How to make dowels for timber with your own hands

Most home craftsmen prefer to independently monitor the serviceability of the furniture in their home, and in case of any breakdowns they do not seek outside help. In this regard, I want to tell you how to make dowels at home in literally 5-10 minutes, because in most cases you simply cannot do without them.

Source lesoteka.com

Features of application in the furniture industry

Conductors and templates are needed when assembling furniture.
These things will prevent you from having a common problem that occurs during drilling—the drill hitting the part at the wrong angle. Correcting such an error will take an extremely long time, in some cases it will even be impossible. A jig for making holes will not only allow you to correctly orient the working tool, but will also prevent it from straying from the desired trajectory.

In the furniture industry, jigs and templates are used in the following cases:

• in mass production;
• when assembling structures, when it is necessary to make holes for fasteners in the parts being connected. In this case, a jig for drilling holes for dowels or confirmat is suitable;
• a jig for drilling holes at an angle is used both in such cases and when working with thin boards, for example, MDF or chipboard.

When using such a device, the assembly process will be much easier and faster; you will be able to make the necessary holes regardless of how far they should be located from the edge of the part and how wide it is.

When assembling furniture yourself, you often have to connect parts end-to-end using dowels. Holes for dowels are best made using a special jig. The peculiarity of dowels is that despite the fact that such fasteners, although outdated, are still relevant in furniture production.

The difficulty in their use lies in the fact that the axes of the holes that are made in the parts when connecting must have a right angle with each other. Accordingly, they must be placed strictly perpendicular to each other. It is difficult to do this without a special device. Therefore, if you want to achieve high quality performance, it is recommended to buy a dowel jig.

for “We make wooden dowels ourselves”

Kolya Onischuk

Hello Andrey, it’s an interesting device, but I would like to know about the plane, how it works for you, they sent me a defective one, or the sole with a V-shaped groove rises crookedly(((((((((((((((

Andrey Yarmolkevich

In my plane, I exposed the stationary part of the sole, placing pieces of bronze foil and washers between it and the body of the plane, so that if you put a ruler on both parts of the sole (movable and stationary), there would be no gaps. And initially both parts of the sole stood in a “house” ^ - like this. After that I re-set the knives. Now it planes normally. The moving part, it seems to me, is more difficult to bring to mind. 

Kolya Onischuk

and the thickness of the layer being removed is not adjustable. 

Andrey Yarmolkevich

It turns out. The fact is that initially the front and back parts of the sole are not parallel. After the rear fixed part is aligned parallel to the moving part, when moving the moving part (i.e. when adjusting the removal amount), the parallelism is maintained. 

Alexey Ryazanov

Andrey good video! I also tried to make dowels in a similar way before, the hole in the pine also broke, I replaced it with cherry, but the quality of the dowels still did not suit me. Eventually I learned how to make dowels from any wood using a circular saw. 

Andrey Yarmolkevich

I saw this method from a Japanese guy (nickname noho91 on YouTube). He also has a video about dowels on a band saw - I think it’s safer. For large diameters one of these methods must be chosen. The dowels that I made were intended for sealing sinuses when connected to an oblique screw with a WolfCraft device and have a diameter of 9.5 mm. the quality of the dowels was not critical here. 

Alexey Ryazanov

So I remembered from the Japanese that I saw a method with a band saw, but I don’t have a ribbon; a circular saw also works well, especially with soft wood.

Andrey Yarmolkevich

I'll have to try it. It’s a pity that the Japanese doesn’t post videos anymore - he seems to be in very bad health. From what I understand from reading his blog through a translator, he broke his ribs when he fell. It's a pity, a very interesting person with extraordinary thinking. 

Alexey Ryazanov

Yes, I agree that many of his ideas were implemented using an ordinary drill.

Ivan Bychenok

Andrey, why don’t you use a router to make dowels?

Andrey Yarmolkevich

It seems to me that it's easier this way. I know two ways to make dowels using a router. First: using a radius cutter - not suitable, because I needed dowels with a diameter of 9.5 mm, but I don’t have a cutter of that radius (4.25). The second is when a cutter is used instead of a hacksaw blade in a device similar to the one in my video. You can use a circular saw instead of a cutter. This method seemed more cumbersome to me. Or do you mean some third method with a router? 

Purpose and features of dowels

Wooden dowels are specially designed for pinning log walls. They prevent such natural processes in wood as drying out, as a result of which the wood changes its original properties and becomes deformed.

