Wooden Dowel Selection

[Anthony Whitesell]

One of the climbing rungs for the nearly new (2 months old) play structure for my daughter split along the grain line. I need to make a new one. It is 1 1/8" diameter 18" long with 1" ends reduced to 7/8. I don't have a lathe or the proper size roundover bit to make my own 1 1/8" dowel so I will need to buy one then figure out how to slim down the ends. I have three choices of wood; poplar, red oak, and "hardwood". Which would hold up best based on the usage and outdoor exposure?

[Joe Kieve]

I think I'd go with the red oak or the hardwood. If you have a table saw, you can slim down (guess you're talking cutting about a tenon) the ends fairly easy. Just set your fence from the saw blade the length of the tenon, lower the blade, and rotate the dowel into the blade until you reach the highest cutting arc of the blade. Then, very slowly, push it left to right as you rotate the dowel. Hard to put into words but once you do it, you'll see how easy it is.
Hope this helps.

joe

[Anthony Whitesell]

Actually I know the technique that you mention. I had forgotten about it. FYI. If you put a square piece in sometype of tight fitting cyclinder (piece of pipe for example) you can do the same thing.

[Rod Sheridan]

Red oak or hardwood would be my choice.

I also strongly advise against cutting any cylindrical object on the table saw. It's very easy to have an accident when the saw grabs the work.

To safely cut the shoulder and tenon, mark the cut, then use a handsaw, followed by a chisel to pare the tenon to size.

A rasp or file would also be helpful.

Regards, Rod.

[Callan Campbell]

Unlike Red Oak, White Oak does better when used outside due to its cell structure working much better at resisting water ingress. Probably harder to find easily in dowel form, but worth the extra effort. White Oak is often used for barrels that will hold a liquid, like wine. I think McFeely's is now carrying a wide selection of custom dowels in response to their customers.
Check a local lumber yard as well, instead of just larger retail stores if that's all you've encountered so far.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I tried all the lumber yards and the BORGs. I only found three 1 1/8" diameter dowels. I was hoping for white oak or white cedar (what the original was made of). I started the thread because I couldn't decide between the three due to just the reasons you mentioned.