noun / verb

dowel

DOW-ul/ˈdaʊəl/

A cylindrical pin used to join or reinforce pieces, or to fasten pieces with such pins.

A wooden dowel holds the two halves of the frame together.

A close-up of two wooden boards partly joined edge-to-edge by short cylindrical dowels, with the exposed connectors bridging a narrow gap and one matching loose dowel in front.

Etymology

The word first denoted a wooden wheel rim or section; its later sense is a pin joining pieces of wood. A connection with Middle Low German dovel, meaning “plug,” is only tentative.

In context

Dashner Design & Restoration4:25

i first sawed off the tops of the dowels and then drilled down into the center and i used a drill bit that was a little bit smaller than the dowel itself

Thrift Store Rescue #20 | Repairing and Refinishing A Vintage Table | Furniture Restoration

More examples

Insert the dowels into the matching holes.
We dowel the boards together before applying the clamps.
She doweled the loose chair joint to strengthen it.

Forms

dowel · dowels · doweled · doweling

Similar words

pin: A broader term for a slender fastener or connector.
peg: Often tapered and used to secure or hang objects.
tenon: A projecting end fitted into a mortise, not a separate pin.