Cheap dies for Wood dowels.

[LCHIEN]

You could spend $50 for a Lie-Nielsen dowel plate for cutting dowels, but that seems a bit stiff.

You see, sometime you buy cheap wood dowels at the hardware or craft store and they sometimes come in way oversize making them a pain in the ass to use.

The cheap way to fix them is with a drill gauge. A metal one is needed, not the plastic ones you get from the handyman CLub of America for "evaluation". A metal one like this from Peachtree, I think they gave these away at the WOodworking shows one year. If you have to buy one, it costs $3.99

ANyway, being metal, the holes are reasonably accurate, just drive you oversized wood dowel thru the right hole. Preferably from the rear since the holes, if punched will be sharper edged in the back. The holes in mine were actually a bit undersized by ~.005. I suspect the paint causes this. A little work with a reamer or a accurate bit will make them even more accurate.

You can known down .001 to .020" oversized dowels in a hurry this way, the steel hole just shaves off the dowel.

It works! And saves $45.

[LinuxRandal]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwDjedeJCZ0

We don't need no stinking dowel plate (say it like we don't need no stinking badges).

[cabinetman]

For the money it's worth a try if the oversized dowel isn't too much oversized. The template isn't designed as a cutting type die. If you had many to do, and depending on the species of wood, it's likely the hole would get dull pretty quick.

.

[Stytooner]

I say stick them in the freezer.

Maybe wallow the hole a bit.
I just don't recall ever having this issue with wooden dowels, however the freezer trick is for steel dowel pins. This allows them to drop right in the hole usually. No chance of mushrooming the head by tapping on it.

I have used a similar technique for making my own dowels. I didn't use a drill gauge, but a piece of steel. Leave the burr on.
Drive a square peg through the hole and it will shave the corners off making a nice round dowel.

[tommyt654]

I always just find a bit closest in size and hammer them in with some glue,never really had a sizing problem as I have a large amount of drill bits in varying sizes and a little sanding goes a long way, but I like the sizeing die idea put forth by Loring as well as Lee's freezer aspect just in caseThanks guys