Using Dowels??

[Ed Gibbons]

I want to use 3/4” dowel. Problem is the dowel is a bit smaller in circumference than my 3/4” drill bit. What is the best solution?

[Jim Becker]

You ideally need a tiny bit of room if you'll be gluing, so in that case, unless it's unbelievably sloppy, you should be fine. If this is for alignment and not getting glued, you'll probably need to source or make dowel stock that is more precise in measurement. The stuff that sits around in stores gets dryer and dryer and shrinks as a result.

[Mel Fulks]

Agree with Jim. If you are using yellow glue you can thin it with a little water. 4 percent is max according to mfg.

[Gregory King]

Can't see why the dowel should be loose. We used the 3/8" fluted at work with the same size bit and they fit well. Might have to use an undersize bit. Metric perhaps?

[Mike Henderson]

You can get drill bits in 64ths. Check the size of your dowel and get a bit that matches. To avoid the problem of a tight fit preventing glue from coming out, you can cut a couple of grooves along the side of the dowel and that will provide relief for the glue. Easiest way to cut the grooves is to use a saw - chuck the dowel in a vise horizontally and just saw a groove along the side. You don't need to go very deep.

Mike

[Dan Baginski]

As long as it’s not a sloppy fit the glue will take up the rest of the space.

[Edwin Santos]

Could you provide a little more information about what you are doing with the dowel? Joinery of some kind, alignment, as a handle or a hook?

[Jamie Buxton]

When I need a dowel of a specific diameter, I take my micrometer to the store with me.

[Ed Gibbons]

I am building a ladder. I will route dados to fit the steps but instead of screws on the end, I want to use dowels.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Dig up a scrap of steel.

Drill a hole in it with your 3/4" bit.

Buy a 7/8" diameter dowel and pound it through the hole you just drilled.

Next use a pair of pliers or channel locks to both compress & flute the 3/4" dowel you just created - (not to worry - once the water in the glue hits it, the wood will swell enough to form a very tight fit).

[Matt Schroeder]

Could you soak the dowel in water to swell it a bit, then use a water cured glue to make the joint? Try soaking a dowel and test the fit. Not sure if that would lead to a weak joint, just a thought to consider.

Matt

[David Stone (CT)]

In my experience, smooth sided dowel stock sold in long lengths--like you get at a hardware store, Home Depot or lumberyard-- is not very accurately or consistently sized to begin with. And especially in the bigger diameters like you're talking, it can distort out of round as it dries out after manufacturing. The 1/4" and 3/8" grooved dowels produced specifically for joinery use are much better, but I've never seen that made in 3/4.

I've made peg racks for holding clamps, rolls of tape and hoses in the shop using undersized 5/8" and 3/4" dowels that were wobbly in the hole prior to gluing and they're doing fine. But that's not a critical application. If fit is important -- and I imagine it is for joinery on a ladder :-)-- I agree with the suggestion that you take calipers or a micrometer, or a piece of test stock drilled with the bit you're using, to the store to identify which pieces, if any, are close enough to size to buy. Slightly oversized is acceptable since it can be sanded down to a fit without much trouble.

...And, lastly, verify that you're using a drill bit and set up capable of drilling accurately enough for this purpose.

[Bradley Gray]

I am building a ladder. I will route dados to fit the steps but instead of screws on the end, I want to use dowels.

I would use screws. 10 times the holding power, 1/10 as much wood removed from the stringer and you can tighten it when things inevitably loosen.

[Edwin Santos]

I am building a ladder. I will route dados to fit the steps but instead of screws on the end, I want to use dowels.

If I understand correctly, the dowel will be in a through hole. In a case like this, I would cut a slot in the end of the dowel, tap in a thin hardwood wedge with glue, and trim flush when cured. This will cause the dowel to flare slightly in the hole and make a very very tight joint, one that will not come apart. Interestingly it's a case when you would want the dowel to be a little undersized like what you are experiencing. As a bonus, it will look cool.

[Al Launier]

If I understand correctly, the dowel will be in a through hole. In a case like this, I would cut a slot in the end of the dowel, tap in a thin hardwood wedge with glue, and trim flush when cured. This will cause the dowel to flare slightly in the hole and make a very very tight joint, one that will not come apart. Interestingly it's a case when you would want the dowel to be a little undersized like what you are experiencing. As a bonus, it will look cool.

This!
Plus if you need to score the length of each dowel you could drill an oversized hole in a piece of scrap wood, drive a nail through one side so it emerges slightly into the hole, then hammer the dowel through the hole to make the glues sores.