Saturday, June 23, 2018

Dowel Plate from Lee Nielsen


   About ten years ago Lie Nielsen's travelling road show came to a local wood working supplier and I went along to see their outstanding product line.  At the time I was just beginning to set up my shop and didn't have the money to buy what I needed at the premium quality level.  However I wanted to support the local effort and hoped that it would be successful enough that Lie Nielsen would visit again in a couple of years.  

  Moral support is nice but financial support is nicer.  I bought two things at the show. I bought this dowel plate what was expensive though not as much as now.  Also Canadian money was at a better exchange rate in those days. 

  I use the dowel plate fairly often.  I keep my chop sticks from restaurant meals and use the dowel plate to make 3/16 dowels.  The bamboo chop sticks make really strong dowels. Recently I have made 24, 1 1/2 inch 3/16 dowels for the wooden train planter project.  The hopper car is finished and the coal tender is nearly done too.  I began the steam engine today by cutting wheels and gluing up the base plate.  

 
  The other thing I bought was a plane makers float. It hardly even gets used.  I have quite a few good files and rasps and this one doesn't fill a special need, at this time.   I am still glad I bought it, I hope that someone else will take on the responsibility of inviting Lee Nielsen back to Ontario for a show.

cheers ianw

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