Pinned rabbet drawers (how to make pins?)

[jason mowery]

I'd like to try making pinned rabbet drawers for a project I'm working on. Fine Woodworking did an article on them in the Dec 2009 issue, but doesn't specify where to get pin/dowel material except to say that they're usually available "at your local hardwood dealer." I don't have a "local hardwood dealer" that offers anything that specialized. Can those pins/dowels be made? Is there a tool or drill attachment that'll cut/make them? Thanks in advance for your help, and if anyone that has tried these and has any thoughts or hints, I'd really appreciate it. Up to this point, I've been making drawers with locking rabbet joints using a dado set, but I really have trouble getting them to come out tight and nice looking. This seems like a solution that'll work better for me. Thanks!

[Lex Boegen]

I'd like to try making pinned rabbet drawers for a project I'm working on. Fine Woodworking did an article on them in the Dec 2009 issue, but doesn't specify where to get pin/dowel material except to say that they're usually available "at your local hardwood dealer." I don't have a "local hardwood dealer" that offers anything that specialized. Can those pins/dowels be made? Is there a tool or drill attachment that'll cut/make them? Thanks in advance for your help, and if anyone that has tried these and has any thoughts or hints, I'd really appreciate it. Up to this point, I've been making drawers with locking rabbet joints using a dado set, but I really have trouble getting them to come out tight and nice looking. This seems like a solution that'll work better for me. Thanks!

You can find hardwood dowels at lots of online stores, such as Rockler (http://www.rockler.com/search_results.cfm?srch=usr&filter=dowel&submit.x=0&submit.y=0), Woodcraft (http://www.woodcraft.com/Category/1002121/Dowels.aspx), etc. You can make your own several different ways:

If you have a tablesaw and a router table, rip stock to the outer diameter of the dowel you want. You'll probably need to rip the board on both its edge and its face. When you have square stock, then mount a quarter-round bit in your router table and run all four edges against it. Note that you'll need to use a fence on the router table that is exactly flush with the ball bearing on the router bit. Note also that you don't want to remove the ends of the stock--leave an inch or so square so the the stock will be properly oriented as you rotate it for the next pass.

Really old school: Rip stock as above, then "whittle" it down with a spokeshave. When you have it approximate (but still a little oversize), you can force it through a dowel plate (a thick piece of steel that has holes drilled in it the exact size of the dowels that you want). Play "whack a mole" with your dowel stock and a mallet. A dowel plate is handy to have even if you buy your dowels--it ensures that they're the exact size that you need (assuming the holes in the plate are the exact size that you need).

If I wanted them in common domestic species (oak, walnut, etc.) then I'd buy them. If I wanted them in something not offered online, I'd use the router table method.

[Prashun Patel]

You have a couple options:

If you have an HD or Lowes, you can find dowels in the molding section. Use oak. The other ones they have look and feel cheap.

You can also order these pretty cheap in multiple dia's from Rockler. I think they have free shipping going on right now.

You can also use screws instead of dowels. But you still need to order plugs to fill the holes. Further, the drilling process gets marginally more complicated bkz u have to drill for the pilot, then the shank, then the countersink for the head.

[Jim McFarland]

I use the small size Miller Dowels for this using their step bit. Available in several wood species and here's link to one source:

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2004679/10980/Mini-X-Miller-Dowel-Kit.aspx

[jason mowery]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply! Being a relative novice, I think I'm going to give the Miller dowels a shot...though I love the idea of making my own,I have a feeling that, at this point in the game, it would lead to more frustration than just continuing with the locking rabbet joints.
Jim-do you use a hand held drill, or drill press, or what?

[Jim McFarland]

<snip>
Jim-do you use a hand held drill, or drill press, or what?

Jason, I use a hand held drill and seems to work fine. IME, there is some excess to trim and I use a flush cutting saw to get close and then sand level.

Flush cutting saw I use from Lee Valley:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32928&cat=1,42884

[Greg Wease]

For small pins try bamboo skewers. They are a bit variable in diameter so measure first and drill accordingly (~1/8").

[Doug Shepard]

You can make dowels up to about 2" long of any species of wood you want using a tenon cutter bit. You didn't mention what diameter you want though. The tenon cutter bits that you can find easily typically start at 3/8" and go up from there.