Revised toy dog prototype.

[jeffinsgf]

I was all excited to send you a link to Baird Brothers here in Ohio. They make extremely high quality dowel in a wide range of species. Checked out the site and 5/16" is the smallest they make.  [crying]

All I know is you don't want dowel from a big box. It's not round and it is invariably way under-sized.

 

[Packard]

I was all excited to send you a link to Baird Brothers here in Ohio. They make extremely high quality dowel in a wide range of species. Checked out the site and 5/16" is the smallest they make.  [crying]

All I know is you don't want dowel from a big box. It's not round and it is invariably way under-sized.

Some were oversized.  Some undersized.  The wheel holes were exactly 0.250”.  If the dowel is exactly 0.250”, it will squeegee off all the glue.  I got a letter size drill bit to ream out the wheel holes.  It is an “F”  (.257”).  But even drilled, out some of the dowels would not fit.  So I test before I buy.

I did end up making a jig to safely cut the very short lengths.  For some of the toys it was 3/8” diameter by 1/2”, not something that standard cross cutting jigs can handle.  But once the dedicated jig was made, it allowed for quick, safe and tear-out free cuts. 

Making jigs only makes sense if you are making several of the same design.  Though the dowel jig would have been a “must” for safety reasons.