Stanley #77 dowel machine troubleshooting
#4
Last week's post on the #77 seemed to catch a few eyes, so I will continue for your diehards. I love to play with these things. If you are lucky enough to have one, you have entered elite status in woodworking. But your lofty perch may wobble when you are unable to coax good performance from your treasure. Have no fear. These machines are simple and I can walk you through a simple issue.

Issue--raw stock does not advance beyond tenon status and seems to get stuck in the die. This situation results from improper cutter adjustment and is easy to fix.



This short cut results from a cutter blade that is not aggressive enough. The die is a cylinder and the blade cuts to reduce the raw stock diameter as the raw stock moves through the cutter. The final cut finishes the dowel by cutting it slightly smaller than the die exit hole. If the blade is not advanced properly, then this final cut leaves the dowel oversized and it cannot exit properly. This condition is easy to fix.

Remove the die and loosen the blade screw. Slightly tap it forward, making sure the cutting edge is parallel to the opposite opening in the die. Tighten the screw and try again. This may take a few tries but is worth it. Once you blade is set properly, it is good until the next sharpening.

With the blade properly adjusted, you can crank away.



And you will be rewarded with a long and properly formed dowel.



Now you can get busy and make Harry Potter wands for all of the grandchildren!
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#5
Jim-

It leaves a rough finish. Is that typical or dependent on other factors?

Phil
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#6
In my experience the final finish is dependent on the stock and can vary even within the same species. Direction of the grain makes a big difference. That said, most dowels are a little rough but sand/polish well.

I think the machine was designed to make dowels for joinery. The resulting dowels are excellent in that regard because the raw surface is excellent for glue ups.
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