I've got some 3/8 dowels I would like to make shafts out of. How do I go about reducing them to 11/32 ? Can a guy start a taper on one end chuck the other end in a drill and run it through a sized hole in a piece of 3/8 or 1/2 steel plate. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Bowbent,
You need some thing like this.   http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=DP   I seen an article in a wood magazine a couple of months make were they were making custom sized dowels using a blank stock of steel and drilling holes in the steel then running round stock in a drill motor thru the holes to reduce it.  dino

I use a small plane and barrel taper them.  Then I chuck them in a drill and sand smooth.  It doesn't take much.

3/8 is 12/32", you won't need much. Maybe just sanding them would work. Thos dowels will spine out pretty heavy, too, around 80# on average, so leave them long to begin with.

Good luck!

Hey thanks guys.My post should have read 9/32. I want to try some at 5/16 and see if they spline out ok.I like to shoot the smallest Dia- shaft I can with out going to CAr CAcA caaacc, sorry can't even say it, you that stuff with funny splinters. Although they do shoot well.Thanks again.

Boy those fractions are kickin my A-- LOL. Anyway most of you knew what I ment. 5/16 and 11/32. I welcome any other suggestions. Thanks

I buy 3/8 poplar all the time.  I built a tapering jig using a farriers rasp in order to taper the last ten inches of the shaft to a bit over 5/16 then sand the rest of the way.  I do this at both ends of the shaft and then sand down the middle third to get my spine to where I need it. A spine tester is going to be needed by you.  There are plans floating around to help you build one or you can buy one of the many excellent ones on the market. I built mine from a round protractor and some scrap wood and I will wager that I get my arrows to spine as close as anyone else out there and way closer to eachother than the spine groups I have received when ordering shafts

I use a steel plate that I drilled a 11/32 hole in. I just put a shaft in the chuck of the drill and using a steady pressure run them dowm. One tip if you use this method, don't stop until it has all gone through, otherwise you will get a groove around the shaft that is difficult to remove. Once I've reduced them I sand them and check the spine again.

you can buy 5/16" dowels also.  it really only takes a few minutes to reduce a 3/8" dowel to 11/32 with a sharp plane.

5/16 poplar dowels usually spine at about 30-35 pounds right outta the bin. Try to watch the grain as best you can and only choose the straightest.

PM'ing you with some info.....