The use of such bolts will help to avoid the process of displacement of logs in the wall. Their correct installation will provide the structure with stability; the bars will be positioned as they were in the initial position.

The most popular are dowels made from hardwood. Birch or oak dowels cannot be broken if they are installed correctly. Most often they are given a rounded shape and a size corresponding to 24-25 mm. Wooden nails should be even and smooth along their entire length.

Pins are a material that helps hold a wall in a certain position. Dowels are used without fail, regardless of whether the building is log or timber. The most widespread are birch thorns.

These wooden bolts cannot be replaced with other components such as nails or screws, the use of which will only worsen the situation. In addition, you should not use pins on a metal base, which are most often reinforcement. As a result, it is possible to observe the interaction of materials with different degrees of thermal conductivity.

As a result, condensation may appear on the inner surface of the beam, and this is completely unnecessary. In this case, the reinforcement will begin to rust and the wood will rot.

Fastening timber with dowels

The most durable options are spikes made of oak or birch. It is not possible to deform, bend, or break them. However, there is one condition. They must be properly secured. What are their shape and sizes? The optimal solution is details with rounded contours.

Their length should not exceed 25 mm. Wooden dowels must be smooth and even not only at the point of installation, but over the entire surface. It is these nails that guarantee the longest possible service life.

Installing dowels in timber is a mandatory rule for timber and log structures. Birch thorns are the most common option. Such dowels cannot become an analogue of self-tapping screws or primitive nails. If they are used, it is impossible to guarantee the stability and reliability of the structure. It is also worth abandoning the use of reinforcement. Metal versions can lead to a number of negative consequences, which is explained by the direct interaction of materials with different thermal conductivity parameters. What can the use of metal dowels lead to? It could be:

• condensation formation;
• coating the surface of the spikes with rust;
• rotting of the entire layer of wood.

Installation sequence

The procedure for working with wooden tenons comes down to the following points: first you need to find the middle on the desired plane and mark the future hole.

1. Using a drilling machine, you need to make a recess. A spike will be inserted into it. The diameter of the drill should be the same as that of the dowel. Depth – 1.5 timber.
2. If the fastener is too loose in the hole, it will not be able to fully perform its function. If the dowel is too dense and protrudes above the surface, problems may arise as a result of the natural shrinkage of the building.
3. When machining a hole, you need to ensure that the angle of the drill is perpendicular to the base. This will help avoid problems when connecting parts. The dowel connects 2 beams or logs, and this must be done in a checkerboard pattern along the perimeter of the log house wall. In this case, the permissible distance between them will be 1000-1500 mm.
4. From the combination of bowls and openings it is necessary to make an indent of 300 mm. During installation, the moisture level of the dowels must match the moisture content of the timber itself.
5. It is necessary to insert core buttons into the resulting hole, intended for marking the hole on another board. In the absence of such a part, it is quite possible to resort to independent production. To do this, you need to sharpen the rod in the form of a pencil so that there is a needle in the middle. Insert it into the hole.
6. Then the two boards are laid on a flat surface and lightly pressed against each other. Thus, markings appear on a clean board for drilling a recess for a tenon.

The dowel must sit tightly and without bevels in the grooves of the timber, otherwise it will not fulfill its function.
For such purposes, you can use a marking thicknesser. Here it is important to correctly find the middle of the desired surfaces.

You need to insert a rod into the resulting holes, treat parts of the boards with glue, connect the workpieces and clamp them into a clamp. Then you need to dry the structure.

Adviсe:

1. Holes for dowels should be made correctly. This connection has its own peculiarity: it cannot be changed at the time of assembly.
2. A prerequisite is to drill the recesses strictly perpendicularly.
3. You should not make too deep holes, this can lead to the dowel coming out of the board. They shouldn't hang around.

Cutting external and internal threads on wood

In order to apply carvings to wood, tools such as a tap (cutter) and a die are used. They are used to apply both internal and external threads. But in order to carry out such work you need:

• take into account the density of wood, since not everyone is suitable for such procedures;
• internal thread requires pre-drilling a hole, the diameter of which should be less than the diameter of the tap;
• after that the hole is cleared of chips;
• For more successful work, you should use oil, for example, linseed, just drop a little of it into the hole, and then insert the tap.

The angle at which the tap is inserted must be straight; under no circumstances should distortions be allowed, otherwise the part will be damaged.

