Muttley000
Member
What - non Festool - tool / workshop related gizmo/stuff did you buy today?
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2010
- Messages
- 1,042
[member=76927]Muttley000[/member] Nice! I've always wanted one but never pulled the trigger. I have made my own from angle iron, or shaved it close and pounded it through a drill index backed up with a wooden block on past occasions.
Packard
Member
I’ve never felt the urge to make my own dowels, though dowel fastening is my joinery method of choice.
In what situation does it make sense to make your own? Purchased dowels are cheap.
In what situation does it make sense to make your own? Purchased dowels are cheap.
4nthony
Member
Muttley000 said:
I've seen people drill various holes into some 1/8" steel L-bar and make dowels.
I wonder what the difference in finish quality is like?
I've never tried it and like [member=74278]Packard[/member] haven't had the need to make my own, but I could see it being useful if I need dowels in a specific type of wood.
luvmytoolz
Member
Packard said:
An immediate application, and one I have right now, is for drawbored mortises on a breadboard end, to match the timber used.
Cheese
Member
I needed teak dowels for teak furniture. Luckily I found some teak dowels, otherwise I’d be making my own.
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2010
- Messages
- 1,042
When I make my own dowels, they are not for joinery applications. Drawboring tenons is probably the most common application for shopmade dowels, and I can't think of any others.
luvmytoolz
Member
Cheese
Member
luvmytoolz
Member
Cheese said:
I looked at the metric one from Lie Nielsen, but like all import stuff in OZ they're hideously expensive, nearly $200. The one I got from from McJing (who are a fantastic local supplier) was around $85 from memory and identical to the L/N one.
Cheese
Member
luvmytoolz said:
Gotcha, forgot about the Oz issue, [tongue] they're only $100 in the states.
Muttley000
Member
Packard said:
Customer requests a small scale railing on the fronts of some shelves with 5/16 dowels all stained to match the hickory that was used to trim the space.
There're several other well-known ways to make custom size dowels, including on the table saw, using a lathe (or a drill press), a router and a steel sheet drilled with the desired hole. The lathe is the most common way used by furniture restorers.
The trick to using a plate (shop made or commercial) is to start with a straight-grained wood close to the size of the dowel hole, and taper the entry end first. Make the dowel longer and then trim the bruised ends with a fine-toothed saw.
The trick to using a plate (shop made or commercial) is to start with a straight-grained wood close to the size of the dowel hole, and taper the entry end first. Make the dowel longer and then trim the bruised ends with a fine-toothed saw.
woodbutcherbower
Member
1 - A pair of new DeWalt Bolster safety boots. My fifth pair, each lasting me around a year both onsite and in the shop before I wear right through the soles. Super-comfortable right out of the box, unlike all the others I ever tried.
2 - A subcompact Milwaukee 12v combi drill for my girlfriend. She's just bought her first house and she's very hands-on. I'm gradually gifting her all the DIY-level tools she's going to need. It's strangely satisfying to have been referred to as a 'power tool nerd' for many years - only to then catch her secretly compiling her own power tool wishlist ......
3 - A CNC-cut plywood handtools tote with 2 x drawers which fits inside a spare Sys4 T-Loc I had hanging around. My historical handtool storage (excepting expensive stuff like chisels, squares, block planes etc. etc.) has previously been embarrassingly chaotic, with everything just dumped into a Sys3.
4 - A nice warm Hilti-branded beanie hat. It's getting cold.
5 - A bigger (1.5-litre) Stanley flask for coffee. It's getting really cold.
6 - Two 5-packs of Wera Impaktor PZ2 bits, plus one 5-pack of PZ3's.
7 - Four new Goodyear Eagle F1 235/45ZR18 101W tyres for the van - plus four replacement sets of discs/pads, plus a replacement set of rear bump stops, plus a new passenger-side door mirror glass, plus my regular 6000-mile oil and filter change, plus the annual MOT test (the UK equivalent of DOT I guess). Ouch. And you thought that Festools were expensive ???
And finally ......
5 A Mafell LS103EC chain mortiser to replace my ancient old Makita. Something I've been Jonesing after since forever, but never being able to justify. But now - three big oak framing jobs booked in for January/February/March, so it will pay for itself quickly. An absolute beast of a machine.
Kevin
2 - A subcompact Milwaukee 12v combi drill for my girlfriend. She's just bought her first house and she's very hands-on. I'm gradually gifting her all the DIY-level tools she's going to need. It's strangely satisfying to have been referred to as a 'power tool nerd' for many years - only to then catch her secretly compiling her own power tool wishlist ......
3 - A CNC-cut plywood handtools tote with 2 x drawers which fits inside a spare Sys4 T-Loc I had hanging around. My historical handtool storage (excepting expensive stuff like chisels, squares, block planes etc. etc.) has previously been embarrassingly chaotic, with everything just dumped into a Sys3.
4 - A nice warm Hilti-branded beanie hat. It's getting cold.
5 - A bigger (1.5-litre) Stanley flask for coffee. It's getting really cold.
6 - Two 5-packs of Wera Impaktor PZ2 bits, plus one 5-pack of PZ3's.
7 - Four new Goodyear Eagle F1 235/45ZR18 101W tyres for the van - plus four replacement sets of discs/pads, plus a replacement set of rear bump stops, plus a new passenger-side door mirror glass, plus my regular 6000-mile oil and filter change, plus the annual MOT test (the UK equivalent of DOT I guess). Ouch. And you thought that Festools were expensive ???
And finally ......
5 A Mafell LS103EC chain mortiser to replace my ancient old Makita. Something I've been Jonesing after since forever, but never being able to justify. But now - three big oak framing jobs booked in for January/February/March, so it will pay for itself quickly. An absolute beast of a machine.
Kevin
Crazyraceguy
Member
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2015
- Messages
- 4,954
The TSO MFT square kit showed up a day earlier than predicted, but too late in the day to mess with it yesterday. I got the Systainer too, because why not? It already comes in the foam insert.
Seems like a missed opportunity with the branding logo though? It's upside-down when inserted.
Seems like a missed opportunity with the branding logo though? It's upside-down when inserted.
Attachments
Cheese
Member
Crazyraceguy said:
I agree...that's surprising because they're usually really good with the details.
MikeGE
Member
Whoever laid out the insert likely didn't pay attention to the logo.Crazyraceguy said:
Crazyraceguy
Member
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2015
- Messages
- 4,954
I did get a few minutes to fiddle with it this morning. When I put the dogs into the pivot and the pointer slot, attach the pointer and then drop another dog in each of the far corners.....they slide in like warm butter. Impressive, it was dead-on 45 degrees at the tip too.
I think it says as much about the Parf-guide system too. I tried this same procedure in four different areas of the table with the same results in each one. I also discovered that when something fits this well, with this many points of restraint, it is a bit difficult to pick it up. It is so flat that it is hard to get your fingers underneath. I solved that by screwing a couple of the Festool knobs from the clamping elements into the TSO dogs and it slipped right out as a unit.
I think it says as much about the Parf-guide system too. I tried this same procedure in four different areas of the table with the same results in each one. I also discovered that when something fits this well, with this many points of restraint, it is a bit difficult to pick it up. It is so flat that it is hard to get your fingers underneath. I solved that by screwing a couple of the Festool knobs from the clamping elements into the TSO dogs and it slipped right out as a unit.
