Editor’s note: Our Mind Upon Mind series is a nod to a 1937 Chips from the Chisel column (also featured in “Honest Labour: The Charles H. Hayward Years”), in which Hayward wrote, “The influence of mind upon mind is extraordinary.” The idea being there’s often room for improvement. To that end, we’ve asked you what else you have thought of, tried out and improved upon after building projects from our books.
Send us your own ideas! Email [email protected]. You can read more about the submission process here.
Today’s pick is courtesy of Shawn Graham, of Albino Deer Woodworks. Thanks, Shawn!
— Kara Gebhart Uhl
In issue 3 of The Stick Chair Journal and on the Never Sponsored Substack, Chris gives a review of and instructions for using the Stanley No. 77 Doweling Machine for creating the round tenons on long and short sticks.
He recommends using the “stock guide plate,” and shares his method for holding the stick and feeding slowly while cranking fast.
I had already been experimenting with the No. 77 for this, but even following these great instructions, including using the Woodka and a spoke pointer to cone the end, I could not get a great, centered cut.
My solution: I had a cheap machinist cross-slide vise lying around for the drill press and decided to bolt it in front of my dowel machine. I can now clamp the stick with no wobble or vibration (I use shims to set the stick height on the vise). I can center the stick perfectly and feed it at a very consistent rate with the vise crank while turning the doweling machine crank at a consistent rate. Additionally, I can stop perfectly on the scribed line for the length.
With so many sticks to do, this method allows me to sit in a comfortable position and also lets me see the work more closely. It works amazingly well, and my tenons are really nice (the ones in the photo are in cherry).
— Shawn Graham, Albino Deer Woodworks
Shawn, what is the Y-axis travel length of your vise?
It travels a maximum of about 6 inches towards the 77, so that is my max tenon length if I needed it. I have not made any longer than about 3.5 inches with this method yet.
Is the wood sliding through the vise or is the 77 sliding towards the vise?
Chuck, Notice in the pictures that the Vise has two acme threads, one for the jaws (holding the stick), front to back, and one for moving the carriage (holding the jaws) left to right. The crank handle on the left advances the carriage moving the clamped stick into the #77. The vise is moving the stick into the #77, that is bolted to the board, vial the crank on the left edge of the picture. If the picture had shown the jaws in the middle of its travel on the acme thread it would have been clearer.
Great method, especially for a lot of sticks! Perhaps also some opportunities with long vee blocks and a variety of shims for a low-tech alignment method, but a cross slide table is a useful addition to any shop too.
The 77 is stationary.