[pianotech] dowels and glue joints

[Euphonious Thumpe]

I've used bamboo shishkebab skewers (available at most grocery stores) for dowels in places I want nearly invisible, such as doweling ribs to soundboards when I want to fill the hole left from the long sheet-metal screw I put through the board and rib to pull them together. (When other methods are impractical.) They are extremely strong for their diameter, come "pre-fluted" (for insertion without pushing all the glue out) and are mostly all the same size as a  standard drillbit. (Sorry, I forget exactly which one.) And look w-a-a-a-y better than a hammer-shank dowel! After drilling the screwhole out all the way through to the right diameter, go through the bag and find the ones that slide in just a little snug. Wipe on glue and push in. Trim to taste.

Euphonious Thumpe
 

________________________________
 From: Susan Kline <skline at peak.org>
To: pianotech at ptg.org 
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2012 4:12 PM
Subject: Re: [pianotech] dowels and glue joints
  

 
Hi, Larry 

If the problem is from the expansion in different directions of the
dowel and the wood, 
might it work to use a round rod of something which is not wood? 

Of course, one could use something like brass rod, but then if someone
needed to 
cut through the joint later, it might be troublesome. Perhaps something
like the polyethelene 
which Bill Spurlock uses for his cauls and other tools? Does it come in
dowels? 

Susan Kline



Larry Fisher RPT wrote: 
I’ve always enjoyed doweling a glue joint when possible.  Even
an eighth inch dowel across the break can improve the bond if only from
a mechanical aspect.  Recently however, this young man I mentioned
earlier reported seeing a glue joint fail from what he considered to be
the tension created by the cross grained conflicting expansion and
contraction  ..........  or at least that’s the way I understood his
explanation.  The object of discussion was a grand leg whose
laminations were separating.  I’d welcome any additional thoughts or
comments on this. 
>    
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