How would YOU roundover the ends of 3/4" dowels?

[Tom Spallone]

I need to round over one end of many 3/4" dowels which are about 5" long. I want these to be a pretty good roundover, like the end of a broom handle for instance.

What's the best (easiest, fastest) way of doing this. My kneejerk reaction is to get the belt sander (I don't have a table sander) but, I wonder, could I use a roundover bit in the router for this.

I mean, it would be a little difficult spinning the dowel properly but, I'm concerning about tear out.

Any suggestions. I have to do 14 of them.:confused:

[David Duke]

I believe you'd have trouble with the router....working in end grain all the way around as you stated I think you'd have trouble with tear out. I'm sure all the spinny guys will tell you to put in in a lathe.

[Chris Padilla]

Belt sander or Disc sander...don't even try cutting the ends unless you have a lathe...too dangerous.

You can set up some jigs to "grind" a few angles as you slowly approach the roundness you want.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I've done it on a disk disk sander. You spin the dowel and change the angle at the same time to get the right round over. Don't stop the dowel or you'll get a flat spot.

[Tom Jones III]

What about tilting a table to 45* on your BS to knock off the corners, then belt sand it.

[Jim Becker]

Sander. And you can often fasten a belt sander in a bench vice with a little creativity or care if you don't have a stationary tool. Just rotate the dowel with your hands as you vary the angle of attack.

[Anthony Anderson]

What Jim and Chris said it will work great. Approach it slowly until you get the feel of the operation. I personally would never use a router to try this. You're just asking for trouble. HTH, Bill

[Gary Sutherland]

This might be of interest:

http://www.binkyswoodworking.com/PegTip.htm

[Bruce Page]

This might be of interest:

http://www.binkyswoodworking.com/PegTip.htm

This is the way to go if you have a bunch to do.

[Tom Spallone]

Wow, that wasn't exactly how I was going to use the router but, it sure does makes sense. I'm going to give this a try. Can always revert back to the good old belt sander. I'll let ya know and maybe give pix.

[Lee Schierer]

This is the way to go if you have a bunch to do.
I've done it the same way. It works pretty slick. Several light cuts work best.

[Dave Richards]

I was going to suggest what is shown in Gary's link but there were enough posts that were anti-router, I thought I'd better not. I've done it that way. Raise the bit a little at a time until you get the round over you want.

[Alan See]

I have done it with a router in a table just as shown in Gary's link. Router speed is critical. You want that baby screamin'. I intially tried to use the router at a slower speed, and got lots of chatter and tear-out even with light cuts. Running my router (PC890) wide open solved the problem.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Put them in the jaws of a collet chuck on a lathe and gently massage with a skew till rounded.

Just another reason for flatboarders to become TURNERS!

Bruce

[Bill Huber]

I know this is a really old thread but I found it on a search on Google.

I wanted to round over some 3/8" dowels, I wanted them to be round, not close but round. Set up a 3/8" round over bit in the router table and make a block to hold the dowels, it worked out so nice, they are nice and round and smooth also.

I never felt there was any safety problems, the block holds the dowel and I just moved it in very slowly until it hit the bearing and then turned it.

[Rick Moyer]

Thanks for resurrecting this Bill. I hadn't seen it before but will make note of it. Quite clever.

[Kevin Womer]

I know this is a really old thread but I found it on a search on Google.

I wanted to round over some 3/8" dowels, I wanted them to be round, not close but round. Set up a 3/8" round over bit in the router table and make a block to hold the dowels, it worked out so nice, they are nice and round and smooth also.

I never felt there was any safety problems, the block holds the dowel and I just moved it in very slowly until it hit the bearing and then turned it.


I like what Bill said here, that would work great if you have several to make, like 14 in your case. If I only had to make a couple I would just grab a rasp, put the dowel in a vise and then hit it with sandpaper.

[Myk Rian]

A 3/8 bit to do a 3/8 round over?
How about a 3/16 bit and 3/8 dowel, or a 3/8 bit and a 3/4 dowel?

[Larry Edgerton]

I'm picturing a jig that is a bit different, and safer. A sheet of ply say a foot and a half with a hole in the middle about two inches. Below that a solid block with a hole the size of the dowel bored in it, at least 3" deep. This hole is centered over the bigger hole in the ply. There is a thumbscrew running into the smaller bore. You drop your dowel into the smaller hole flush with the top of the ply, lock it in place with the thumbscrew, drop in the router and route around the end of the dowel using the guide bearing.

This way you could do all kinds of profiles on the end of the dowel, whatever you please really. I have done it the way it shows in the video and I do not like it. I tend to pay attention to that little voice these days.

[Bill Huber]

Here is my set up, not much to it, I drilled a 1/64" oversize hole in a board I had. I then clamped it to the router table, front and just used a hold down in the back, the board had a little warp to it.

