Wood Dowels
Wood dowels are cylindrical pieces of wood that can be used in woodworking, crafts etc as pegs, axles and support rods. They are fashioned to join pieces of wood together
Wooden dowels are utilized in reinforcing structure in furniture like cabinets, shelves, and other woodcraft projects.
In woodworking projects, dowel rods are usually cut into dowel pins, customized according to the needs of the project.
Once the dowels are cut, they are inserted into drilled blind holes.
These are available in a variety of diameters and lengths.
Made from Beech wood, the range starts from 5mm up to 14mm diameter.
User Guidelines
To be able to use a dowel joint effectively, the woodworker needs to drill a hole that should be somewhat smaller than the dowel’s width, ensuring a snug fit for installing. Make sure that the wooden dowels are evenly cut.
Then the dowels are glued into their places, sanded and aligned evenly to the connecting wood.
The size of the dowel needs to be taken with extra care since, for doweling, the estimation for the diameter will depend based on half of the board that will be used. For example, when using wooden boards with 3/4″ width, the dowel should be 5/16″ or 3/8″.
Keep in mind that a thicker dowel will have a higher possibility of crippling the wood while a narrower dowel does not ensure the strength of the joints.
Here are tips to ease the process in doweling:
One is to chamfer the tips of the dowel to make the inset of the dowels easier. Next, to carve a small groove, with a band saw and pliers to hold it down, along the length of the dowel to make leeway for the hydraulic pressure from the trapped air and glue.
