I have some 'dowels' that consist of debarked cut hardwood twigs. They were cut to select the straightest most consistent sections, but they aren't pe rfect. Question is do such things have any possible use in woodwork? I'm no t interested in whether to get a bag from some supplier, but rather whether any possible use can be found for these things in the 3rd world.
NT
What do you think they used to hold timber buildings and ships together before the 'invention' of modern fixings?
That's not the point. Now that better things exist it is pointless to use the older inferior types, unless there's a serious cost differential.
It's like someone asking "Shall I drink dirty water?" and getting the reply "What do you think people used to drink before we knew how to purify water?"
Bill
Wooden dowels don't cause rot. Iron fixings do.
People didn't use to purify water. The idea of using water that has recent ly been in someone else is a completely strange one to most civilised peopl e. Instead they use clean water that was made that way by their god. (Excep t for some large Asian countries of course.) But purifying a well with cow dung isn't a norm and never has been for any sensible societies.
NT
You'll probably find they are much stronger than machined dowels. I expect in third world countries, it's the norm to use them. They can't afford to waste anything.
Straight pegs. I'm not aware of that type of timber frame construction in the 3rd world today though.
I was hoping someone could point out a real 3rd world use. AIUI the main functions of dowels are to achieve alignment, which these won't be great at, and to fix things together, which they will.
NT
That would be beer. They drank beer because less of them died than if they drank the water. They didn't know that it was the heating that made it safe as germs hadn't been invented then.
The Question was:
"Question is do such things have any possible use in woodwork?"
The question was answered! I could have simply said yes (I use them on some of the mortise and tenon and jointing work that I do) but I chose the indirect answer - now if you couldn't understand the question, I how could you possibly understand the answer?
And by the way, your " That's not the point. Now that better things exist it is pointless to use the older inferior types, unless there's a serious cost differential." shows tha you really din't know what you're talking about as it is far better to use dowels to joint some timbers than todays so-called moder fixings - and before you ask, one (and there are more) come to mind: namely oak, where the tannic acid in oak destroys steel fixings
Ditto tea in China/Japan.
I thought the point was that BETTER DOWELS exist now. Not that non-dowel fixings should be used instead.
Mind, I am still unsure whether a twig dowel is better or worse than, say, a machine made fluted dowel. Can anyone point to a direct comparison?
I presume they're rather stronger than softwood dowels; the hardwood twigs are tough, unlike softwood. I'm trying to think of an easy way to test them.
NT
I *thought* that modern dowels were, like biscuits, commonly made from beech, birch, or maple. Or ramin. In other words, hardwood not softwood.
I agree - though the only one I am sure of seeing is beech.
Wondering why softwood is thought to soft? I never think of yew, for example, as being soft. And the classic counter, balsa is not exactly hard. Anyway, weren't quite a number of dowels made of the self-same wood as the material they were put into?
I seldom use dowels, but when I have they've often been pine - and equally often something tougher, I guess a hardwood.
NT
I had a variation on this discussion with a local joiner who insisted that the pitch pine he was building our porch with was a hardwood.
I didn't try very hard to persuade him otherwise because it wasn't really important, but it did amuse me that somebody who works full time with different woods didn't know the difference.
It would have been both the heating and the alcohol I imagine.
But they wouldn't have been drunk.
The beer drunk as a general drink was 'small ale', and had a low alcohol content (I forget how much they think it was, but IIRC it was very low).
They brewed different beers for getting drunk.
Pitch pine is a hardwood in all but name. I ran a piece through the saw the other day and the turpentine smell was overpowering. It's at least
150 years old.
From what I understand, they simply brewed 3 batches off the same malt/hops:
"1st wash" was full strength for men, after work;
"2nd wash" was for men during the day and women
"3rd wash" was practically water and was given to children.
Thomas Thetcher a Grenadier in the North Reg. of Hants Militia, who died of
a violent Fever contracted by drinking Small Beer when hot the 12 May
1764. Aged 26 Years.In grateful remembrance of whose universal good will towards his Comrades, this Stone is placed here at their expence, as a small testimony of their regard and concern.
Here sleeps in peace a Hampshire Grenadier,
Who caught his death by drinking cold small Beer, Soldiers be wise from his untimely fall And when ye're hot drink Strong or none at all.
This memorial being decay'd was restor'd by the Officers of the Garrison A.D. 1781.
An Honest Soldier never is forgot Whether he die by Musket or by Pot.
Balsa is a hardwood too, really.
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