Now, flip it around and do it again. We may not use it at all, but do
it anyway... if we cut some large diameter dowels, we'll need it.
Ever use cut dowels for dowel joinery? Ever use them to make your own buttons or plugs to cover screw holes? Ever needed to cut a bunch of dowels to the same length in hurry? Well, fret no more! Here's a couple of jigs that will get you goin'.
Now, if you only need a couple of dowels cut, or if you're one of those neanderthal purists, and you're willing to settle for just a few sizes of dowel, then ShopNotes Magazine has a great little dowel cutting jig for you. Fact is, it's a great little jig and I built one of these little babies myself.
On the other hand, if you need one that will cut dowels of virtually any size and length, and cut a bunch of them in a hurry, then you may want to try out this alternative. It's simple, accurate, and easy to build.
The materials for this couldn't be easier. If you have a piece of scrap " plywood about 12"x4", a carraige bolt, washer, and wing nut, you're in.
| Item | Qty | Component | L | W | D | Material | Notes |
| A | 1 | Clamp board | 12" | 4" | "" | Plywood | Birch or cabinet grade scrap |
| B | 1 | Carraige bolt | 2" | " | 20 threads/inch | ||
| C | 1 | Fender washers | " | ||||
| D | 1 | Wing nuts | " |
This is just a 12"x4" scrap piece of " plywood. Start by chucking a " v-groove bit in the router table and setting the fence roughly 1" from the bit. Route a v-groove about " deep into the plywood.
Now, flip it around and do it again. We may not use it at all, but do
it anyway... if we cut some large diameter dowels, we'll need it.
Take it over to the miter saw and cut about a third of it (approximately 4") off square. Lay a little double sided carpet tape on the long piece and flush up three of the sides. Press them together tightly and head over to the drill press.
Chuck a Forstner bit and drill a shallow clearance hole for the carraige bolt on the back side of the longer piece of plywood. Now, chuck a " bit and drill all the way through. I offset the hole towards the opposite corner from where the cut dowel pieces will feed out. Offsetting it like this, I can "tension" the pressure on the dowel. I like it so that I can push the dowel through with a little resistance. That way, I can move the dowel, but still be sure that it'll stay in the jig.
Pry the two pieces apart and discard the carpet tape. Do the final assembly by tapping the carraige bolt into the recess. Align the two pieces, and slip the fender washer and wing nut on.
Using the jig is pretty straight forward. Loosen up the wing nut and
slip some dowel stock into the bottom v-groove. "Tension" up the wing
nut. Set your miter guage in your table saw and measure out how long you
want the dowels to be... make sure you add the width of your blade to it.
For example, if you want the dowels to be 1" and
you have a " blade, you'll want to offset the
jig 1" from the edge of the miter guage.
Clamp the jig to the miter guage, raise the blade, and start cutting. Cut one or cut a hundred. It's quick and easy.
Hope this idea works for ya...