I use this process to reinforce wood joints. I started using this method about ten years ago to bolster all sorts of wood joins. It is a bit time consuming and requires a few hand tools, but the method can substitute for more complex joinery. That may sound a bit heretical for classic woodworking, but the same was said when biscuit joinery and pocket screw joinery came into being. I position the pins where they won't be seen once the piece is completed. The pins are placed to prevent the join from moving in any unsupported direction, like the side of a dovetail joint. By placing the pins on opposite sides of the join and angling them at a small angle, they will not allow the joint to move to open the joint. I think it works because of the better aliphatic resin glues we have these days. A lot of wood joinery was developed years ago because wood glues didn't have the long life and humidity resistance of today's glues. Bamboo makes a good strong choice for the pins (wooden nails) because of its long straight grain. I use wooden skewers found at the grocery store. They are usually 1/8" in diameter, but lately I've found some that were 5/32". The skewers can vary slightly in diameter, so I draw them through a steel drill size plate to ensure the diameter is matched to the drill bit being used to drill the pilot holes. The pin is given a bit of glue and tapped into the hole with a mallet. Once seated, I cut the pin off with a pair of side cutters. The wet glue swells the pin and surrounding wood to make things tight. When the glue has cured, I pare the stub off flush with the surface with a chisel. Then the surface can be sanded smooth for finishing. Since the end grain of the pin is exposed, it will darken more than the surrounding wood when finished, which is why I place the pins where they won't be seen in the finished piece.
Bamboo Pin Joint Reinforcement
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Interesting method. Great use of a not normal material. Are the pins slightly smaller to allow for a glue gap?just another brick in the wall...
Boycott McAfee. They placed an unresponsive popup on my pc. -
Most times the skewers are a tad smaller than the hole the numerical equivalent drill bit creates. That's why I use the steel drill bit plate to ensure the pins are not too large. Since the skewers are about a penny apiece, it's not an issue to reject one that's too large.Jim Frye
The Nut in the Cellar.
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I have used them (bamboo skewers) also - when I was in Japan. They work great.
I have made a few projects with the Kreg Pocket Hole Jig and, like you place the holes where they cannot be seen except from the back, bottom or very top of a tall object. It is not hard to place connection points for dowels or screws (in most cases) so that are totally hidden. It is just a process of thinking it through and sometimes making a minor alteration to the design - if it does not distract from the aesthetics.
Where did you get your drill/dowell sizing plate? I was needing one a few months ago and discovered that a good sizing jig for dowels was expensive. $50 - $60. For a one time project and a two or three years between use, I didn't need one that bad. BUT, I am finding dowels are not equal in sizes in the same batches - because they expand and contract in different directions with humidity swings.
I found them; I was looking for dowel maker/sizing jigs that are 1/4" thick (somewhat expensive); I found several 1/8" thick steel drill bit size checkers. I will order me one.I rarely need more than a foot of dowel for a specific use - therefore the 1/8" steel should do fine.Last edited by leehljp; 02-11-2021, 09:04 AM.Hank Lee
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Looks like a voodoo project :-)Loring in Katy, TX USA
If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
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or an porcupine in development.
It is interesting on the concept of non-90° locks. Toe-nailed nails and screws do the same, if it is thought out. . . In construction framing, toe-nailing is a given, but there is more to it than meets the eye for inexperienced helpers. I grew up around it and it doesn't take any "thinking" on my part, just simple "do it". But in helping build a church recently, good intentioned volunteer helpers had no clue about toe-nailing when building walls - 2x4s joined in "T" formats. As long as the hammer was aimed at the board, it was OK in their mind and the result of letting them do from observation, nails in all directions but the joining.
I have watched as walls were built 1. in place, and walls built 2. on the floor - and raised in place. Built in place required toe nailing; built on the floor and raised in place usually had 2 nails at 90° to the top and bottom boards (beams?) and straight into the studs. So, my point is, I have watched the removal of a stud for a change in plan after the walls are constructed. The "straight in" nailed studs are usually easer to remove than the angle nailed (toe-nailed) studs. There is a bit of a caveat: angle nailed (toe-nailed) studs usually have 3 nails, Straight in nails usually have two nails. And the toe-nailed studs are more resistant to movements from several directions. Hence - Jim's all direction pins - (stronger).Last edited by leehljp; 02-12-2021, 09:42 AM.Hank Lee
Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!Comment
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Jim, thanks for the timely tip!
I have been having a problem with the rungs on my Oak dining room chairs coming loose. I tried to reglue them with Gorilla Clear Wood Glue but they still don't hold. I was thinking about pinning them with 1/8" Oak dowels. I'll go to Bamboo instead since it should be stronger.
Lee, where did you find your drill size plate?Don, aka Pappy,
Wise men talk because they have something to say,
Fools because they have to say something.
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Loring in Katy, TX USA
If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
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Dowell plate:
Since I only need 7 sizes, 1/8, 3/16, 6mm, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8 and 1/2, I have been contemplating getting me a 6" x 12" plate of 1/8" thick steel and making my own dowel plate. I have the 115 bit set in cobalt, and using the drill press for perfect sizing, it should work.Hank Lee
Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!Comment
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Lots of bamboo chopsticks from takeaway orders., haha.
We always use our own and have been accumulating the disposables.
I have noticed that one brand is nice and round right at 6 mm (.238 inches) and the other is very oval... .over 1/4" on the large diameter but quite a bit smaller (3/16") on the minor diameter.Last edited by LCHIEN; 03-27-2021, 02:25 PM.Loring in Katy, TX USA
If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
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Skewers are an interesting item with many uses other than on the grill or as a dowel. When getting an english muffin or small piece of bread out of the toaster, I was concerned with either burning my fingers or getting a shock using a fork. I was going to make a wooden toast tweezer to safely remove the toast when I remembered the bunch of bamboo skewers idling away in a drawer. I now keep a skewer in the Kitchenaid mixer bowl that is right next to the toaster and I really just skewer the small toasted item to get it out.Comment
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