. Chuck in your round over bit and you can take a square to a dowel in 4 passes. Just be sure to leave and inch or so square at the ends to keep it stable on the last cut.

[ejs1097]

thanks for the quick responces. I saw the dowel maker at woodcraft but wasn't paying $45 to make a few birdhouses.

Good idea using a roundover bit, I think I'll give that a try.

Thank again.

[Wood_workur]

There is another method of using a router, like to super-expensivce tonnon cutter at rockler, that uses a router. Just use a block of wood, make the infeed hole the diagonal of you stock in diameter, the out feed hole just a hare (1/32) larger than your dowel. Now cut a hold for the router bit (1/2" core box) that intersect with the other holes. Then set your bit flush or up to 1/128" higher than the bottom of the out feed hole, and put the blank in the end of a drill, whittleing the blank down to fit, and turn the router on, and feed the stock throught the jig with the drill running at max speed. Also, make sure you have the drill turning against the rotation of the router.

[LCHIEN]

saw this today - Easy dowel making:


http://www.routerworkshop.com/easydl.html

[Ken Massingale]

saw this today - Easy dowel making:


http://www.routerworkshop.com/easydl.html

That's the best solution I have seen, Loring. Thanks for posting it.
Ken

[Derrick]

I know where to find some but they ain't cheap. Probably better to make you own. There is a rather large market for cedar dowels in the arrow making industry. You can google cedar arrow shafts and find quite a few suppliers but for $170 per hundred I would use the Borg Dowels. You could always try the local archery range for the broken ones.

[just4funsies]

I have one of these sets, also from Lee Valley:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,180,42288

It's pricey for an occasional user, but I make a lot of martial arts training weapons, up to and greater than 1" diameter, and this thing works like a champ once you get it dialed in right.