Thread: How tight should dowels be?

I aim for firm hand pressure. Ensure that the dowels are fluted or have a groove sawn in them so that any excess glue can escape, otherwise the build-up of pressure can split the wood.

Cheers

Paul

I've found some to be just firm so you can push them in by hand and others needing a tap with a rubber mallet. All in the same job.

I think there's a slight difference in the size of each one, plus maybe a bit of moisture uptake which has made some of them swell a bit.

Loose is not good, firm is OK, tapping is OK, but not to the point where you can't get them out again. You usually need to be able to test fit everything and pull it apart again before glue up.

Also, what Paul said too.

I dont know about splitting the wood, but if you dont have the groove(s) you can end up with a air bubble under the dowel that stops the dowel going in full depth.

If the dowels are to tight, put them in an oven at 120 degrees C for an hour. Dowels are intended to swell up from the moisture in the glue. This makes them hold beter.

rrich is near almost right, but a dowel should not be so tight that you can't pull it out. I usually make a groove or couple on them to relieve the Hydrolic pressure with the glue in the hole. I sometimes squeeze a set of grooves on the dowel with a air of Pliers. Usually I purchase the ribbed dowels and make life easier.