As for external threads, they are applied in approximately the same way:

1. the diameter of the workpiece must be equal to the diameter of the die;
2. after that oil is applied.

In addition to the die, you can also use a regular nut:

• the oiled workpiece is placed in a vice;
• then slowly screw in the nut using a wrench.

After the required number of grooves have been cut, unscrew it just as carefully.

The use of dowels in the construction of houses and baths

Wooden dowels are used in the construction of various structures with log or timber walls. Their use is approved by the standards of construction organizations and projects of wooden houses. In practice, the use of birch tenons provides a perfect connection to wooden substrates. It is distinguished by the mobility of the vertical level. However, this does not prevent the wood from naturally shrinking.

In the process of building wooden houses, they often resort to making dowels for timber with their own hands.

Round birch nails give the building strength and security.

The build quality and reliability of the walls will be at the highest level and will please anyone.

Manufacturing Guide

Wooden dowels should be smooth and round in shape.

You can make dowels for timber yourself; it is only important to know about some nuances. To do this, you need to take birch logs of a given length and split them into many parts, creating square-shaped blanks. Then manually trim them, giving them a rounded shape of a certain diameter.

If you have a lathe, all elements can be carefully and quickly turned. In addition, you can use disused cuttings from shovels as a base for the spike. To give them the desired shape, you just need to cut them and make blanks. Round tenons can also be made using a circular saw.

Other uses

Hole jigs are used not only in furniture production. Quite often they are used when you need to make a hole in a pipe or other cylindrical part. Thanks to them, you can make a high-quality hole even in a pipe with a small diameter.

Such devices are universal and easy to use, so they are also used in the following industries:

• mechanical engineering - drilling holes in different-sized workpieces based on different materials;
• construction - drilling holes in building structures;
• home communications - as already mentioned, pipe drilling and more.

Modern drilling jigs can be of different sizes and have different operating principles. Some of them are complex, so they are easier to buy. And some modifications can be made independently, especially since some serial furniture models, especially those with universal purposes, are expensive.

How to arrange a connection between furniture parts

The procedure for attaching parts to a wooden nail is not complicated. By following the instructions below, you can connect the parts and assemble the furniture without much effort. The assembly diagram looks like this:

1. Holes are drilled in the parts to be joined if they were not made at the factory. The diameter of the recesses should be slightly larger than the diameter of the chopper, and the length should be 1-2 mm longer than the dowel. The presence of gaps in this case is by no means a disadvantage. They prevent fasteners from jamming and help compensate for temperature and humidity deformation.
2. The protruding part is filed down if necessary.
3. Using a mallet, hammer a dowel into the hole so that its surface is slightly below the plane of the part. If you need to connect the furniture frame, then the dowel is driven in half. The protruding part of the wooden furniture chopper is smeared with glue and, having laid the end part of the furniture or facade on top, it is seated on the mount.

At first glance, it seems that this technique does not provide reliable fixation of the structure, but in practice it turns out that when using high-quality, well-dried dowels, furniture, log houses and timber are durable and stable.

Dowels, dowels, choppers, metal fasteners are types of fastening elements used for reliable connections. Without their use it is impossible to imagine the house-building industry and the furniture industry.

Fastening log beams with wooden dowels

Fastening the log house with wooden dowels #8212; no alternative solution in wooden architecture. All wooden structures of this kind are fastened with wooden nails, which have the construction name of a dowel. Birch, oak and other hardwoods #8212; they are designed to tie the entire beam into a single structure and not allow the crowns of the log house to move and shift in the horizontal plane. According to their shape, dowels come in square and round sections. Such formats are easier to produce. Other sections of these wooden nails did not take root due to the complexity of production and high cost.

My bath #8212; not an exception. I will also secure the timber with wooden dowels. If I'm lucky, I'll get oak ones. The point is not that oak is very strong. Important properties of dowels should be as follows:

• durable (rot resistant);
• be amenable to machining and maintain linear dimensions;
• do not contain knots and have low causticity (do not crack when impacted);
• maintain the cross-sectional size for as long as possible

As a rule, wooden dowels are made on planing machines. Manufacturing accuracy must be quite high. The cross-sectional size must be precisely adjusted to the specific hole into which the dowel will be driven.

