Engineering Commons^™

A Comparative Analysis Of Furniture Dowel Joint Strength Among Various Dowel Styles, Taylor C. Fatheree

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study examines the effectiveness of various dowels used in furniture joints. Using multiple linear regression, it examines the interaction between dowel penetration depth and surface treatment. Two commercially available surface treatments, fluted cut and spiral cut, were tested against a smooth home-made dowel. Through the bending tests, it was found that depth of penetration had a positive effect on the joint strength. Additionally, home-made dowels were significantly better than both fluted and spiral in softwood tests, and the home-made and the spiral were significantly better than the fluted in the hardwood tests.