Thread: Dowel Jointing - 9.7mm Dowel & 10mm Brad Bit

I was putting some breadboard ends on a table and draw boring the ends. The problem was that Bunnings does not stock 10mm x 50mm jointing dowels. No problem Ill buy 10mm rod and cut to length and chamfer the ends with a carpenters pencil sharpener [see prior post] .

A couple of test holes and a not quite tight fit. Out with the verniers and I discovered that 10mm rod was 9.1, 9.8 but mostly 9.7. Don't have a lathe and putting each dowel into a drill and sanding to size did seem slow work. Just out of "what the hell lets see if this works" I drilled a 9.5 mm hole in a piece of hardwood. I then put a dowel into the drill and drilled the dowel into the 9.5mm hole. The dowel was now 9.5mm and a good tight fit for breadboards. But use immediately because it starts expanding after about 10 minutes and overnight almost back to full size.

As an added bonus no need to use glue.

On some junk wood I tested how strong a non glue one dowel joint was and it didn't break at 120 kg.

I don't suppose i am the first to think of this solution but for this precise problem it is a solution.

Cheers