One inch dowel center needed

what is a dowel center?

Be resourceful

David Yoho

Don't think I ever saw one that size anywhere. Probably because there can't be much of a need for that size. How many times does anyone work with 1" dowels?

I'd probably find or modify a dowel to fit the one-inch hole by just being able to push it in by hand and remove it easy too. Pretty much like a smaller diameter one does. Cut it to your desired length, find dead center and mark it, drill a pilot for either a nail or screw, insert it so just the tip is above the surface. All you need now is to insert the wooden dowel center so it's flush with the top of the dowel hole and mark for the new hole on the other piece of whatever is being joined. Should work!

Re: One inch dowel center needed

John K Jordan

If you need to use one more than once, it would be easy enough to make one. Do you know anyone with even a small metal lathe? Or probably cheap enough at a small machine shop.

You can even turn on a woodturning lathe from aluminum with standard woodturning tools. I've turned a lot of aluminum and brass that way.

Even easier would be turn one on the wood lathe from hardwood and put a small metal point in a hole drilled in the center.

JKJ

Re: what is a dowel center?

Jack Guzman from Maine

Bill, A dowel center is a device designed to align dowel holes. You drill the hole in one piece and then insert your dowel center. The center has a pin to register the drilling location on the second piece.

Re: One inch dowel center needed

Mark Hennebury

I have done a fair amount of doweling, i have never had the need for a dowel center.

Would you mind explaining or showing a photo of your application? as i am interested to know under what circumstance it will be used.

Re: One inch dowel center needed

John McGaw

I'd think that, for one-time or very-occasional use, simply chucking short a piece of the 1" dowel in the lathe and turning the end flat with a 90-degree point in the center would serve. Or, if heavier use is anticipated, dimple the piece and center-drill via the tailpiece and insert a metal point which can be sharpened with a file as it spins. Surely there can't be too much call for a 1" dowel center. I've got them ranging up to 1/2" and have only used the big ones a few times over 20+ years.

Re: One inch dowel center needed

Dick Coers

How about turning an wood adapter on the lathe to use a center you already have. A washer would work, but making one would be the easiest.

Re: One inch dowel center needed

jessecloud

Easiest one-off, and used by Krenoff so it must be good:

Take a thin piece of scrap, clamp it onto a workpiece, aligned with registration edges, mark where the center of the dowel should go and mark registration edges for later use. Drill the 1 inch hole centered on your mark.

Now, take the scrap, clamp onto the mating workpiece, properly aligned with registration edges, and drill the mating hole.

This technique works great for complex dowel jointing involving several dowels on one surface.

And total cost is zip.

Re: One inch dowel center needed

Michael van pelt

Thank guys. I am installing a vice. One inch guide rods three a machined bushing. I have found the solution. Borrowed from the metal trade. A transfer or aka a spotter punch.

Thanks for all the great suggestions I had goggled and came up empty so I was pretty sure no one made a 1” dowel center. But was hoping. A transfer punch will do the same. Precision is very important for this application.

A simple but overlooked way

David Yoho

Sounds like Michael has a solution in mind. However, I just realized there is an easier way to make a 1" dowel center, assuming you have some smaller metal dowel centers. Take a piece of 1" dowel long enough to fill the hole, drill a hole centered in it to accept a smaller metal dowel center. Insert the 1" wood dowel in the hole, then insert the smaller dowel center, and you can mark the other hole location accurately.

Re: A simple but overlooked way

John K Jordan

>>>...Take a piece of 1" dowel long enough to fill the hole

Most dowel centers I have have a thin flange at the top to keep the center from being pushed into the hole. If the fabricated center was a 1" cylinder and hole was open ended you could use something to tap from behind.

BTW, the most use I've made of dowel centers was when edge glueing boards with hand-drilled holes in one edge. Marking the second board all at once was a time saver. The short dowels were only for alignment.

JKJ

Another solution

AZ in Colorado Springs

... that might be useful for someone:

Drill a shallow hole in some scrap using a 1" forstner bit. Put a short Brad into the cavity left by the center point of the forstner bit. Push a short length of dowel into the hole, marking the center point of the dowel. Pull the dowel out and nail a brad into the center of the dowel, then clip off the head. Now, there's your 1" center finder (without a flange).

Re: Another solution

Barry Irby

If you have a lathe, turn a larger piece of wood down to slightly larger than one inch, then urn part of it to one inch, leaving a thin shoulder. Mark the center, drive in a brad, sharpen the brad and cut off the dowel.

Or, if you have a one inch dowel, find the center, install the brad point and glue on a thin washer or even a piece of sheet metal for a flange. Just be sure your brad point extends out far enough to pass the metal.