My new Dowelmax accessory ...

[Ron Dunn]

This got delivered today ... a Stanley 923 8" brace, courtesy of www.sydnassloot.com.

I put in a brad-point drill, set up the Dowelmax, and drilled 10 holes in only a few seconds longer than it takes with an electric drill, but in perfect silence.

What's more, I didn't have to pull the drill in and out to clear the chips, and there was no smoke or heat from hard drilling in Australian hardwood.

Now I can drill at night without any concern about annoying my neighbours :)

Another evolutionary step.

Ron
Cro-Magnon Woodworker

[Dewey Torres]

Great idea and good find on the tool website. Thanks for the post!
Dewey

[Doug Hobkirk]

Do you use the same drill bits that you use in an electric drill?
Do you use brad points to help starting alignment?

[Ron Dunn]

Doug, I'm not an expert in old braces, so what I'm about to say may be corrected by a wiser head.

The 923 brace has "parallel jaws". That means it is capable of holding a round-shank bit. I'm sure there are other braces with this feature.

I tried a few types of bit to see which were most effective. I found that the Dowelmax-supplied bits worked well, but required a little more pressure to start the hole. A spade bit wobbled too much. A standard twist drill had the same problem as the Dowelmax - it worked, but required a bit of effort.

The brad-point bit made the neatest hole whilst requiring the least effort. Using light pressure (definitely not pushing) on the brace it drilled easily into the Australian timbers Alpine Ash and Jarrah. Alpine Ash is said to be roughly equivalent to white oak in properties, while Jarrah is a harder, more dense timber.

[Craig Field]

Could any of you guys please advice me on the availability of the DOWELMAX in sydney????? or do i have to order it direct????
Many THANKS in advance

[Ron Dunn]

Craig, order it direct.

They quote a delivery time of 1-2 weeks, mine arrived in Bendigo (Central Victoria) in 4 days!

Have you figured out what to order? If you're not sure, feel free to ask for advice.

Ron.

[Craig Field]

Thanks Ron

i Figured i would get the DOWELMAX kit,a 1/4 inch kit,a spare drill bit and depth clamp in both sizes,,,anything else????

[Ron Dunn]

Buy the metric kit for use in Australia, Craig, you'll find that more places stock metric dowels. I buy small lots from my local Mitre 10, but you can buy in bulk from Timbecon and Elraco (probably others, too).

I originally bought the 6mm and 10mm bushes, but I think I'd have been better off with 6mm and 8mm for my uses - the 10mm are really quite large. Anyway, I've ordered the 8mm as an extra shipment.

I'm not sure that you'll need extra drills for a long time. I've made a lot of stuff with mine, and the drills are still sharp enough for my standard timbers of Alpine Ash and Jarrah. I'm only switching to brad-point bits now because they work better with the brace I just bought.

Ron.

[Craig Field]

Good thinking 99
I hadnt got around to reading the "Metric Order Form" b4 posting,and didn't realise the 8mm kit was available, makes much more sense, considering i'll only be making cabinets,shelves and furniture for around the house. The reason behind the spare drill bits and stoppers was to set them up for different depths, more than concerns about wear.