What are Dowel Pins?

Are you looking to indulge in some carpentry or woodwork? If you are going to be building wood-based structures designed to support weight, or furniture that includes joints, you are going need dowel pins. Dowel pins are one of the earliest tools used in woodwork. Wood dowel pins are typically indentified as cylindrically shaped pieces of wood. Dowel pins come in various forms and sizes and are most often used to re-enforce joints and shelves. While some woodworkers prefer to make custom dowel pins that fulfill their specifications, dowel pins are available for purchase in many different standard forms.

St. Charles Hardwoods started out in 1988 as a small lumber supplying company. Over several years, we have grown into one of St. Louis’ leading hardwood and lumber supplying entities providing multiple products of paramount quality. We can supply a wide range of hardwood and lumber-related products, including dowel pins for woodworking enthusiasts, professionals, and hobbyists. To learn more about any of the hardwood products we have available, contact us or visit one of our St. Louis area stores today.

Different Kinds of Dowel Pins

When long dowel rods, are cut into much smaller cylindrical rods, they are known as dowel pins. Dowel pins can be found in various shapes and sizes. While dowel pins are used in many different kinds of woodwork, they are most often used in cabinet making. They are used to align and fasten two pieces of wood together such that the structure can support weight.

Here are some of the many different types of dowel pins available:

• The most popular dowel pin is known as the parallel or straight dowel pin. These are known as such because they have a constant diameter along the entire length of the pin. These pins can increase the strength between two assembled parts that have been fastened together.
• Another common type of dowel pin is the tapered dowel pin. These pins begin at the “head”, where the diameter is largest and end at the “point” where the diameter is smallest. These pins are inserted into holes that are also tapered and offer increased strength when fastening two pieces of wood together.
• A spring post is a type of dowel pin that has a groove etched into its circumference. The pin is intended to be inserted into a hole, in a way that there is space between the pin and the boundary of the hole where the groove exists. An expansion spring is then typically fitted here.
• Grooved or fluted dowel pins are those that are grooved along the length of a dowel pin multiple times. The advantage of a groove pin is that while one end can be tightly fitted into a structure that perfectly accommodates the dowel pin’s grooves, the other end (with no grooves) can be fastened into a component that has no grooves and can smoothly rotate around the pin.

Buy Dowel Pins at St. Charles Hardwoods in St. Louis

Here at St. Charles Hardwoods, we understand the necessity to provide wood products that perfectly match the requirements of our customers. Carpentry and woodwork is a precise science and accordingly one cannot afford to compromise with regard to the components used.

Our dowel pins come in all kinds of diameters, lengths, and materials. Our range of dowel pins consists of pins with diameters of a quarter inch to those with diameters of up to 2 inches. We also have dowel pins that vary in diameter, depending on whether they are grooved or tapered. Additionally, we can provide you with dowel pins made from a variety of types of materials including ash, cherry, birch, hard maple, poplar, soft maple, red oak, walnut, or white oak.

To find the best and most durable dowel pins available on the market or to learn more about the types of dowel pins we sell, visit one of our St. Louis area stores today.