How do I taper a dowel?

[Bill McCarthy]

I just received some Hickory, a few dowels and one board. I've never worked with Hickory before. I want to try and make a cane. To get the thickness I need for the handle, I'll be glueing two 3/4" thick boards together. Any issues with Titebond 3 for this?

A bigger puzzle for me, is how do I taper a dowel rod. I have a 48" long 7/8 dowel. I want to taper the dowel from 7/8 at the handle, down to 3/4 at the bottom. Finished length will be around 36". I do not have a lathe, nor do I know how to use one. I have a spoke shave, which I've never used, otherwise I have several different planes, from 22" to a Stanley #3, although I'm thinking that keeping a plane on a dowel would not be easy to do.

Can you guys give me some ideas as to how I can accomplish this? I don't have enough stock to make a lot of mistakes with. I can't buy it locally, so I need to order it on line. (I do have some poplar dowel to experiment with.)

Thanks

[Andrew Hughes]

Bill I’ve done something like this before. On the small end draw a circle of the size you want.
Then plane flats equally on opposite side keeping track of the circle you made.
Its not hard at all to see the taper forming. You will end up with a square or close on your small end.
Once you get started it’s very intuitive and rewarding.

[Phil Mueller]

Bill, I’ve done as Andrew suggested using a block plane, then files, and eventually sand paper to even things up.
Here’s an example...making a round piece from square stock, but the process is the same. Draw the end circle, then plane 4 sides, then take those to eight sides, etc., until you get to your circle lines. Work the small end first, then work the taper to that end.

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Use your #3...you’ll find after you create the initial “flat” from the plane, it will stay registered to the piece fairly well. Otherwise, I would certainly use the spokeshave in the same manner. It’s a good opportunity to dust that thing off and use it. I have found it to be one of my favorite tools to use. Take some scrap stock...any shape...and get used to the shave first. It takes a little bit of fiddling to set the iron and a little practice to get nice shavings...but well worth it.

[Pat Barry]

I'm not sure a dowel rod is really the best choice for a cane unless its just a prototype or something for display. I think you really want riven wood or an actual branch and not kiln dried.

[Gary Ragatz]

7/8" down to 3/4" isn't much of a taper - I think I'd just take some long strokes with a sanding block.

[Don Howe]

I have been tapering canes with a block plane. I recently ground a partial circle into a scraper, something like 11/8" diameter. For the larger diameter (starting at 1") I hold the scraper close to perpendicular, then start to angle the scraper, increasing the angle as the shaft gets smaller.

[Jack Frederick]

I made one for my FIL with white oak and did it with the LN Concave Spokeshave. Took some time to whittle it down, but it gave a nice faceted appearance.

[lowell holmes]

I would make a tapered hexagon or octagon on a table saw or band saw. Then I would round it with shaves and sandpaper.

[Lee Schierer]

I think I would have one piece that runs the full length and glue pieces on each side only in the areas where you need the greater thickness.

Pay close attention to your grain in the areas you will need to plane. Hickory planes pretty well in one direction and will tear out going the other direction.

Too bad you're not closer I have at least 100 bdft of 4/4+ air dried hickory.