That is about it, again there is just not a lot to it, line it up on the center, raise the bit to the correct height and you got it.

On the bit size, I think your are correct, 3/16" would be the best but all I had was a 1/4"

In the picture it is a walnut 3/8" dowel.

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[mark kosse]

Good idea Bill. I'll use that if I ever do a bunch.

I've used a router and dowel freehand when I only have a few to do. The key is to not hit the bit at a 90 deg angle. Stick the dowel in at about 30 deg and rotate it.

[Peter Quinn]

I have somewhere on my computer one of those old timey how to use your "Stanley wonder worker" router manuals...written for guys that work with their hands and intend to kept them intact but before safety weenies and unscrupulous litigants took hold of our culture. So they had a lot of really practical ways of doing things that were safe, but not fail safe. The ignorant or idiotic in the crowd could always find a way to hurt themselves. Back to broom ends, they had a similar set up with a double 45 notch out of a piece of plywood, could probably do it with a router bit if you had the right cutter, this beveled channel holds the dowel, you put a bridge fence over it just snug, so the dowel can be advanced in and out and rotated but can't jump up and down. The rest is just as Bill showed in his pictures. I don't think its really as bad as you might think. As I read the OP my only though was for heavens sake don't cut your dowels to 5" then attempt to round the ends......spring for a long dowel rod, round then cut to length as you go.

[Larry Edgerton]

I'm picturing a jig that is a bit different, and safer. A sheet of ply say a foot and a half with a hole in the middle about two inches. Below that a solid block with a hole the size of the dowel bored in it, at least 3" deep. This hole is centered over the bigger hole in the ply. There is a thumbscrew running into the smaller bore. You drop your dowel into the smaller hole flush with the top of the ply, lock it in place with the thumbscrew, drop in the router and route around the end of the dowel using the guide bearing.

This way you could do all kinds of profiles on the end of the dowel, whatever you please really. I have done it the way it shows in the video and I do not like it. I tend to pay attention to that little voice these days.

I whipped together a proof of concept jig for this idea today and it works awesome. I tried about 4 bits and came up with some cool pegs. Now I need a new broom handle.

The hole in the sheet that you run the router on needs to be about 2 1/2", adjusting for what you are doing. I made up V blocks that screw to the shoulder vise and the table above. Slide the dowel up through the Vblocks till it is flush with the table. insert router in the space between the dowel and the hole and route around in a circle. Worked good. Does not like bits that produce a sharp point as the short grain tears out. I made one that looks like a little onion dome. Very fast, faster than a lathe, and could be used to make some interesting pulls.

My wife has the only camera that will talk with this computer so no pics. It worked good enough that I am going to make a permanent one.

[Bob Carreiro]

WITH A HANDHELD ROUTER - I did this a few months ago and it worked better than anticipated (built a rocking horse for granddaughter and used dowels for hand-holds and foot pegs). Needing dowels only 5" long, I'd keep the dowel full length, round one end, then cut 5" off, and round one end agin, etc. It is best to have one hand completely grasp the dowel while the other does the rotating and applies constant pressure against the bearing.

1) Make an "edge guide" for your router that fits over your 3/16" Bearing Roundover Bit to flush with the bearing and clamp in place (a construction grade 2 X 2 X 12" long piece works fine with room to clamp).

2) Attach your router so it is fixed to your bench, and will not move when turned on (probably the most difficult step).

3) With router running, simply "rotate" your dowel (counterclockwise) into the bit keeping it butted against the bearing, rotating until symetrical.

I found this process especially easy, and it cleaned up very well without any touch-up sanding needed. Again, having a longer length to work with makes this easier.

[Alan Schwabacher]

You are not taking off much wood, so a power tool doesn't give a big advantage. Highland has a set of "dowel ballers" that work like pencil sharpeners to round the ends of dowels. A set for 1/2", 3/4", and 1" diameter dowels costs $25.

[Bill Huber]

You are not taking off much wood, so a power tool doesn't give a big advantage. Highland has a set of "dowel ballers" that work like pencil sharpeners to round the ends of dowels. A set for 1/2", 3/4", and 1" diameter dowels costs $25.

I found those but the problem is I am using 3/8" dowels and I never could find a place that had a round over for 3/8" dowels.
The set up I am using is so easy and fast that I am going to use it, does just what I want.

I was hand sanding them and also use a belt sander but I just could never get then to be nice and round like I wanted.

[David C. Roseman]

Here is my set up, not much to it, I drilled a 1/64" oversize hole in a board I had. I then clamped it to the router table, front and just used a hold down in the back, the board had a little warp to it.

That is about it, again there is just not a lot to it, line it up on the center, raise the bit to the correct height and you got it.

On the bit size, I think your are correct, 3/16" would be the best but all I had was a 1/4"

In the picture it is a walnut 3/8" dowel.

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Very slick, Bill!

David