Round nose on 1/4” dowels, is there a “pencil-sharpener-like” machine to do this

[Packard]

I don’t have a lathe, and I do not plan on getting one.  I do need to put a round nose on the ends of 1/4” diameter dowels.  Is there a mechanism similar to a pencil sharpener that will accomplish this?

Or can someone tell me what google search term I should use to search for this?

 

[rvieceli]

[member=74278]Packard[/member] do you just need to round off the end do they are easier to insert? Or will you be needing a crisp, repeatable round nose that will be exposed?

If the former, clamp a sander to your bench and hold them at an angle and round off

If the latter, if you have a router table with a fence then chuck an appropriate round over bit. Adjust the fence to get the round you need, slide the dowel against the fence and advance to the bit and spin the dowel.

Keep the dowel long to get you fingers out by of the way. 1/4 inch dowels may be too skinny for the latter method though.

Ron

 

[Michael Kellough]

Chuck the dowel in a drill and apply a file?

If the dowels are very long, drill a hole in something and stick the floppy end through the hole. The best thing would be low density polyethylene.

 

[six-point socket II]

Dowel pointer. (https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/chamfer-large-diameter-dowels/ )

For example:https://www.fine-tools.com/duebelmarkierer.html (scroll down to last product.)

The small one would work with 1/4" / 6mm.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[Scott in San Diego]

Amazon has "wooden toy axle pegs" with a rounded head or just a rounded hubcap to use with your own 1/4" dowel. Craft stores generally have some selection available.

 

[Packard]

I do want it for a toy axle.  But I want a live axle, that is the dowel will be glued to both wheels, and the axle will spin in the body of the toy.

So, I don’t want a head on a pin.  I want a small hub that I can paint a contrasting color.

The dowel will be 1/4” x 2”, approximately. 

I think I will end up chucking them in my drill press and touching the tips with some sandpaper.

 

[Scott in San Diego]

hubcaps;
https://www.amazon.com/Pinehurst-Cr.../ref=sr_1_1?crid=21XHA3O90GJ6W&keywords=round+end+wooden+axle&qid=1703282675&sprefix=round+end+wooden+axle%2Caps%2C167&sr=8-1

 

[jeffinsgf]

Why not use a pencil sharpener? One that would fit big fat kindergarten pencils would likely do anything from 1/2" to 1/4".

 

[Packard]

The pencil sharpener will put a chamfer on the dowels.  I may still do that and then sand the ends to a more rounded shape.

When I first started woodworking 20 years ago, I made several toys.  I just sketched the shape on the stock and picked up a jigsaw and started.

Nowadays, I spend an hour or two sketching on paper. Then I make a full sized mock up in 1/4” plywood, cut it out, make adjustments, then finally go to make the toy.

And truth be told, I am not certain that my current designs are any nicer than those early ones.

I made an iron and ironing board for a coworker’s daughter.  Her daughter used it, then her younger sister did, and finally the youngest. 

That coworker told me that the set was in a closet.  Her oldest daughter, now 24, just got engaged.  If she produced a granddaughter for her, she would give that to the baby. And if she didn’t produce a granddaughter, she has two more shots at it with her other girls. 

I doubt that any of these current designs will have that kind of longevity. 

Ah, well—-back to making more sketches, mockups and prototypes.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I'm about to wrap up a pair of wobbling ducks made for my two grand-nephews. I know you're somewhat of a traditionalist on technique, but since you mentioned sketching and inspiration I'll share what I did for the ducks.

I searched the internet for coloring book pages of ducks. Literally thousands came up. Once I settled on one I printed it out and scanned it with the new Shaper Trace. After scanning I had a vector file that I could scale up or down and alter as I chose. From there I used the Origin, but it would be just as simple to print it out, paste it to material, and cut with a band saw, scroll saw or jig saw. Trace is a very cook bit of gear.