The uses of dowel rods for woodworking and crafting are numerous. However, dowels are also quite versatile in and of themselves. Consider dowel joinery. This is the process whereby a standard dowel may be used to join pieces of wood used in projects. A simple dowel can be used to create the pins necessary for dowel joinery. This is quite advantageous for several reasons.
First, using a dowel to create the pins necessary for joinery may lessen the overall amount of money invested in woodworking projects by replacing more modern, and perhaps more costly, methods of securing wood pieces, such as screws, nails, or hinges. Second, doing so also further facilitates gains in woodworking experience and skills as the woodworker makes the dowel pins needed to complete the joints. Finally, a woodworker who crafts and utilizes dowel pins for joinery creates a project made only of natural and organic elements, staying truer to the art of woodworking.
Creating a dowel pin is rather simple to accomplish, requiring very little woodworking tools or overall expertise. Create a dowel pin of your own using the following steps:
1. Select the wood dowel from which you would like to make the dowel pin.
2. Gauge the dimensions you will need for the joint, then use a pencil to mark one end of the dowel according to those dimensions.
3. Cut the dowel through at the inscribed mark using a saw with a fine blade.
4. Insert either end of the unfinished pin into a manual pencil sharpener until the dowel is chamfered. Repeat this process with the other end of the dowel.
5. For easier insertion into the applicable joint, consider using sandpaper to slightly round the ends of the dowel pin.
6. Use a pair of pliers to slightly etch the dowel pins. The etching will better hold wood glue, which will help to strengthen the wood joint.
7. Apply wood glue into the crevices of the dowel pin.
8. Carefully insert the dowel pin into the hole of the joint and secure it into place using a mallet.
Using a hardwood dowel can yield many creative woodworking projects, many of which can be made quite simply and inexpensively. Because they can be used interchangeably, whether as a part of a project itself or as a part of its joinery, they are even more valuable. Multipurpose and functionality make a sometimes underestimated hardwood dowel a fantastic tool for any number of woodworking projects!