Making a tap for wood carving with your own hands

To cut carvings in wood, you may need a wood tap; this tool will most likely not be cheap, and it can be quite difficult to find. But don’t be upset, because such a part is quite easy to make yourself. To do this you will need:

• angle grinding machine;
• sharpening machine;
• drill;
• Next, you need to select a bolt or screw that will have the required thread.

When using a bolt, first cut off the hex head, then use a sharpening machine to make a small part for entry, this is done by rotating it by hand or by securing the end in a drill. Next, you will need to grind out 3-4 grooves and clean the threads from any debris that got into it during grinding; this can be done with a nut.

Benefits of use

Essentially, such a jig acts as a template for making holes so that they are made as accurately as possible. They can be used for those holes whose axis is perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece, as well as for working at an angle.

This tool is an excellent alternative to sketches and manual measurements. You can place the drill strictly at the desired angle in relation to the workpiece and will not allow any deviation. The result will be especially noticeable when it comes to making deep holes.

If you use such a high-quality device for working with chipboard, then it should have the following characteristics:

• facilitate quick assembly of furniture without the need to use complex tools;
• make it possible to make several holes simultaneously without manual marking;
• significantly improve the quality of work with the drill.

Conductors are made from different materials; there are models based on plastic or organic glass. However, the best option is considered to be steel, which has such advantages as:

• minimal likelihood of deformation;
• the drill is directed as clearly as possible;
• no heating during operation.

Very often, overhead models based on lightweight materials that are easy to manipulate are used as furniture jigs. Many people use factory or homemade tools.

And the most qualified and experienced craftsmen no longer use a jig, since they can easily make a hole in structures on their own as accurately as possible. But not everyone can do this.

The key advantage of such a device is that the work can be performed as accurately and efficiently as possible, even by a person who does not have the proper experience. You don't have to do markings and complex preliminary calculations. You will save a lot of time and produce furniture much faster.

Dowel connection technology - how to make it yourself and other connection methods

Dowel connection technology - how to make it yourself and other connection methods

Connecting parts with dowels is much easier to do than classic sockets and tenons, and they are also several times stronger than slats.

The common dowels can always be put to good use in any woodworking project.

Such connections, like dowels, require only accurate markings and fairly simple tools so that you can assemble a connection whose strength is practically in no way inferior to all the usual tenons, but at the same time everything can be done exactly 2 times faster.

General information

In fact, dowels can be used in most connections, for example, “end to end”, “edge to edge”, “miter” and “edge to face”. A lot of special drilling jigs have already been produced, from the simplest ones, without the ability to make adjustments, to the tricky ones with many adjustments.

But trust your experience, for less than $70 you can buy a jig with automatic centering, as well as the ability to change guide bushings, which will cope with almost every task of making dowel joints. Moreover, you may need drills with a center point that will match the diameter of the sleeves, and also a countersink that is slightly larger than the diameter of the drill.

You can also find round dowels of different diameters on sale, but as practice has shown, the most popular are 6.8 and 10 mm, because they are suitable for most tasks. It is preferable to use dowels with longitudinal knurling in the form of narrow grooves, which will not interfere with the free release of excess glue and begin to swell from moisture, holding tightly in the holes.

Making dowels

You can make dowels at home quite simply. They will have a horizontal helical cross-section applied to them, which will allow such fasteners to reliably fix the parts being connected. A minimal set of tools is used for this; the process does not look labor-intensive.

As a form, you can use dies for cutting threads, called dies. The set usually has several diameters, which will allow you to choose the most suitable one. A wooden blank is pre-made, made in the form of a rod with a diameter slightly larger than the future dowels.

The die is fixed in a vice, and the workpiece is fixed in a conventional drill. The limitation of the dowel diameter is the maximum capabilities of its cartridge. It is not recommended to make workpieces that are too strong, as they may break from twisting during the grooving process. The workpiece is completely passed through the lathe, which leads to its turning to the required diameter and the application of a notch.

After this, it is enough to cut it using a hacksaw or jigsaw into fragments of the required length and the wooden dowels for the timber, made by yourself, are ready. The process is quite fast and allows you to save a lot of money, since you can use wood scraps and trimmings to make them.

Homemade conductor devices

Jigs of the simplest design, for example, those used for drilling holes for confirmation, are relatively inexpensive, so many craftsmen do not bother making them themselves and purchase serial models. Meanwhile, there are those who try to make even such simple devices with their own hands. The question of how to make a jig for drilling with your own hands often arises and, if necessary, drill non-standard holes.

