Workers Of Wood

Here is a vintage Stanley Dowel machine. They must not have been too popular as I have never seen one before, but that doesn't mean anything. Just thought that maybe other members hadn't either.
HErb

I would guess that you feed the square blanks into the wheel with the holes and the dowel comes out the end where the crank is. Here are the cutters.
Herb

I would agree with how it's operated but I haven't figured out yet where the cutter mounts. I imagine it would have been a little pricey just looking at it.

I bought one from LV that I use to make arrow shafts although at 3/8" they are a tad oversize from what's normal, normal being 5/16 or 23/32". It works like a pencil sharpener. You cut 7/16" blanks and drive them through it with a square hole socket they sell mounted to a drill. It works pretty well but you have to wear a glove to hold it and sometimes hold your other glove inside that one because of the heat generated. I can only do one or two and then have to let it cool down. https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/to ... on-cutters

How the hell did that company go south? They had such a good pipeline of quality stuff, once upon a time.

@Cherryville Chuck I have the same from LV, I bought the whole set. I clamp the cutter in the vise and just run the square materiel thru with my battery drill motor and the socket. I like it a little oversize so I can sand it down to remove the cutter marks, It works really good for my dowel hinge boxes.
I agree with Biagio, Stanley was the standard of the industry at one time. I think they made or carried just about every tool at one time. There were brands that were a little better quality and higher priced, and some lower quality and lower priced tool out there, the tradesmen knew that they couldn't go wrong with Stanley.
Herb

Biagio wrote: ↑Tue Apr 20, 2021 1:48 am How the hell did that company go south? They had such a good pipeline of quality stuff, once upon a time.

bean counter for the investors...

Herb Stoops wrote: ↑Tue Apr 20, 2021 2:52 am @Cherryville Chuck I have the same from LV, I bought the whole set. I clamp the cutter in the vise and just run the square materiel thru with my battery drill motor and the socket. I like it a little oversize so I can sand it down to remove the cutter marks, It works really good for my dowel hinge boxes.
I agree with Biagio, Stanley was the standard of the industry at one time. I think they made or carried just about every tool at one time. There were brands that were a little better quality and higher priced, and some lower quality and lower priced tool out there, the tradesmen knew that they couldn't go wrong with Stanley.
Herb

Thanks for the tip about sticking it in the vise.

Another testament to Stanley is that many of the hand tools we see being made now are based on Stanley's designs.Even Lee Valley's honing guide may be based on a Stanley idea. Remember the plane blade honing guide I sent you Herb? That is essentially how LV's works. The Stanley even came with a built in angle guide.