Question
I would love to get advice based on shops that utilize a doweling machine.
1. Do you think CNC doweling machine is necessary over the older non-CNC dowel drilling and insertion machine?
2. If you own a non-dowel insertion machine (Gannomat Optima 25), is it worth the upgrade to CNC or is it just more trouble than it's worth?
3. Should all doweling operations (vertical and horiz) be done on the doweling machine to eliminate the headache of calibrating the CNC nested based router for vertical with the doweling machine for horizontal? Or is this trivial?
4. How well do the dowel glue and insertion machines work in conjunction with a basic drilling machine?
5. If you were to add doweling to your operation today, what's the low cost entry machine you would consider? CNC, non-CNC with insertion, or drill with manual insertion?
Forum Responses
(Cabinetmaking Forum)
From contributor C:
We are buying an Omal 1300. We will be writing parametric programs - with “if” and “then” statements. Just walk up to it and drill and dowel. No bar code reader, nothing needed.
1. A CNC machine is faster, more accurate, and easy to use.
2. It is not more trouble than it is worth.
3. I can't answer because we bore on one machine and don't have a nested based machine but I would think using the nested machine to bore vertically makes a lot of sense.
4. Don't have experience can't say.
5. There are a lot of good low cost machines. I would consider the support that comes with the machine. Other than that I would stick with strong name brands. I buy the best I can afford - you get what you pay for.
2. More trouble, changeover can be cumbersome and time consuming.
3. We feel a horizontal is all that is needed. Accuracy on the router is great and the inserter can be easily made to match the router. We looked at the vertical options but don't envision going to doweled drawers any time soon.
4. I don't understand what you are asking.
5. The insertion only machines seem pointless when cost justifying a drill and dowel insertion machine. Non-CNC was not considered by us. The H-49 we are looking at is far more affordable than the rest we have looked at and is American made.