To make your own jig for dowels or a jig for confirmations that is simpler in design, you can use drawings and videos on the Internet.

When manufacturing a jig, you will need perfectly accurate drilling of guide holes and hardening of the finished device

To manufacture such a device, naturally, you will need a drawing of it. You also need a minimum set of tools and equipment:

• electric or hand drill;
• a set of locksmith tools;
• Bulgarian;
• welding machine (for the manufacture of jig devices of a more complex design).

The simplest homemade conductor can be made from available tools and materials that are available in abundance in most home workshops or garages. The use of such materials, which include pieces of metal reinforcement, wooden blocks, metal plates, etc., allows you to significantly save on the purchase of a serial model of the device.

Drawing of a homemade conductor for drilling holes for confirmations

Making a homemade jig for a drill or single-spindle machine takes place in several stages.

1. Square reinforcement with a cross section of 10 by 10 mm, using a hacksaw or grinder, must be cut into pieces of the required length.
2. The centers of the holes through which drilling will be performed should be at a distance of 8 mm from the edge of the conductor plate. It is at this distance that the center of the chipboard or MDF board in which the hole is drilled is located.
3. The pitch between the holes on the jig, in accordance with generally accepted furniture standards, is 32 mm, while the diameter of such holes should be 5 mm.
4. If you equip a homemade conductor with a stop, then using such a device will be much more convenient. To create such a stop, you need a metal plate 1 mm thick and 25 mm wide, which is bent at a right angle and fixed to a ready-made jig device made from reinforcement.
5. After the structural elements of a homemade conductor are fixed with a clamp, they must be securely connected to each other using threaded fasteners.

Ready-made jig with rotary stops

To minimize the amount of dust generated when using a homemade conductor, its design can be supplemented with half a plastic bottle. Such a simple device can also act as a tray in which the chips generated during the drilling process will be collected.

The method described above allows you to make a simple homemade jig, which greatly facilitates and speeds up the process of assembling any furniture structure.

The main fastening element in furniture assembly is the confirmat. It is screwed in with preparatory drilling of the hole. Specifically, we will look at drilling assembly holes in chipboard for confirmations in this publication.

To assemble chipboard parts we will need:

• Screwdriver
• Confirmation bat
• Confirm drill
• Ruler, in other words, roulette
• Pencil and awl
• Confirmations

When assembling furniture, confirmat size 6.450 is usually used. Because The diameter of the thread is 6.4 mm, and the diameter of the body of the confirmat is 4.4 mm, then for high-quality fastening of parts, the diameter of the hole is expected to be within 4.5-5 mm and a depth of more than 50 mm.

If the thickness of the hole is not just indicated, the confirmat will not hold the parts well; if it is less, it can tear the chipboard with its own width.

To perform drilling, use a confirmat drill, 4.5 mm in diameter, which is equipped with an additional head for drilling an enlarged hole for the neck of the confirmat, which also makes a countersink for its head.

This, an ordinary drill with a diameter of 5 mm is also used, but for high-quality fastening in the hole, additional space is made for the neck of the confirmat and its cap.

In order to perfectly fasten two parts, you need to very accurately mark the places of their fastenings.

On the part that will be applied to the end (the one that will occupy the through hole), it is necessary to make two measurements - in length (usually 5-10 cm) and from the edge - exactly 8 mm (this is if the thickness of the plate is 16 mm).

On a part that lies perpendicular, mark the drilling point at the end. Here it is necessary to maintain the same distance in length (5-10 cm from the beginning), and in width - strictly in the center (8 mm from the edge).

Characteristics and dimensions

Dowels may vary in length and diameter. Diameter sizes range from 4 to 30 mm, and lengths from 15 to 200 mm. At the buyer's request, they are manufactured in any variations, where D is the diameter and L is the length of the product.

The dowel is a popular fastener, and therefore professionals try to purchase parts in bulk in advance, so as not to waste time and money on constant purchases. The advantages of fasteners include:

• Corrugation of the surface on the rod - this helps to securely fix the parts, ensuring their strong adhesion;
• Improved appearance of furniture, because the fastenings are completely hidden from view;
• Possibility of selecting the diameter and length required for assembly of the product, in accordance with the design features.

