Popular Post shaneymack Posted June 8, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted June 8, 2016 A couple weeks back there was some interest in this thing and I had one in the mail at that time so I figured Id post my thoughts for you guys. I got the master kit; http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=42331&cat=1,180,42288 Here is what I received; Main body The kit I mounted the body on a piece of plywood so I could simply clamp it anywhere on my bench. I made some v blocks to help guide the dowel as it exits the body. It is pretty simply to setup and micro adjust to the size you need within a couple thousandths of an inch. It comes with the blade projection set and blades zeroed out but i re did it all to see what it was like. It is very simple to set up. There is a little magnetic jig that comes in the kit to set the projection. This is what you insert into the front of the body for the appropriate size dowel. This needs to be done with the blades out. Once you have the size dialed in, this goes into the back of the body. Again each size dowel has it's matching part. The kit comes with a 3/8" socket adapter and sockets for each rough size square stock. For 1/4" dowel, you start with 3/8" × 3/8" stock There is a chart on the body that tells you how many turns of the dial you need for each size dowel. This gets you in the ball park and then you dial it in. I set it as per the chart and was at .236" and i needed .250". Pretty darn good. So after a couple tests i managed to get it where i wanted it. I ran a full piece My caliper battery is dying so its kinda hard to see but that reads EXACTLY .250". This this is ridiculously accurate. The finish off the dowel maker is pretty awesome So i did some walnut and cherry, now it was time for some hard maple. I got my oldest to film a quick video of this thing in action Here is the result. I measured the first third Second third And the bottom third So i am blown away by this thing. It is simple to make very accurate dowel within a couple thou. It's a pricey unit and was a hard one to swallow but now that I have played with it a bit I can understand the price. Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk A couple things i just remembered; The 1/4" dowel really wants to whip around and i didnt think those v blocks did a good enough job at keeping them straight. In the video you see me guiding it with my hand, this is why. Those v blocks would probably be okay for bigger dowel by 1/4" is too small. I will come up with another solution. This thing really spits out A LOT of chips. As you can see, i set up my vac hose at the chip ejection area. This really helped keep things tidy. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted June 8, 2016 Report Share Posted June 8, 2016 Nice kit. Happy dowelling! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtnwoodworker Posted June 8, 2016 Report Share Posted June 8, 2016 Thanks for the review Shane. It does look like it would be easy to dial in the exact size dowel you need. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JosephThomas Posted June 8, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted June 8, 2016 Nice. When I need some custom dowels, I'm just gonna have you make 'em for me. Will pay in the form of systainer air fresheners. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted June 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2016 Nice. When I need some custom dowels, I'm just gonna have you make 'em for me. Will pay in the form of systainer air fresheners. You sir have got yourself a deal !! Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack English machine Posted June 8, 2016 Report Share Posted June 8, 2016 Looks like a very nicely made tool . Seen very old versions of these Made of wood that there were quite accurate but none with a two blade system. Rake makers tooling has a lot a little neat things like that one has but we're probably not as accurate as the LV tool . One thing I can't help but notice is the dowel appears to be burnished ? I wonder if one of the knives is compressing the fibres and therefore may cause problems actually using the Dowling in a drill holes because it will swell from the glueing . Is the back of the cutter perfectly flat? Jack English machines Who thinks it's dangerous to walk into any Leevalley store for no particular reason . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted June 8, 2016 Report Share Posted June 8, 2016 Thanks, Shane. Killer review! Still waiting to pull the plug on one of these. It's in my near future. I'll also be interested to hear what you come up with to support the 1/4" dowels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted June 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2016 Looks like a very nicely made tool . Seen very old versions of these Made of wood that there were quite accurate but none with a two blade system. Rake makers tooling has a lot a little neat things like that one has but we're probably not as accurate as the LV tool . One thing I can't help but notice is the dowel appears to be burnished ? I wonder if one of the knives is compressing the fibres and therefore may cause problems actually using the Dowling in a drill holes because it will swell from the glueing . Is the back of the cutter perfectly flat? Jack English machines Who thinks it's dangerous to walk into any Leevalley store for no particular reason . I think I know what happened. When i was dialing in the size to .250", i over shot by a bit. I was getting .254". The ring at the back of the body seems to have a hole that is for a maximum of .250"-.251" ish. So when the slightly oversized dowel passed through that ring at the back it was too tight which led to the slight compression of the fibers. I actually had to tap the dowel back out with the mallet. I backed the rear finishing blade off a hair and tried again. The last few pieces of maple I did are .247"- .249" which seems to be just perfect. Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted June 8, 2016 Report Share Posted June 8, 2016 Shane do the instructions tell you to pull it back? There seemed to be chatter that can cause tear out there. I would think pulling it all the way through would be better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted June 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2016 Shane do the instructions tell you to pull it back? There seemed to be chatter that can cause tear out there. I would think pulling it all the way through would be better? It's impossible to push it all the way through. There is a big chunk of 3/8" × 3/8" still in the drill. The only way out is back. Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye Posted June 8, 2016 Report Share Posted June 8, 2016 Shane, nice review. Instead of the v block, couldn't you attach 2 blocks to a scrap of plywood, drill a 3/8 or 1/2 hole in the blocks, to act like a steady rest on a lathe. Or the other thought doesn't a hunting bow have something similar to hold the shaft of the arrow. Random thought, between the dowel making kit and the drill being used, them some pricey dowels! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack English machine Posted June 8, 2016 Report Share Posted June 8, 2016 So I guess Leavalley sized the bushing and I guess that could be it and advantage if you did compressed some your Dowels for some applications . Could you not just Chuck the rounded end into the drill and pull it through to finish ? It sure looks like a fun way to make square things around and of course you have all the choices of wood you want . Thanks for taking time to share 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted June 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2016 1 hour ago, Woodenskye said: Shane, nice review. Instead of the v block, couldn't you attach 2 blocks to a scrap of plywood, drill a 3/8 or 1/2 hole in the blocks, to act like a steady rest on a lathe. Or the other thought doesn't a hunting bow have something similar to hold the shaft of the arrow. Random thought, between the dowel making kit and the drill being used, them some pricey dowels! Thanks Bryan. I will have to try something like that out. I was thinking it will have to be something enclosed to avoid the whipping effect that im getting. About the drill being used, the pdc18 on high speed (speed 4 ) is actually faster than an impact driver which is good for this application. You want high speed spinning of the dowel and low feed rate. 58 minutes ago, jack English machine said: So I guess Leavalley sized the bushing and I guess that could be it and advantage if you did compressed some your Dowels for some applications . Could you not just Chuck the rounded end into the drill and pull it through to finish ? It sure looks like a fun way to make square things around and of course you have all the choices of wood you want . Thanks for taking time to share Jack, that is a good point. I will try that out and report back. I dont remember seeing anything about this in the instructions, so I didnt give it much thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted June 9, 2016 Report Share Posted June 9, 2016 I was super interested until I looked at the pricing. I was expecting half that! I mean, still interested. Just can't justify something like that yet with so many other things in need. Seems amazing though. I swear sometimes I think I should just move the entire woodworking section of LV into my wishlist. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Eric. Posted June 9, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted June 9, 2016 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted June 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2016 I was super interested until I looked at the pricing. I was expecting half that! I mean, still interested. Just can't justify something like that yet with so many other things in need. Seems amazing though. I swear sometimes I think I should just move the entire woodworking section of LV into my wishlist. Totally hear you, Cliff, It comes with a pretty hefty price tag. It is very well made and will last my life. Tools are pretty much the only thing i really spend big bucks on, i wear cheap t shirts and jeans from costco =) Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted June 9, 2016 Report Share Posted June 9, 2016 Thanks Shaneyack!! This is definitely a quicker fine adjustment then what I have now. It has been added to my tool wish list 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted June 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2016 So just a quick update. I tried pulling the dowel completley through by chucking it up at the opposite side as recommended by jack. It worked so-so. 50% of the time it made it through all the way and 50% of the time it snapped. It would probably be fine with dowel that was a bit bigger. Could have been my technique as well, maybe i wasn't perfectly square to the body. Either way, for 1/4" dowel, I will just back it out to not risk breaking it in the future. Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted June 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 No way that was a tangent ... pretty much full-on perpendicular. I learnt two things from this thread: 1) The Veritas dowel maker is pretty cool, but unless I'm looking for ebony/kingwood dowels I'll probably choke at the price. 2) That some old comic books cost twice as much as a Veritas dowel maker - and I thought woodwork was an expensive hobby! Funny you say that, I have some ebony amd kingwood on hand. Maybe i make a few dowels! Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted June 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 Maybe make some dowels inside of dowels inside of dowels? You can adjust the thickness and they'd look like a cool inlay. Or maybe that's dumb. You just blew my mind with this. Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye Posted June 11, 2016 Report Share Posted June 11, 2016 1 hour ago, Iceballs Burnham said: Maybe make some dowels inside of dowels inside of dowels? You can adjust the thickness and they'd look like a cool inlay. Or maybe that's dumb. Deep Thoughts by Iceballs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted June 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2016 Yeah, sounds dumb. I was talking about something like this but just circles. It could be a cool thing for those sweet boxes you make. http://www.davidreedsmith.com/articles/squareincircle/Fig43BowlExample.JPG https://img0.etsystatic.com/057/0/9497460/il_570xN.740634936_15g1.jpg No I didn't mean it sounded dumb. I mean someone as un artisitc as myself could not imagine what you were saying. You lost me Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 On June 10, 2016 at 7:03 PM, Iceballs Burnham said: Yeah, sounds dumb. I was talking about something like this but just circles. It could be a cool thing for those sweet boxes you make. http://www.davidreedsmith.com/articles/squareincircle/Fig43BowlExample.JPG https://img0.etsystatic.com/057/0/9497460/il_570xN.740634936_15g1.jpg How did they get the square one in the round one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted June 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 6 minutes ago, K Cooper said: How did they get the square one in the round one? i would take a 1/4" x 1/4" piece and glue 1/4" stock on all 4 sides then turn it on the lathe or pass it through the dowel maker. Then cut pieces off the end like peperoni like in the photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 That makes sense. I thought surely they didn't use the Veritas square hole punch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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