Dowel Joints for Dummies

Different dowel joint configurations

One of the more important criteria the Antisocial Network staffers use to identify DotD candidates is a failure to differentiate between important and unimportant facts in a content-farm post. Such failure is most common in websites with "target" content sizes, such as eHow.com's 300-500 word SEO-friendly length. Our staffers have noticed that WiseGEEK.com writers seem to aim for a similar word count, hence their reliance on "factoids" instead of useful information. Such is the case of "What is a Dowel Joint," posted to the niche site InfoBloom.com (and then moved to HomeQuestionsAnswered)  by one A. Leverkuhn.

We're pretty certain that neither Leverkuhn¹ nor his editor (Andrew Young) had ever constructed a dowel joint, at least based on what information appears in the text. We'll let an anonymous comment explain the biggest problem with A's post:

"It would help if there would be more info on the dowel joint."

Lousy grammar aside, that's exactly what's wrong with the crap Leverkuhn posted. Here are some of the factoids A included, as opposed to any explanation of the joint:

"A dowel is a thin wooden cylinder. Dowel rods of various length sizes are used for all sorts of wooden banisters, fences, and similar constructions including items like towel racks or newspaper holders." "Woodworkers can actually make their own dowels with the aid of a dowel plate." "Beechwood is a popular material choice for... dowels" "Woodworking enthusiasts can find guides for many different kinds of dowel joint projects online or in print." "...many other types of projects... rely on dowel joint technique. One of these is a mitered frame, where dowel pins hold a forty five degree [sic] joint..."

Leaving behind that "forty five degree joint" bit of dumbassery, Leverkuhn devoted almost zero page space to the process of making a dowel joint. The only thing this moron had to say about building a dowel joint was,

"Carpenters routinely 'prick' boards to prepare them for a kind of construction where dowel pins are effective positioners. Then they bore out appropriate holes for the dowel pins. One of the final steps involves gluing the dowel pins so that they adhere to the two joined pieces."

Now that, dear reader, is utter bull, and it's not even good bull! Doweling a joint is an exacting process that requires careful measurement. Most woodworkers use a doweling jig to get the measurement right, but did Leverkuhn mention this? Did he mention dowel centers, the "pricking" tool he claims are "routinely" used? No to both!

Once again, the research staff has turned up a freelancer babbling incoherently on a topic about which he knew nothing before taking the "assignment" – and about which the reader still knows nothing after struggling through his prose. And now you see why A. Leverkuhn is our Dumbass of the Day.

¹ First name probably Adrian; based on a LinkedIn.com profile for that name listing his occupation as "cryptozoologist." Yeah, sure: we see that one a lot from college students pretending to be "professional writers."

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