DIY engraving machine (matte)

This equipment is used not only by professionals, but also by home craftsmen. Despite the fact that you can easily buy it in a store, some people prefer to make it themselves. It is quite simple to make such a device, but despite its simplicity, it also successfully performs its functions as those manufactured at the factory. So, an engraver is needed:

• for milling surfaces (flat and shaped), as well as grooves and holes of various configurations;
• drilling and boring holes;
• for cutting sheets;
• cleaning from corrosion and other contaminants;
• grinding and polishing of parts;
• and of course for applying images and inscriptions on surfaces.

The reliability of a homemade engraver will depend on what materials were used. In order to make the device, you will need:

1. flexible shaft or drive;
2. a nozzle for it in order to fix the instrument (you can use it from a drill or make it yourself);
3. a tube with a freely rotating cartridge consisting of two halves fastened with a screw is inserted into the hole of the nozzle;
4. a tool is inserted into the chuck, the shank of which should have a diameter of 2 to 5 mm, and if the parts are not homemade, then one is selected that is suitable in diameter.

Attention: as an electric motor, use any motor operating from a 220 volt network, but the most suitable is considered to be one from a sewing machine, since it has a built-in rheostat that allows you to change the speed mode of the machine.

Plugs and heels for chair legs using improvised materials

In order to avoid damage to the floor in the kitchen or in another room, when using wooden chairs, you should insulate those parts that can do this, that is, the legs. To do this, you can go to the store and buy special heels, or you can save money and make them yourself. The following materials are suitable for making heels for table legs:

1. an old carpet, parts of it can be cut out to the desired size and glued to the legs;
2. rubber, also cut out to the required size and secured with nails or glue;
3. felt insoles;
4. linoleum;
5. leather.

Classification of tools

Before you buy a ready-made conductor or make it yourself, you need to decide what problems you will solve with its help and only then you need to select the appropriate option in terms of design and functions.

There are a number of categories of devices that differ in their design and functional features. Here are some of them:

• overhead - such devices are applied to a part that can be processed, then it is attached to it or simply fixed manually. With their help, holes are made in various flat parts, MDF boards or chipboard;
• rotary - these templates are used when processing cylindrical parts. They are equipped with horizontal and vertical axes of rotation, so holes can be made at different angles;
• universal - such devices are suitable for small serial furniture manufacturers, where sometimes quick readjustment of the equipment used is required, they have all the functions necessary for this;
• tiltable - used when the technological procedure is carried out in several planes at once;
• sliding - such conductors do not need to be attached. Simply attach them to the surface area of ​​the workpiece where you want to make a hole;
• fixed - they are more convenient to use, but they limit freedom of action, which is very critical when working with machines where there is only one spindle.

DIY jig for drilling holes

As already mentioned, depending on the scope of use and design, you can make some options yourself, thanks to which you will save a significant amount.

Before work, find the required drawing of the device and make everything strictly according to it.

Tools required for work:

• welding machine;
• Bulgarian;
• drill;
• locksmith supplies.

To make the simplest version of the conductor with your own hands, we perform the following steps:

• take reinforcement measuring 10 by 10 mm with a square cross-section;
• cut a piece of the required length and sand it with sandpaper;
• make markings for the template holes. In this case, it is not allowed for the center to approach the edge by more than 8 mm, this is almost half the thickness of the chipboard sheet. Also, according to the standards, a distance of 32 mm must be maintained between centers;
• after marking the centers, make holes in them 5 mm in diameter;
• to make an emphasis, take a metal plate 2.5 mm wide and 1 mm thick. Bend it at an angle of 90 degrees, and then, together with a piece of prepared reinforcement and fastening in a clamp, make a place for the thread;
• cut the thread and connect the two parts into one structure. The device is ready.

As you can see, such a device is very simple to make yourself, but it will greatly simplify your work if you are making furniture. If you are doing this exclusively as an amateur, then this option will be sufficient. If you can’t do it yourself, buy a ready-made option, perhaps the simplest and most inexpensive.

But professional equipment will cost much more; it makes sense to purchase it even when we are talking about at least small-scale mass production. But with its help you can easily and quickly connect pieces of furniture or repair it.

So, you have learned what a hole jig is and how it helps in furniture production. This device can be purchased ready-made or made by yourself.

Have you ever seen furniture assembled as if it had no fasteners at all?

Any furniture is assembled using fasteners. It’s just that one fastener is visible, for example, from the outside, and the other is not.

As fasteners, there can be confirmations, minifixes, corners. All of the above fasteners are visible, if not from the outside of the parts, then from the inside.

