[soulcade]

Hello, if you wanted to drill an almost perfectly centered and straight hole in the end of a dowel rod, how would you do it?

[Doug Ridley]

Try the catalogs from such places as Woodcraft and Woodworkers Supply and others. Some of them sell a Dowel Center marker.

[Thomp]

drilling a dead centerline hole in a dowell with a lathe would be the only way i could think of

it would take a pass through type chuck head like on metal lathes

[soulcade]

Thank you both. I should have mentioned that its a 6ft long dowel, so it doesn't fit on my lathe.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I drill holes in the center of stock for pen turning, I use a jig you can buy on most penturning sites.....if you are talking about a long piece of stock and the whole length? I guess you will have to take Thomps advice, only way I know to do that!

[soulcade]

Nice, how does that work? I don't have a drill press but of course I have a drill. I'll only have to go in about 4" so not to far at all.

[Thomp]

i was thinking of a chuck like a metal lathe has where you can run the stock through the chuck and head.... guess not many wood lathes have chucks and heads like that....

ok then I probably should'nt even mention this unsafe practice. as you risk drilling your hand if not very careful...

but i have gotten reasonbly close center drilling with a pistol drill, in to a dowell, like for making sockets for spear blades, knife handles, hotdog forks cooking campfire tools, ect

using a veriable speed drill and small bit. and a set of v blocks screwed down to bench top to cradle the shaft so it dont roll off the bench or fight it around the shop..
the "V"blocks should make the shaft reasonably stable but not locked down, you need to let it spin occasionaly, you hold the dowell with hand pressure between the v blocks to keep it from spinning and to keep your hand out of the way///

proceedure: SLOW DRILL SPEED OPERATION!!!!
..find center of the dowell, using a small 1/8" bit start a pilot hole.
put the shaft in the v blocks, and slowly start the pilot hole.
if you think its going crooked let the dowell spin slowly it will tell you where the off center and you can pull back a little and correct, by changing angle while drilling,
check the progress often by letting the dowell spin occasionaly to check center, make corrections as necessary...
all drill operations should be slow as possible to be safe and to keep as straight as possible.....

when you bottom out change the bit to next size up untill you get to the desired size needed and drill down the pilot hole, till satisfied.. dont try to crowd the drill or force too big of bit or else it will dig in and bite too much and wind up splitting or breaking the bit.
rather by changing bit sizes several times it will allow the hole allignment to be much straighter......

this may take several bit changes in size steps to achieve a large hole, and it wouldnt be a bad idea to make a wooden washer or guard on the front v block to guard your hand in case the drill bit busts or the drill bit breaks out the side,
inside the v block could be masked off with tape to keep the dowell from being skuffed, dont use a rag!

but if you take it slow dont run the drill at half speed or less you can achieve a reasonably straight hole. in a shaft or dowell.
good luck
thomas