{"id":3167,"date":"2022-07-19T08:35:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-19T05:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodiswood.com\/?p=3167"},"modified":"2022-09-07T12:00:10","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T09:00:10","slug":"3-ways-to-remove-broken-dowels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodiswood.com\/3-ways-to-remove-broken-dowels\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Ways to Remove Broken Dowels"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dowels are an important part of woodworking when it comes to joinery. A wooden dowel is an easy way to join two pieces of wood. It also keeps the wood’s aesthetics intact and even enhances it. Though, unlike a screw, a dowel is hard to take out once it is inserted. When it comes to a screw, you can easily drive it out and it won’t break. On the other hand, a dowel is made of wood and can break apart with ample force. Once it breaks, how do you remove that dowel? If you have asked yourself this question, then you aren’t the only one. To answer your query, we will explore the 3 ways to remove broken dowels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 3 ways to remove broken dowels are: if you can grip the dowel with pliers, you can use the force of a hammer to push it out. If the dowel is completely stuck in the mortise and cannot be gripped with pliers, then you can drive a screw in it. Using the grip of the screw, pull out the dowel using a pair of pliers. In case the dowel cannot be pulled out because of an adhesive, then you will need to drill it out. By doing so you carve the dowel out in its entirety.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A screw can be driven out with relative ease when compared to a dowel. Once you insert a dowel inside a mortise, even if it is for a test fit, it can get stuck. You need to pull out the dowel using pliers most of the time. This is why most of the time people prefer using screws for joining wood. It is easier to repair furniture with screws in it, as it takes little to no effort in driving screws out. However, a metal screw is not exactly stronger than a wooden dowel. Both can break apart with ample force, so using either is all about your own convenience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Best Way to Remove Dowels<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The best and surefire way of removing a dowel is to drill it out. When you are trying to extract a dowel by pulling it out, it is not always going to work. The adhesive in the joint might not let the dowel come out with ease. Even if you try to pry it out using a pair of pliers, it just won’t come out. Not to mention when the dowel gets broken and you cannot grip it with a plier, you need to drive a screw in it to pull it out. Most of the time even that method does not bear fruit and the dowel just does not come out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this kind of scenario, the only thing left to do is to drill out the dowel. The only problem with this method is there is a slight chance that you might widen the mortise. If you don’t have confidence in your skills with a drill, we would suggest trying the other methods first. Because if you make even the slightest mistake, then you might end up widening the mortise. This will ruin its loosening grip on a dowel that was once able to fit tightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ensure that you don’t end up loosening the mortise, first, you have to start off using a very small bit. You drill out the dowel using that small bit and gradually increase the size of the bit. Once you have drilled out a significant portion of the dowel, only leaving a bit at the edges, use a small chisel or screwdriver and break the edges down. Break the edges into the mortise itself so that you can drill it out completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After breaking down the dowel, use a drill bit as big as the mortise, not bigger but exactly as big as it, and drill out the remainder of the dowel and any adhesive inside. When you are done doing so, you can blow out any sawdust or remainder remaining inside. Now your mortise is ready to accept another dowel. As we said before, there is a slight risk of widening the mortise if you deviate from a straight path as you drill into it. So be sure to use any means necessary to ensure you are drilling straight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Remove Ikea Dowels<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ikea furniture is pretty much common throughout the world where the brand is available. It is because the brand not only provides sturdy enough furniture but also it is reasonably priced. So it will not be surprising if you or anyone you are repairing furniture for has Ikea furniture in their homes. The caveat with Ikea is that you need to assemble everything from scratch. So everything comes separately, including the screw and dowels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if it is reasonably priced and sturdy, you might need to renovate your Ikea furniture every now and then. If it requires you to remove any broken dowels, then don’t worry, it is quite easy to extract them. You can use the screw method for any dowels that are broken in too deep. For any dowels that are not broken and can be gripped with a plier then that is even better for you. Because now you won’t need to drive a screw into it and can pull it out with the grip from the pliers alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Ways to Remove Dowels<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Other than the surefire way of removing a dowel by drilling it out, you always have the screw extraction method. You also have the plier and hammer method for those cases where the dowel just gets stuck when you are test fitting it in the mortise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plier and Hammer Method<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you insert a dowel into a mortise for test fit or for joinery purposes, chances are it will not come out by just yanking it. You can use pliers but since there is no lubrication the dowel will stay in place and won’t budge since it is such a tight fit. In such cases, using a hammer to extract the dowel while holding it with the pliers is an option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use the pliers to grip the dowel tightly so that it does not move. Now using a hammer, tap the pliers lightly from below. With a few gentle strokes of the hammer, the dowel will come out with relative ease. This method only works when there is enough dowel for the plier to grip. If there is no way to grip the dowel with a plier then the screw extraction method is the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pros<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n