DIY Shaft maker.

[Morgan]

Disclaimer. If you make this and hurt yourself it isn't my fault.
I have been looking at various dowel makers and diy dowel making videos. Decided to try to make one. I have a really crummy 8" table saw that I got in a bundle with some other tools that weren't crappy for $30. The others were worth way more than $30 but I had to take the saw too. The saw has a bent arbor making it nearly useless for making any kind of accurate cut. But it will work for this.

First I cut a piece of 5/8 plywood to near the Distance between grooves.

[Morgan]

Then cut two runners from plywood for the grooves and glued to my plywood plate

[Morgan]

The cut you see on that is for the blade.
Next I ripped a 2x4 in half and cut to length of plywood plate

[Morgan]

Next I glued two tabs of plywood between the 2x4 pieces.

[Morgan]

Next mark 3 spots for drilling at same height as highest blade setting.

[Morgan]

Next drill holes through both 2x4's. I did 23/64 11/32, and 5/16. This leaves a rough surface that requires sanding, so I'd drill 3/8, 23/64 and 11/32 if I had to do it again.

[Morgan]

Next I drilled through one of the 2x4 pieces with a 5/8 bore bit. It was biggest I had and takes about a 7/16 square blank.

[Morgan]

Glue to plywood plate centered on cut line. Clamp plate to saw with hole you will be using centered with blade arbor.
By hand turn your ripped blanks into the 5/8 hole raise the blade till it just starts cutting and continue to raise blade a little at a time till it turns blank down enough to enter hole on opposite side. Pull blank out and chuck that turned piece into a drill. Spinning the drill and feeding slowly slowly through jig. works ok. Not perfect but it'll do.

[Morgan]

The tighter fit your blank is to the first hole the better, and the tighter fit from the blade into the second hole, the better. The second hole will burnish the roughness off if it is tight enough.

[Knoll]

COOL! Thanks for taking the time.

[Morgan]

Couple things I learned today playing with this.
1: finish is better if you spin the drill the same direction as the blade.
2: round stock finishes way way better than square. I cut some maple limb wood from a brush pile that was on average the size of the entrance hole of the jig. This produced a very nice end result and is probably what I will use rather than ripped boards. Guaranteed the grain is better and limb wood is free.
Pretty sure a fine blade with more teeth would be better than the blade I have on the saw.

[Yorec]

I've tried the steel plate with holes drilled in it version with marginal success at best....

Gonna tray this one next - thanks!

[Stoner]

Try a hex bolt in the drill chuck. Then put the corresponding size socket on the bolt head with a 3/8 drive. Shave a smidgin off the 7/16 square stock to fit in the 3/8 drive square hole. John