Woodworker Shawn Graham Improves Stanley No. 77 Doweling Machine with Cross-Slide Vise
In a new installment of Lost Art Press's 'Mind Upon Mind' series, woodworker Shawn Graham of Albino Deer Woodworks shares an innovative modification to the Stanley No. 77 Doweling Machine. Graham struggled to achieve centered cuts when creating round tenons for stick chairs, even after following Chris Schwarz's instructions from The Stick Chair Journal and the Never Sponsored Substack. His solution was to bolt a cheap machinist cross-slide vise in front of the dowel machine. This setup allows him to clamp the stick without wobble, center it perfectly, feed at a consistent rate using the vise crank, and stop precisely on scribed lines. The method improves accuracy and comfort, producing excellent tenons in cherry. The series, inspired by a 1937 column by Charles H. Hayward, invites readers to submit their own improvements to projects from Lost Art Press books.
Key facts
- Shawn Graham of Albino Deer Woodworks modified a Stanley No. 77 Doweling Machine.
- Graham used a cross-slide vise bolted in front of the dowel machine.
- The modification allows clamping sticks without wobble or vibration.
- Graham can center the stick perfectly and feed at a consistent rate.
- The method stops precisely on scribed lines for tenon length.
- Graham's tenons are in cherry wood.
- The modification was shared in Lost Art Press's 'Mind Upon Mind' series.
- The series is inspired by a 1937 Charles H. Hayward column.
Entities
Artists
- Shawn Graham
- Chris Schwarz
- Charles H. Hayward
- Kara Gebhart Uhl
Institutions
- Lost Art Press
- Albino Deer Woodworks
- Never Sponsored Substack
- The Stick Chair Journal