A dowel plate’s job is to turn square sticks into round dowels, and the new offering from DFM fits the bill nicely. Made from A-2 steel, the plate’s best feature is the number of holes at your disposal. With a range of sizes in 1⁄32-in. increments between 1⁄8 in. and 5⁄8 in., the chances are you’ll find just the dowel size for the job. The plate works well, but as with other dowel plates, it pays to chamfer the corners of the stick before driving it through the plate. The plate can be mounted in a wood block, though I find centering it over a dog hole in my bench works fine. At $60, the DFM dowel plate is a great value.

—Michael Pekovich is FWW’s creative director.

From Fine Woodworking #281

	Making Hardwood Dowels with Christian Becksvoort Choose your own lumber and diameter to produce custom dowels for pinning small joints
	How To Make Your Own Dowels by Tom McKenna Don’t bother with store-bought sticks. Making your own dowels is quick and easy and uses up those shop scraps.
	The Dowel Joint by Bruce Hoadley Why round tenons fall out of round holes, and the elastomer compromise