The Stanley No. 77 Doweling Machine

Anyone ever come across one of these fellas?Thought I’d drop a few photos here of this little gem from a century ago, as you don’t see a ton of info on these machines. I scored this old No. 77 Dowel maker a while back and have been fixing it up/replacing missing parts over the last couple of months. Put it through some trials today with the nastiest looking hickory stick in my shop and, even with a half-sharp blade, the fella chopped that stick into a passable dowel…. And why fun it was to use! I found that this machine wants speed, not torque – so more rpm and no forcing the stock in. Just kind of get your right arm whirring around and the left gently guides in the square stock. Chips fly immediately, and out comes your dowel!