Does anyone have a source for metric dowels? I'm looking for 15 mm wide dowels for a project involving kids and don't want to spend hours turning my own. Thanks, Happy Holidays.
[OP]
Contributor
Does anyone have a source for metric dowels? I'm looking for 15 mm wide dowels for a project involving kids and don't want to spend hours turning my own. Thanks, Happy Holidays.
Contributor
Doing a quick google search finds lots of sources, including amazon stocking some. I can't speak to the quality of any of them, so maybe that is more your question vs actually finding them.
Contributor
Is this a project in which you can not change some of the dimensions?
The other question is how long do they have to be?
If they are short, maybe 5" or less, you could use a 15mm bit to make a dowel plate and take down some 5/8" dowels.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
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There are commercial dowel plates available for not a lot of money that allow you to quickly make them using just your hand-held drill/driver and sticks of straight grained wood. 'Creeker Fred Voorhees bought one from a FB ad awhile back as he needed specific species dowels and making his own was necessary. When it arrived...it was metric. Now he had to buy a few metric drill bits to "pin" his project, but that's beside the point. The dowels created were really good. I've been considering getting one, but it's just not crossed my mind at the right moment to take action on it. LOL
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
You can make dowels of almost any size with the appropriate sized round over router bot in a table mounted router with a feather board and a fence. I've made hickory dowels this way.
Contributor
I recall buying dowel stock at home center - maybe Channel? so a while ago. When I brought them home they were a sloppy fit. I wonder now if the dowels in the "1/2 inch" bin were really metric - kind of like "3/4" inch plywood that's really 18 mm.Originally Posted by Jim Becker
Contributor
A lot of the dowels found at hardware stores seem to be metric. I've started drilling a hole in a small piece of scrap and taking it with me to the store to ensure the dowel fits properly.
Moderator
I suspect that much of the dowel stock in retail is now "over dry" which not only shrinks it in diameter but often results in "not round", too.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
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