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How to use wooden dowels

Updated: October 2026

You are joining two pieces of wood with fluted pins and a drill, and the last attempt either left a gap on the shoulder or split the edge. How to use wooden dowels is a check you make before the glue sets: the bit matches a fluted pin, the holes leave room for glue, the PVA sits in the hole, and the shoulders meet. Prices and pack sizes stay on the [wooden dowels comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/wooden-dowels). If you still need to choose a short pin or a long rod, read [dowel pins or dowel rods](/hub/diy-supplies/wooden-dowels/sub/wooden-dowels-pins-or-rods) first. The steps below assume the hole is already measured.

You are joining two pieces of wood with fluted pins and a drill, and the last attempt either left a gap on the shoulder or split the edge.

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XFentech XFentech 90 mixed dowel pins

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XFentech XFentech 90 mixed dowel pins
8.6/10about £4.49
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PanBeiQi PanBeiQi 90 mixed dowel pins

Rank 2

PanBeiQi PanBeiQi 90 mixed dowel pins
9.5/10about £4.49
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Gunwon Gunwon 21 mixed dowel pins

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Gunwon Gunwon 21 mixed dowel pins
6.8/10about £3.59
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On this page
  1. 1.Match the bit to a fluted pin
  2. 2.Leave room for glue
  3. 3.Glue, dry-fit and clamp
  4. 4.When this is the wrong joint

Match the bit to a fluted pin

A fluted pin needs a hole of the same diameter. A 6 mm pin takes a 6 mm bit, an 8 mm pin an 8 mm bit, and a 10 mm pin a 10 mm bit. Inch labels only match when the bit and the pin are both in inches. Measure depth to the spurs of a brad-point bit. Wonkee Donkee states this same-size rule for fluted pegs. A plain peg is separate, and a slightly larger hole weakens the glue line. Do not merge the two. If your pin has no flute, the wooden dowels buying guide is where you pick a fluted size. Mark both pieces from the same face and drill at 90 degrees. Clear the dust, and do not breathe it.

Leave room for glue

The pin must not bottom out in both holes, or the shoulder stays open. Where both pieces are thick enough, leave 1 mm spare at each end. Wonkee Donkee puts a 40 mm pin in two holes of about 21 mm. Drill 20 mm with no spare and the faces will not meet. On an 18 mm board, Wolfcraft's maker's guide, not a British Standard, uses about 12 mm in the face and about 30 mm in the edge. A collar is steadier than tape. A through-hole in veneered chipboard shows on the show face.
XFentech XFentech 90 mixed dowel pins

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XFentech XFentech 90 mixed dowel pins
8.6/10about £4.49
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Glue, dry-fit and clamp

Dry-fit before the glue. A gap you can only close with a mallet means the hole is too shallow, too tight or out of square. Clamping a jammed pin is how the edge splits. Put the PVA in the hole and a light coat on the pin. The flutes let excess glue and air out. XFentech, Nebulixq and YYTOL name wood glue; ShiFaKa names a groove and does not name a glue, so the PVA is still yours to add. A brim-full hole can split the end grain. Wipe the squeeze-out while it is wet and leave the clamp on for the time on the bottle. Wooden dowels for furniture repair covers whether an existing hole is a wooden pin or a metal cam.

When this is the wrong joint

Stairs, bed rails and a failed panel take a person's weight. Stop when the hole is oval, the edge is split, or the part sits over your head, and ask a joiner. A sound flat-pack panel is ordinary home work when the hole matches the pin. A smooth craft rod sawn into pins has no flute unless you cut a groove. Peter F. set this out on 16 October 2026 from Wonkee Donkee and Wolfcraft's maker table. There was no workshop test. A qualifying purchase via the comparison can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Common questions

Do I drill the same size as the dowel?
Yes, when the pin is fluted. An 8 mm fluted pin takes an 8 mm bit, and the same pairing applies at 6 mm and 10 mm. Wonkee Donkee gives that rule for fluted pegs. A smooth peg can need a slightly larger hole so it will enter, and that looser fit weakens the glue line. Keep the two rules apart.
How deep should I drill for a 40 mm dowel pin?
If both pieces are thick enough, drill about 21 mm into each side. That is the 40 mm pin plus about 1 mm of spare at each end for glue, which is the split Wonkee Donkee describes. Measure to the spurs of a brad-point bit, not to the point. On an 18 mm face, use about 12 mm, with the rest of a 40 mm pin in the edge.
Where does the glue go?
Put PVA in the hole, then a light coat on the pin. Glue only on the pin leaves the hole dry and can trap air. The flutes give excess glue a way out as you close the joint. Wipe the squeeze-out while it is wet. If nothing appears at the shoulder, you may have used too little, or the pin may have bottomed and blocked the escape.
What if the dowel has no flute?
The flute is a path for glue and air. Without it, glue can stay on the pin, or it can hydraulic inside the hole and split the wood. A craft rod cut into pins has this problem unless you add a groove. Drilling the hole larger to compensate is the plain-peg method, and it loosens the fit. Use a fluted pin at the diameter you measured.
How do I stop the bit going through an 18 mm board?
Set a stop so the face hole stays inside the board. For a 40 mm pin in 18 mm board, Wolfcraft's maker's guide uses about 12 mm in the face and about 30 mm in the edge, including glue space. A collar or a jig stop is steadier than tape, which can slide. Check the first hole with a rule. A through-hole in veneered chipboard shows on the outside.
When should I call a joiner?
Call a joiner for a stair, a bed rail, or a panel that has already split, because those joints carry a person or a repeated load. Also stop if the hole is oval, the edge is crushed, or a dry fit will not close. A new fluted pin and PVA will not rebuild that joint. A missing pin in sound flat-pack furniture is still a home job once you have measured the hole.

Related pages

Wooden dowels

Best wooden dowels for one hole or one craft length

Wooden dowels buying guide for the hole you measured

Wooden dowels for furniture repair of a missing pin

Dowel pins or dowel rods: hidden peg or visible stick

Sources

The Health and Safety Executive, legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK, BSI, Screwfix and Wolfcraft, plus the amazon.co.uk listings read on 15 October 2026. Prices move. Nothing was strength-tested in a lab.

  1. HSE, wood dust (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. General Product Safety Regulations 2005, Great Britain (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK, timber regulations and FLEGT licences (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. BS EN 14592:2022, scope (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. Screwfix, wooden dowels (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Wolfcraft, wood joinery dowel dimensions (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison, example PanBeiQi B0B97KR4N2 (retrieved 15 October 2026)