Hardwood Dowels

[Roach1948]

Where can I find hardwood dowels 8mm in diameter? I need to plug some long holes around 2 to 3 inches.

 

[JREdginton]

Don't know but you could drill a 8mm hole into a bit of steel and then drift 8/9mm square section of your choosen timber through it with a mallet. Job done.

 

[Casey]

Look in Axminster Power Tools for a dowel maker.

 

[DinghyMan]

Try Beech dowels or better still Miller Dowels or as suggested above drill some holes (this is the posh version)

 

[Captain Coochie]

Agree with the dowel maker , then you can make them out of the same timber .
Dowel maker
Ops i should check other peoples links first /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[sailorman]

A "Dowel Plate" is the traditional device

rip timber to approx sq dim + a little then remove 4 corners then 8 corners then chisel a point on one end then drive through the plate with a hammer

PS if you make your own plate after drilling the 3/8 hole slightly counter sink the side you start driving the dowel through.
its worth when a dowel is made to run a tenon saw along the lenght a couple of times to allow any glue to escape rather than end up with comperssed air trapped in the hole you are filling

 

[ccscott49]

cant you just plug each end with two half inch plugs, using a standard plug cutter.

 

[cliffordpope]

Dowels will show endgrain and lead water in. I'm not sure what the proper answer is though. Filler, and then cap with a plug that matches the grain?
Whenever I've been tempted to plug a hole with a dowel, the surrounding wood always expands and contracts at a different rate, and the dowel comes loose.

 

[Roach1948]

I'm aware of the end grain wicking - so will plug the ends with mahog plugs. The holes will be epoxy glued and therefore the dowel should remain dry I hope. Maybe I can used many plugs banged in ontop of each other, but I suspect there will be more chance of air being trapped. I like Sailorman's idea of running a ridge down the dowel so the epoxy can squidge out and leave no air.

 

[ccscott49]

Plugs cut from timber which are normally cut across the grain, show no end grain. so do not wick water into the timber. Dowells may well do that, but why use them, fill the holes with thickened epoxy drive the plugs in, jobs a good'un!

 

[aitchw]

You can buy dowels in standard sizes that are ribbed all round. They are usually about 30mm long and made of beech. If driven in to below the surface you can tidy up with your capping plugs on top.

 

[ccscott49]

seen those, for your normal kitchen unit type thing, normally boxwood.

 

[aitchw]

[ QUOTE ]
normally boxwood

[/ QUOTE ]

Could well be right about that, thinking about it but for the purposes of deep plugging the holes in prep. for capping they would do the job fine, don't you think?

 

[ccscott49]

Yep, would be fine as far as I'm concerned, but I would use thickened epoxy myself, never know when those plugs will refuse to go into the hardwood, then what do you do, if they stop proud?

 

[Roach1948]

The holes are vertical and my experience is that the epexy will ooze out. The dowels will ensure an airless fix and also there are about 50 holes that need doing, so I reckon a dowel is quicker and less messy - oh, and cheaper than loads of WEST!

 

[ccscott49]

Yep, agree, if you can get dowels made a little smaller than the holes, then a good soak in poxy, then fil the last bit with a plug, would do fine for me.

 

[Roach1948]

Ofcourse I meant the holes are horizontal!

 

[ccscott49]

Knew what you menat!!! Otherwise, how would it sag?