Source for hardwood dowels?

[Jon Endres]

Not dowel pins, but true-to-size hardwood dowels that aren't twisted like a corkscrew. I don't need a lot but I would like to find a source that has decent quality. Nothing near me except Home Depot and even the local lumberyard has mystery wood junk. Any ideas? I'm certainly open to online sources if they can guarantee quality.

[Lee Schierer]

I make my own using a round over bit of the appropriate radius on my table mounted router. I set the fence so it exactly flush with the top of the curve and make four passes, always rotating a square edge toward the fence by rotating the stock counter clockwise relative to the direction of feed. I can make dowels of any hardwood to any length I need.

I've made hickory, maple, poplar, cherry, black walnut, and red oak dowels.

[Ronald Blue]

Here's a source. I have made my own on the wood lathe too. I usually get mine at Menards but I know you don't have that option there.

https://woodworker.com/search.html?search=Dowel%20Rod&SEARCHMODE=2

[Josh Molaver]

McMaster carries them https://www.mcmaster.com/dowels/ - I've been very happy with them when i've ordered them (admittedly not a lot, but Maple for a couple projects).

[Bradley Gray]

https://www.cincinnatidowel.com/

[Frank Pratt]

I've gotten very precise, straight grained dowel from Lee Valley. Definitely not the home center variety. I've bought maple & white oak, but they have a couple of other woods as well.

[Charles Ruberto]

I've only purchased from them once, but I was pleased with the quality of the assortment I ordered: https://www.midwestdowel.com


Not dowel pins, but true-to-size hardwood dowels that aren't twisted like a corkscrew. I don't need a lot but I would like to find a source that has decent quality. Nothing near me except Home Depot and even the local lumberyard has mystery wood junk. Any ideas? I'm certainly open to online sources if they can guarantee quality.

[Brian Tymchak]

https://www.cincinnatidowel.com/

I've also ordered from Cincinnati Dowel. Good service. I needed Ash dowel which isn't found at the neighborhood sources. About 10% of the dowels had end grain runout though. And another 10% were "soft" due to large earlywood growth which may or may not be an issue depending on use. I was using it for pins in draw bore joints.

[Matthew Hills]

Useful thread--I'd been trying to pick through the stock at my local woodcraft with mixed success.

I did see this one jig on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCZo9SYX1hA

Matt

[Richard Coers]

Beall has always advertised the accuracy of his dowels for making wood bolts. https://www.bealltool.com/products/threading/dowels.php

[Brian Tymchak]

I've only purchased from them once, but I was pleased with the quality of the assortment I ordered: https://www.midwestdowel.com

Thanks for that link Charles. Their prices seem to be a bit better than Cincinnati Dowel.

[Mark Gibney]

California Dowel and Turnings in Buena Park (Los Angeles metro) is a great place but wrong location for you unfortunately. Nice people too.

The owner told me of a customer who came back with several dowels and complained they were 0.002" too thick.
He said he had to stop himself saying "why thank you for that compliment" to the guy.

[Keith Outten]

The link to Beal Tools that Richard provided above is a good one if you want round hardwood dowels in a variety of species. The Beal dowels are sold mostly to people who buy them for wood threading in the Beal Jig so the dowels have to be straight and round.

[Brian Tymchak]

The link to Beal Tools that Richard provided above is a good one if you want round hardwood dowels in a variety of species. The Beal dowels are sold mostly to people who buy them for wood threading in the Beal Jig so the dowels have to be straight and round.

There is a note on the Beal site that they are discontinuing dowel sales after they sell off their existing stock.

[Alex Zeller]

I've never needed a lot of dowels so I just go to Rockler and pick through their supply.

[Keith Outten]

There is a note on the Beal site that they are discontinuing dowel sales after they sell off their existing stock.


Sad news, I have depended on Beal Tools to provide top notch dowels through the years.

[Steve Jenkins]

I’ve gotten dowels from Baird Brothers. Been quite happy with them

[Herbert Flower]

+ 1 for Baird Brothers.

[Keith Outten]

Thanks Steve and Herbert for the new source.