Wood assembly - dowel joint
Wood assembly - dowel joint
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Difficulty:
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In woodworking, wood assembly by traditional means without nails or screws yields a more natural, attractive and professional finish. The joining method is chosen according to one’s tools, knowledge, and habits as well as according to the project at hand.
The dowel joint technique is easy and particularly suitable for making boxes, drawers, furniture and frames. Holes are drilled in each piece of wood to be joined; wooden dowels are then inserted and glued in place forming a link between the two pieces.
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Tools and materials required
TOOLS
- Vice
- Square
- Pencil
- Drill
- Appropriate drill bit
- Elastic band or depth stop
Before Assembly
Prefabricated dowels come in various sizes (e.g.: diameters of ½", ¼") and have grooves allowing excess glue to come out.
Dowels can also be made by cutting wood poles which can be bought in the stores in various lengths and diameters. Specific needs can thus be met more easily than with prefabricated dowels. These self-made dowels do not have grooves, but it is easy to insert them.
For this type of joint, the two most important points to watch are the precise location of the holes (to ensure that they correspond on the two parts) and the perfect right angle of the holes in relation to the surface.
Variation:
See the “false tenon” variation of the tenon and mortise joint, as well as the biscuit joint.
Steps
With this type of joint, the end portion of one board is fastened to the surface of another one. In the example below, the end of board A is joined to the surface of board B.
1.1 With the help of a square, trace on the end of board A two lines parallel to the extremities; these lines must be located at a precise distance (e.g.: 1.5") from both extremities.
1.2 Trace X patterns by joining the opposite corners of the rectangles defined in 1.1. The points where the diagonals meet are perfectly centered and indicate where to drill.
1.3 Repeat for each hole you want to drill on the end of the board.
2.1 Hammer a narrow nail in each of the points marked in step 1.
2.2 Using cutting pliers, cut the head of each nail.
2.3 Place board B very precisely on board A, where they will eventually be joined.
2.4 Lightly tap board B; the cut nails will make little perforations on B, thus indicating where to eventually drill.
2.5 Alternative option: Drill holes in board A, then insert metal dowel centres; these will work just as well as cut nails.
3.1 First measure the thickness of A.
3.2 At the location where A will be secured to B, trace two lines that represent the contours of A (the space separating the two lines corresponds to the thickness of A).
3.3 Use a square; don’t use A as a guide. Repeat the sequence shown in Step 1.
4.1 As a rule, holes should be 1/8" deeper than half the length of the dowel, to ensure sufficient space for the dowel and the glue. For example, for a dowel 1 ½" long, a 7/8" hole should be drilled.
4.2 If board B is thin (e.g.: 3/4"), it obviously cannot be drilled to a depth of 7/8". In that event, it should be drilled to 2/3 of its thickness, which is insufficient to secure half a 1 ½" dowel. To compensate, a hole deeper than 7/8" has to be drilled in A.
4.3 Use a brad point bit, the same diameter as the dowels, along with an accessory (elastic band or depth stop) to indicate, the depth not to be exceeded on the bit. It is preferable to use a depth stop, secured to the bit by means of a screw, and thus preventing you from drilling beyond the desired depth. Elastic bands, which mainly serve as visual markers, do not prevent the bit from drilling further.
4.4 At the moment of positioning the elastic band or the depth stop on the bit, do not include the tip in your measurements, because it will have no effect on the depth.
4.5 Before drilling a board, secure it in a vice, and protect it by placing two pieces of wood on each side.
4.6 Being as precise as possible, lean the tip of the bit on one of the points to be drilled, and drill a hole making sure you go deeper than necessary. Always maintain the drill at a right angle.
4.7 Sand the board where it was drilled, in order to eliminate splinters and smooth the surface.
5.1 Insert the dowels in the holes and join the boards, but without inserting glue in this first step.
5.2 If the boards fit well, take them apart.
5.3 Insert glue in the holes, proceed to the final assembly, and then dry excess glue.
5.4 You can use clamps to hold the boards while the glue is drying.
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