How to Use Dowels in Carpentry

Typical carpentry dowels are 1/2-by-3 inches.

Dowel joints are one of the oldest ways to join pieces of wood. The versatility of dowel joinery makes it a popular choice for today's woodworker. The application is simple enough; drill two holes in a piece of wood, add some glue and insert a dowel. The dowel is invisible and becomes part of the wood. Dowels can be purchased in all popular sizes, or you can customize them to fit any drill bit. Most carpentry doweling is done in 3/4-inch stock using 3-inch dowels.

Things You'll Need

• Drill press
• Bit, 1/2-inch brad tip
• Doweling jig
• Glue
• Clamps

Instructions

Framing

1. Stand a length of 3/4-by-3-inch frame stock on its edge underneath a drill press equipped with a 1/2-inch bit. Center the drill bit at 3/8-inch and drill a hole 1 1/2-inch deep.

2. Drill a hole in an opposing piece of frame stock that is to be joined at a 90 degree angle. Clamp a hand-held doweling jig to the end of the stock and drill a hole centered at 1/2-inch from the edge centered at 3/8-inch, 1 1/2-inch deep.

3. Squirt some glue into each hole. Hammer a 3-inch dowel into one hole. Insert the protruding end of the dowel into the other hole. Put a clamp on both opposing pieces of wood and tighten until the joint is tight. Let the glue dry for one hour.

Panels

1. Drill holes 1 1/2-inch deep centered at 3/8-inch, about 6 inches apart on the edge of the panel, running the length of the panel using the doweling jig.

2. Slide the other panel up to the panel with the holes in it. Mark off the locations of the holes. Drill opposing holes into the other piece using the marks for reference. Center the holes at 3/8-inch, 1 1/2-inch deep.

3. Squirt glue into all the holes. Put dowels in one panel, hammer them in slightly. Slide the other panel over and position all the matching dowels together. Tap the panels together with the hammer. Put clamps across the dowels and tighten. Let the glue dry for 1 hour.

Tips & Warnings

• The measurements in this article are examples. For thicker wood, always center the dowel. Most doweling is focused around 3-inch dowels because that is the most popular dowel available. But you can cut them off at any length you want or buy extra length dowels also.

• Doweling jigs are hand-held tools with a sleeve and a built-in clamp that allows you to drill perfectly straight dowel holes. You can purchase one at a home improvement store.

References

• Mother Earth News: Woodworking Basics
• Sawdust Making 101: The Dowel Joint