I need to acquire a bunch of 1" to 1.25" thick dowels and they need to be
24" in length. I've been buying them from the big box for about $2.50 each.
I feel like I should be able to find them for less. Am I dreaming? Does
anybody have any recommendations for a cheap source of thicker dowels? Any
help is appreciated.

Best,
Dan

Hi,

Whenever I have needed them in quantity I have been forced to make them with a
router jig. The cuts are never smooth like you see at the big box store, perhaps
due to my being in a rush whenever this need occurs and surely for using
inferior materials, but as we say in theatre, they’ll never notice it from the
3rd row!  If you’re doing fine work and have time to spend fettling the
router/jig setup then you can probably do pretty well with a little practice.

John

Dan wrote:
>I need to acquire a bunch of 1" to 1.25" thick dowels and they need to be
24" in length.



A bunch is a rather nonspecific number, but I will suggest that making a dowel
turning setup is not very difficult.

I have a lot of options, as many of us do, but when I need fewer than about half
a dozen in a standard size and material, I big-box it.  For a larger number, of
size and material being non-standard, I make up a cutting setup. A plane iron, a
larger block with a hole, and a bit of fiddling, and a respectable dowel turning
setup in in hand. I have done this maybe once a year over the last couple
decades, and, with a little fiddling, have had good success.

There are a number of videos on line showing the general technique (Matthias
Wandel has one I think), but I first saw it back in the 1980's in either an ICS
or and Audels book. Think pencil sharpener.


I start with square stock, take the corners down with a #4 or a block plane, and
run them round. Fast, Easy. Can be pretty precise with a bit of work, usually
leaves a little helical surface finish. Turn the stock with a mechanical device
or with a hand crank or a barn auger handle or whatever.


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Mass producing dowels?  chunky ones. 

Well, there’s a pole lathe - rough split blanks and turn them.  Best using green
wood, but other power sources will spin up anything.

You could split the blanks roughly to round, run a drawknife over them (as for a
pole lathe but closer to size)  and then pass them through a dowel plate.

Dowel plate? - make up two or three holes, creeping up on the final size, using
a ‘rough’ size first lets you keep the final size one true, nad some wear and
sharpening of a rough size one doesn’t matter too much.

Already heard about using a rout*r  in a jig, and 
making and using a rounder - maybe in conjunction with something to rotate a
square blank, as in making chair spindles.

That’s probably all the choices covered, apart from whittling - though that’s
essentailly what you’re doing with the drawknife.

You don’t mention the material - is this oak, or softwood?   It may guide the
choice.


The first half dozen are fun.  The last one is enjoyable.  In between just turn
up the music and zone out.


Richard Wilson
Baking bread and teaching the apprentice in Northumberland

In that size, you might want to look at shovel handles-typically made of ash

 

Eric

Eric wrote:

> In that size, you might want to look at shovel handles-typically made of ash


Interesting thought. Not one I had considered, surprisingly since I go through a
good number of yard sale baseball bats every year.


I just checked the several shovel handles I have on hand, each attached to a
blade of some form and vintage, and all were of sufficient size to use as stock
to make the dowels in the original query, but all would require reduction. Only
one (on a grain scoop) was substantially cylindrical, the rest being waisted to
at least some extent, though the sample may be skewed by years of use.


In any case, I think that I should add old shovels and shovel handles to my list
of acquisition targets. Unlike sledge and pick handles, and baseball bats from
certain locales, they are likely not impact damaged, nor spattered with
unidentifiable fluids. I wish I were kidding on the last point.


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Thanks for all the good suggestions. I appreciate all of them. Not to sound
lazy, but I'd prefer not to make them. I've looked into some of the sources
that were suggested and found some other online sources, and it seems like
the price from the big box is pretty good (esp. when you factor in
shipping).

My 2 cents: closet rods are 1.25" x 96", but at 10 to 12 dollars new they aren't
better than what you are finding. Maybe find someone demoing a house or
renovating and get them in bulk used?
-Greg