Dowel joints
Why do we use the humble dowel joint?
We've always used dowel joints for our table frames and we do so for good reason: maximum strength and a clean finish. Dowel joints have been widely adopted since the 18th century. By using a special drilling machine, all our joints are accurately aligned. Beech is used to make the dowels because it's a dense hardwood with uniform grain which minimises splintering and gives a consistent shape.
Dowels are grooved to maximise the gluing surface area, to disperse the glue evenly and to allow air to escape when inserting the dowel into the hole.We follow the dowel with metal pins, which hold the dowel in position whilst the glue is curing and often also use a timber corner brace to further strengthen the joint and maintain the 90 degree angle.
So next time you're sat at a Thirsk Table you'll know how we've made the corner joints so strong and yet invisible!
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