English

Plastic and metal dowels

Alternative forms

• doul (obsolete)

Noun

dowel ‎(plural dowels)

1. A pin, or block, of wood or metal, fitting into holes in the abutting portions of two pieces, and being partly in one piece and partly in the other, to keep them in their proper relative position.
2. A wooden rod, as one to make short pins from.
   • 2006, Steven Caney, Lauren House, Steven Caney's Ultimate Building Book, page 264:

     This twenty-four-piece starter set uses twelve thirty-six-inch-long dowels (or nine forty-eight-inch dowels) cut to these rod lengths. Lay out the cuts so you use the entire length of each dowel without any leftover scraps.

3. (construction) A piece of wood or similar material fitted into a surface not suitable for fastening so that other pieces may fastened to it.

Coordinate terms

• (pin or block of wood or metal): spline, biscuit, tenon
• (construction): anchor, **** anchor (US); wall plug (UK).

Translations

Verb

dowel ‎(third-person singular simple present dowels, present participle dowelling or doweling, simple past and past participle dowelled or doweled)

1. (transitive) To fasten together with dowels.
2. (transitive) To furnish with dowels.

   A cooper dowels pieces for the head of a cask.

Anagrams

• lowed