But there are fasteners, thanks to which the part is attached at all, without visible signs of fastening.

This fastener is called a dowel.

A dowel is a wooden cylinder, the dimensions of which are usually 35x8 mm (length - 35mm, diameter - 8mm).

The essence of fastening on it is that coaxial holes are made in two joining parts into which the dowel itself is inserted. It turns out that two parts are attached with their two coaxial holes to this fastener.

Usually, when fastening, the dowel is “driven” into the holes of the parts using PVA glue, so the connection is very strong.

Such fasteners are widely used when working with wood, but they are also used in the manufacture of cabinet furniture.

Despite all the advantages (visual absence of the fastening itself, fairly high strength of the connection), the dowel connection also has its disadvantages.

And its disadvantages are the following:

• Such a mount can no longer be disassembled (for example, for repairs). That is, it is done once.
• For such fastenings, you need to accurately make holes for them. Otherwise, the parts will not fit relative to each other, and, of course, there will be no possibility of adjusting them.

This is why such connections are almost never made manually.

For these purposes, special devices are always used - conductors.

Conductors can be homemade (low quality) or factory-made (usually imported), the quality of which is much higher.

The figure below shows probably the simplest conductor for the connection we are considering.

These are specially made “hairpins” that have a diameter almost equal to the diameter of the dowel.

They are simply inserted into holes for dowels drilled at the ends of the joining parts. Then, the part with these pins is simply placed in its intended place and pressed. “Marks” from the needles remain on the second part.

Holes are made using these marks.

The main thing is that the holes in the ends of the parts (into which these “clips” are inserted) should be made along the central axis of the ends themselves.

The cost of the dowels themselves is relatively low, therefore, if you have a good jig, they can be successfully used when connecting parts whose outer surfaces must be “clean”.

Varieties

In fact, a dowel is a small spike - it is a hidden type of furniture fastener. In appearance, it resembles a cylinder-shaped rod, with slightly rounded or simply truncated ends on both sides. Sometimes, to assemble furniture on dowels, not only wooden elements are used, but also plastic ones. They have slightly different purposes:

• Wooden ones are needed for positioning and connecting furniture parts made of MDF, chipboard, plywood, and solid wood;
• Plastic ones mainly connect parts when installing prefabricated panel furniture.

There are also metal products. They have improved strength characteristics; they are also called dowels or dowels. But the most commonly used are wooden dowels measuring 30 by 8, that is, the length is 30 mm and the diameter is 8 mm. There is also a smaller diameter - 6 mm. You can purchase different types in construction stores or markets. If you wish, you can make dowels yourself.

Subtleties of fastening dowels made of wood

How is the beam fastened with dowels? You can also do it yourself, without using the services of professionals. The procedure is extremely simple. Using wood tenons will first require finding the middle of the plane being used. At this point it is necessary to make the appropriate markings. This is where the hole will be created later.

Now you need to drill a hole using a drill. It is in this that you will then need to attach the dowels. That is why it is very important to choose the drill diameter correctly. Its dimensions must be identical to the same parameters of the spike. As for the depth, it is 1.5 timber. The question of what dowels for 150x150 timber turns out to be quite simple. Here you can see how this procedure is performed.

In this case, the task itself disappears: how to drill the timber for the dowels. Of course, the best option is a modern drill. It is much more important to ensure that the hole is processed correctly. The entry angle depends on the position of the drill. It must be strictly perpendicular to the base itself. Competency in performing this step will allow you to avoid problems with the installation of fragments in the future. It is also worth remembering that if the dowel is located extremely loosely in the timber, this will deprive the structure of all the advantages of this type of fasteners. You should also avoid excessive density. The length of the dowel should not be greater than the established dimensions. Protrusion of a part above the surface leads to problems during the inevitable shrinkage of the structure.

What are wooden dowels?

First, it’s worth understanding what the dowel itself is. The part is a miniature fragment made to strengthen the walls of a log house made of timber. In this case, it is the diameter of the dowels for the timber that acts as one of the most key characteristics.

The purpose of the dowels may be different. For example, wooden dowels are aimed at fixing log structures. The detail allows you to slow down a variety of negative consequences that invariably accompany the functioning of wooden structures. It could be:

Such peculiar pins, installed correctly and correctly, will make the building stable. The beams of the structure will be placed in such a way that they will remain unchanged after a couple of months and after several decades.