DOWELLING KNIVES Standard sizes in dowelling are usually readily available in Birch or Maple from building supply stores. BUT what happens when you need a dowel for the Walnut furniture you have just finished? Where do you find dowelling to finish that set of Butternut kitchen cabinets for that very special customer? Perhaps you need dowelling that is a special size, where do you find it ?. Now YOU CAN MAKE PERFECT DOWELLING on your WOODMASTER, RIGHT IN YOUR OWN SHOP and chances are you can machine the dowelling from the off-cuts, those pieces you were going to burn!!. Manufacturing dowelling with your WOODMASTER is a very simple operation. We recommend that you use a single 2-up knife in the custom knife holder for dowelling from 5/16" up to 1" (Dowelling smaller than 5/16" is difficult to machine because the wood is so flimsy) and a matched set of three knives in the planer head for dowelling sizes from 1" to 2-1/4". When manufacturing dowelling two passes are required to accomplish the finished dowel. The same knife is used for both passes and the bed is adjusted on the second pass to machine the dowel accurately. The advantages of using a 2-up knife will be obvious the first time you use it. The 2-up knife will mould two identical pieces of dowelling (top or bottom) with each pass. The moulding blank is much more stable and you will double your production. LETS MAKE DOWELLING: For our sample we will use a WM121 2-UP knife to make 2 pieces of 3/4" dowel. 1. Prepare the moulding blanks from CLEAN KILN-DRIED wood. The blank should measure 1-15/16" wide and 13/16" thick. It is very important that all the blanks be exactly the same width to ensure that they are snugly held by the guides as the dowelling is being machined. Make a few extra blanks to use as test pieces. 2. Centre the knife in the custom knife holder and tighten the gib screws to 5 foot pounds. (This can easily be done with a torque wrench). 3. Position the bedboard guides so the blank fits snugly when fed through them. Make sure the guides are at exact right angles with the accessory shaft. 4. Position the custom knife holder so the knife is centred on the moulding blank. Tighten the knife holder to the accessory shaft. 5. Set the depth of cut to cut the full profile plus 1/32". When adjustment is correct machine all blanks on one side. Keep your blanks butted end to end to avoid tear-out. 6. Turn blanks end for end and adjust depth of cut to make a perfectly round dowel. Remember to keep blanks butted. HINTS Feed stock slowly, especially when starting and finishing the cut. You can increase feed speed to match the dowel size and the wood species when the blank is in contact with the outfeed rollers. Stop your machine, disconnect the power and retighten the gib after machining the first blank. A WELCOME ADDITION The most critical part of machining dowelling is to ensure that the blank is centred in relationship to the knife on the second pass. The simplest way of doing this is to make up a guide insert as described in drawing C. Our CNC machining centre allows WOODMASTER to make knives which are exact mirror images of the dowelling knife which you order. With this knife you can make an insert which precisely aligns the blank and makes the machining operation and life in general a whole lot easier. A WISE INVESTMENT Fully 75% of the problems our customers encounter when manufacturing mouldings are moisture related. The lumber you use must be dried to a moisture content between 6 and 8% for interior mouldings. Each piece of lumber should be tested individually with a moisture meter. The Electrophysics model MT110 is the finest moisture meter in its price range that we have tested. And, as a bonus, it’s made right here in Canada. This rugged unit measures moisture contents from 6 to 40%. It is accurate, easy to use, and travels well. This is a must, priced at only $98.99 HOW LONG WILL MY KNIVES LAST? Using red oak as a benchmark, you should be able to get at least 2000 lineal feet out of a single profile knife before it becomes wood dull. You can greatly prolong the life of a knife by simply making sure that the lumber you are machining is clean. Don’t forget to check the ends! All too often the lumber you are using has been stood on end during one of the stages of manufacturing or storage. And, chances are, it has picked up a bit of dirt. I recommend that you trim the ends of your lumber prior to use. You can touch up the knife by simply honing the flat edge. And, don’t forget to use a dust collector which is adequate for your machine. Over 95% of our knives are manufactured from M2 steel, which is the industry norm for high-speed planers and moulders. We do have other grades of steel and carbides available for specific applications and will be pleased to advise you, should you have a particular requirement. © 2010 moldingknives.com. All rights reserved.