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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    western kansas
    Posts
    3

    Default help rounding dowel end

    I am looking for any suggestions that will help me with a production problem. I need to dome and 3/8" dowel. Pofile is not real improtant but needs to be semetrical. A pencil sharpener is too angular. I need to do this operation thousands of times.

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    Melbourne S.E Burbs
    Posts
    476

    Default

    For something that needs to be done thousands of times, the first thing I'd say is sub it out to a CNC operator.

    If I was doing it myself in smaller quantities, I'd look at making some sort of jig that presented the piece of dowel at a compound angle to a roundover bit in a router table. Something like a wooden block with a hole drilled in it (slightly larger than 3/8"), with the hole pointing downwards towards the bit. Feed the dowel in, and spin it like sharpening a pencil. The combination of the bit's radius and the compound angle of presentation will give you the dome profile. You'd need to make sure that the dowel is stopped in some way so that it's height relative to the bit doesn't change whilst you're rotating it during the cut. Maybe you could use a roundover bit with bearing on top, and butt the shoulder of the dowel against the bearing.

    You could also try a similar jig to feed the dowel into a 3/8th bullnose bit. Perhaps dowel rotation could be done with a hand drill, and production could be handled by two guys, one feeding the dowel in, one cutting the end off the dowel as it's completed, ready for the other guy to keep feeding the dowel into the jig.

    Sounds impractical from a labour cost perspective, CNC's looking better and better.......

    Given that you're in Kansas, if you haven't already done so try putting your question in one of the forums on woodweb.com. Somebody a bit closer to you might be able to help you out.

    Cheers,


    Justin.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
    Posts
    161

    Default

    hi dave,
    2 ways i can think of is
    1/ put each piece in drill press and round over with afile ,then sand smooth.
    2/ put each piece in a battery drill ,hold up to a disk sander and round over.
    this one is probably the easiest and will get a better round over.
    not my idea of a fun weekend but each to thier own.
    seeyasoon mik.

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Gloucester UK
    Posts
    183

    Default

    Similar suggestion to Mikmaz1.
    If you haven't got a drill press you can hold the dowels gently in a hand drill, preferably in a bench mounted drill holder & file then sand.
    I've used this method when the size dowel I needed was out of stock so bought the next size up & sanded to size needed & champhered the ends at same time.
    Dewy

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Australia and France
    Posts
    8,175

    Default

    Or you could make something similar to this. (I'd suggest you buy one, but 13mm is half and inch so the smallest is probably too big for you).

    This is a page fromCarbatec's catatlogue, so don't forget to tell 'em we sent you!

    Cheers,

    P

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    western kansas
    Posts
    3

    Default

    Thanks for all your info. I did not realize this was a down under site when I posted the first thread. So what, we all have the same problems.

    Bitingmidge has the answer to my problem but I need one of them that will chuck into a drill. Ya know , power. Is there anything like that?
    Dave

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Australia and France
    Posts
    8,175

    Default

    I guess I'd drop the dowel into the drill!!

    I think you're off on a jig building trip!

    Cheers,

    P

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Brisbane, QLD, Australia
    Age
    46
    Posts
    2,115

    Default

    This might be the answer to your problem?
    http://www.binkyswoodworking.com/PegTip.htm
    How much wood could the woodchuck chuck if the woodchuck could chuck wood?

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    western kansas
    Posts
    3

    Default

    Dean I want to thank you for the information. I am working on something similar right now but it is nice to have another look at accomlishing the same thing a different way in case the firs thing does not work well.

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    1

    Smile

    I found the End Rounder in the US....it's called a dowel baller and you can find it at Dowel Baller Set | Doweling & Wood Threading
    Highland wood working online site. 24.99.
    I'm very excited to find this...I've been looking online for a end rounder and only found it at the Carba-tec site and shipping from there is outrageous.

    I hope this helps you as it did me!
    Janet

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Victoria
    Posts
    345

    Default

    I've done this many times before. A simple jig on the router table with a round over bit works well. Just shove the dowel in, spin it by hand a few times and it's a perfect dome.
    With all the dowels stacked close, once I get a bit of a rhythm going, I can do about 1 every 2 seconds.

  13. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Queensland
    Posts
    2,947

    Default

    Possibly a little late but for future reference - This is a jig which I have made from Wood magazine as it was an improvement on my own jig. It also allows the use of multiple sizes and takes about 10 minutes to put together.

    Dowel Chamfering Jig

    Hope it helps,
    Bob

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Munruben, Qld
    Age
    83
    Posts
    10,027

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob38S View Post
    Possibly a little late but for future reference - This is a jig which I have made from Wood magazine as it was an improvement on my own jig. It also allows the use of multiple sizes and takes about 10 minutes to put together.

    Dowel Chamfering Jig

    Hope it helps,
    Bob
    Thanks for that Bob. simple idea but looks effective. Another good jig to make.
    Reality is no background music.
    Cheers John

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