Frames, chairs, carcase
Dowel
Round pins in paired holes. Useful, and easy to drill crooked.
Use when
- You need a pinned frame and you can drill square.
Don’t use when
- Do not space them closer than about two diameters.
- Keep
- Waste, hatched on the drawing
- Dimension
- Long parts are broken. The 1 in bar is true scale.
Stock
Thickness steppers move by 1/16 in, or 0.5 mm. You can type 3/4 or 1-1/8.
Sizes
| Mark | Size | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Dowel diameter | 3/8 in | Nearest common size between 1/3 and 1/2 of the thickness. 3/8 in (matches a 3/8 in bit) |
| Embed each side | 15/32 in | 1 to 1.5 diameters into each member |
| From the edge | 3/8 in | About one diameter off the edge |
| Spacing | 15/16 in | 2 to 3 diameters, center to center |
| Dowels | 2 | What fits across the width at that spacing |
Cut sequence
1Drill square
A doweling jig or a steady brace. Crooked holes open the shoulder.
Setup: 3/8 in bit. Embed 15/32 in each side.
2Space them
About 3/8 in off the edge, then 15/16 in apart.
Setup: 2 dowels.
Stop when: A dry dowel enters and the shoulder closes.
3Dry-fit, then glue
Close the joint dry. Check that shoulders and faces meet, then glue. If this is a frame or a box, check both diagonals before the glue grabs.
Stop when: Dry-fit is tight with hand pressure, square, and the diagonals match.
Glue
Long grain to long grain
Strength
furniture
Movement
Dowels are long grain to long grain if the holes are square. A crooked hole turns into a gap at the shoulder.