Hello folks. I broke a stummel the other day by trying to place it on a dowel rod!
What material do you use for your dowel rods? I have tried using pine which was so soft that it would indent and create a shelf where the bowl rim meets the dowel rod and I have tried using oak which didn't dent but also I couldn't get the pipe to stay on (maybe I had the wrong width)? Eventualy I tried so hard that I broke the stummel up the middle of a pretty nice pipe!
I take it you are using the split dowel as an internal vice to hold the bowl? If slippage is a problem try using some double sided tape on the dowel. I take it you over tightened the dowel on a slipping bowl to cause the split. Be sure to wipe the interior of the bowl with alcohol to remove any sawdust when using the double sided tape.
Get a a dowel to match the size of the bore, taper the dowel on the end to facilitate insertion, and use a piece of paper folded into a strip (or a strip of sandpaper) to create some extra friction.
No need to muscle that thing on there. If you're sanding hard enough to move it after the above, you need to reevaluate your process.
