center drilling dowels

[Cooler]

I want to center drill some 1¼" diameter dowels so that I can insert some wood screw dowels:

http://www.questhardware.co.uk/media/cat.../x/s/xscn31.jpg

A lathe would make quick work of this but I don't have one.

Any suggestions? I have about 12 pieces to add these screws to.

[chips ahoy]

Check for a local turning club in your area. Attend a meeting, there is no charge, I am sure one of the members would be happy to help you out. How long are the pieces?

Mel

[ianab]

Drill press?

Swivel the table to the side and clamp a scrap of 4x2 under the chuck. Drill a 1 1/4" hole in 4x2 and use that to hold the dowels. Then you will be drilling in the centre of each one. You don't say how long the pieces are, but assuming they would fit on a lathe you should be able to inset them from below and wedge them in place with another chunk of wood and a clamp?

[Cecil]

I would glue together a couple of pieces of 6/4 lumber. I would drill a 1 1/4" hole 1/2 way through, using a drill press. I would finish drilling using the pilot bit (1/8"?). Slip this piece over the dowel. You now have a guide that will keep your bit square and the hole centered. Just use your cordless drill.

If the only 1 1/4 in drill you have is a hole saw, drill that hole before gluing the blocks together. After gluing, slip the hole saw in the hole just to mark the center for the pilot bit, for drilling through the second block.

I hope this is helpful.

[Cooler]

I should have mentioned the lengths.

I saw this in a magazine. The dowels were mounted on a wall and served variously as coat hooks, shelf brackets, picture frame brackets, etc.

The dowels are stained and finished oak, and the ends are painted in a color to match the color of the accent wall.

For my application that would mean 3", 4" or 5" and 8".

For the coat hooks I will mound a wood ball at the end, so I will need to mount the screw dowel at both ends for that one. I may use the wood dowels for all the applications. I am undecided at this point.

Drilling a hole in a 2" x 4" to center the piece and then hold the dowels probably will work. I am not certain because when I loosen the table on my drill press it allows it to rotate on the shaft as well as go up and down. There is a hole in the middle of the table. I will have to measure it but I am fairly certain that it is less than 1.25".

If I use the ball on the end of all the pieces then I can get away with a smaller dowel and maybe that will fit in the hole at the center of the drill press table.

[Routerman]

Maybe square tubing, Wood or aluminum with inside dimensions of 1.25" square.
In the end, a plug with a centered bushing.
Put this sleeve on the work, clamp & drill x hand drill.

[Cooler]

Routerman said:

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Maybe square tubing, Wood or aluminum with inside dimensions of 1.25" square.
In the end, a plug with a centered bushing.
Put this sleeve on the work, clamp & drill x hand drill.

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I think you gave me the answer (indirectly).

So I take a piece of square stock that is 1.25" square (the same as the dowel's diameter). I mark an X from corner to corner. That will give me the center of the square stock.

I drill a 1/4" diameter hole at the center of the square stock and put a dowel center finder in the hole.

I align the sides of the square with the edges of the round and tap. I have the center located.

I drill a 1.25" hole in a 2" x 4" to hold the piece vertical and drill the pilot hole in the drill press for the screw dowel.

[JGrout]

using a drill press there is a fixture in the June/July 2015 issue of Woodsmith in the tips section that would work very well for you.

Joe

[Cooler]

JGrout said:

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using a drill press there is a fixture in the June/July 2015 issue of Woodsmith in the tips section that would work very well for you.

Joe

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Thanks, I'll check that out.

[Cecil]

If you just want to find the center, that is easy


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Great tools to have in your shop. Just go to Amazon and search for "Circle Center Finder" I have the plastic one.