This page deals with dowels. They are wooden pegs (can be metal in other circumstances) which connect different pieces of wood. They are versatile and can be used for frame construction as shown above.

They can be used as corner construction for boxes or strengthening an otherwise weaker joint such as a bridle, or as shown above for holding a tenon steady to prevent it coming loose.

Similar to corner construction is shelf construction as seen on the right. Sometimes a dowel is used with a small flat area cut into it to support a shelf. These days these shelf supports are often plastic.

Man made boards such as chipboard and MDF (medium density fibre board) are difficult to join with the types of traditional joint already shown and special knock down (KD) fittings and quick assembly (QA) fittings have been developed to overcome these difficulties. These are just a few of the types available.

The two halves of the fitting are screwed to the work and a machine screw holds them in place.

Driven into an accurately drilled hole and a metal or nylon rod is screwed into the fitting. Cannot be removed

These are often used for such jobs as driving into the bottom of bed legs and then a wheel screwed into them.

These types of joint are widely used for connecting chipboard and large items such as beds which need to be taken apart so they can be assembled in position. The chipboard fastener works in a similar way to the insert nut. Both these fittings require accurately drilled holes so that the pieces align properly.