Hi everyone:
I’m building a file cabinet out of quarter sawn oak to match my antique roll top desk.
I’m on the home stretch here — assembling the drawers, for which I’m using rabbet joints I want to reinforce by pinning with dowels. Because the drawers are made from 1/2″ oak, I’m using 3/16″ dowels to pin. What I’m discovering is they’re not strong enough to be driven in the full depth — they make it through the side just fine, but as soon as they meet the resistance of the different direction grain of the front and back of the drawers, they simply crumble under the different hammers/mallets I’ve tried using to coax them in. I may be able to get by without pinning the drawers as the joints I glued seem to be fairly strong, but I’d like this to be a file cabinet my grandkids’ kids are using next century. Any ideas what I can do here? I’ve already drilled the holes, though I can always just plug them with dowels. I think the dowels, by the way, are poplar — couldn’t find oak that size.
Last question: how do I get notified by e-mail when someone responds to this, without having to continually check in? Under the old forum I knew how to do that but since it got redone I haven’t figured out how.
Thanks in advance for your sage advice.
Replies
dowel breakage
Get a smaller hammer? ;-)
Sounds like the dowel fit is too tight in the drawer front section. If you're putting glue inside the hole in the drawer front, you might also be getting resistance from the glue not being able to pass by the dowel. Like water, glue doesn't compress much. You might consider enlarging the holes in the drawer front by 1/64" or so, and perhaps cutting a tiny groove in the dowel with a V-groove gouge.
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Pinning Joints
First a few questions. What type of joint are you trying to pin, e.g. a box joint, dovetail joint, lock-miter, stub tenon or butt? Where did you drill the holes, e.g in the top, in the bottom or through the sides into the front and the back?
Despite the unknowns I have few thoughts. Poplar is relatively soft compared to white oak, which is probably why it's crumbling. The resistance you encounter is probably due to a tight fit. Probably tight enough that air in the hole is not able to escape and therefore is stopping your dowel before it can be fully seated. A contributor to the tightness could be too much glue. So much glue that you are bottoming out the dowel on the glue and/or air near the bottom of the hole. You only need a little bit of glue to get the dowel to stay in place. You should put the glue on the sides of the hole or dowel but don't use enough so it drips down to the bottom of the hole. Don't bother coating the entire dowel or hole and don't put glue on both dowel & hole. The dowel is really just for mechanical strength. Use just enough glue so it won't fall out.
Relief slots along the side of the dowel can alleviate the pressure by allowing air and/or glue to escape. However, if the dowel is decorative relief slots would be visible at the top of the hole and undesirable.
If the dowels are decorative you could make your own out of quarter sawn oak or another contrasting wood using a long plug cutter. I use one that makes a 3/8" dowel/peg about 3 1/2 inches long. If you do this make sure the grain runs lengthwise. The end grain would be on the ends of the dowel.
Your dowels could be larger than you think. Home center dowels are not consistently the same diameter from end to end and are not necessarily the exact size advertised. You can remedy this by pounding it through a hole you know is the correct size. I use a metal tool fromLie-Nielsen. It has pre-drilled holes of various sizes and the opening has a very slight chamfer which assists with centering the dowel in the hole. You can make your own tool, just drill the correct size hole in a piece of metal thick enough so it won't bend while you pound the dowel through it. You can also add you own slight chamfer. If you decide to go this route I recommend cutting the dowels to length prior to forcing though the hole in the metal.
Have you considered using brass or aluminum instead of wood?
I've never posted a question so can't say if there is a way to request a notification when a reply is added. When you post a reply there is a check box at the bottom which if checked will send notifications of new posts. i haven't used it wither so can't say for sure if it works.
Pete
Thanks to both of you
Pete and Ralph -- I think you're both right. The primary problem is too much glue. I took a bit off the circumference of the half of the dowel which goes deeper and they're going in just fine.
Pete, did you mean brass or aluminum for dowels? I've never heard of that before in constructing wood furniture.
Brass "Dowels"
I've seen brass rod used as a pin to reinforce corner joints, usually on drawers and most often on box joints. I think aluminum would work just as well as both are soft and easily worked with woodworking tools.The rod is inserted into a hole from top to near bottom, through each finger of the joint, stopping before it exits at the bottom. The rod is cut and sanded flush with the top of the drawer. It's used as a mechanical insurance against glue failure on heavily used drawers or as a decorative feature. If used as just a decorative feature the pin need not be inserted through all the fingers of the joint.
It seems to me modern glues are strong and reliable enough that pinning a joint is redundant and unnecessary, whether it's with wood or metal.
Pete
Doweling drawers
I'm a little late to the party (but what's new about that?)
You might try Miller Dowels. These are the dowels that have a "stepped taper". A kit that includes the special "stepped" drill bit doesn't cost too much - and the dowels work better-than-just-fine. I've had good luck with them joining MDF that does not hold screws very well.
Frosty
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