Dowel vs. Pin — What's the Difference?

Invisible in the final product, contributing to a clean aesthetic.

Comes in various shapes and sizes for different applications.

Made primarily from wood for compatibility with woodworking projects.

A small, typically metal fastener used for securing or aligning parts.

A cylindrical rod inserted into corresponding holes in two adjoining pieces to create a joint.

Often used in mechanical applications for its strength and durability.

A tool for ensuring alignment and strength in woodworking.

Suited for a wide range of materials, including metal and plastic.

Requires precision in drilling and fitting for effectiveness.

Can be easily inserted and removed if necessary, offering flexibility.

A dowel is a cylindrical rod, usually made from wood, plastic, or metal. In its original manufactured form, a dowel is called a dowel rod.

A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together, and can have three sorts of body: a shaft of a rigid inflexible material meant to be inserted in a slot, groove, or hole (as with pivots, hinges, and jigs); a shaft connected to a head and ending in a sharp tip meant to pierce one or more pieces of soft materials like cloth or paper (the straight or push pin); a single strip of a rigid but flexible material (e.g. a wire) whose length has been folded into parallel prongs in such fashion that the middle length of each curves towards the other so that, when anything is inserted between them, they act as a clamp (e.g.

A usually round pin that fits tightly into a corresponding hole to fasten or align two adjacent pieces.

An identifying number allocated to an individual by a bank or other organization and used for validating electronic transactions.

A piece of wood driven into a wall to act as an anchor for nails.

Attach or fasten with a pin or pins

To fasten or align with dowels

Hold (someone) firmly in a specified position so they are unable to move

To equip with dowels.

Hinder or prevent (a piece or pawn) from moving because of the danger to a more valuable piece standing behind it along the line of an attack

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.

A short, straight, stiff piece of wire with a blunt head and a sharp point, used especially for fastening.

A wooden rod, as one to make short pins from.

Something, such as a safety pin, that resembles such a piece of wire in shape or use.

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

A whit; a jot

(transitive) To fasten together with dowels.

A thin rod for securing the ends of fractured bones.

(transitive) To furnish with dowels.

A peg for fixing the crown to the root of a tooth.

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.

A cotter pin.

A piece of wood driven into a wall, so that other pieces may be nailed to it.

The part of a key stem entering a lock.

To fasten together by dowels; to furnish with dowels; as, a cooper dowels pieces for the head of a cask.

(Music) One of the pegs securing the strings and regulating their tension on a stringed instrument.

A fastener that is inserted into holes in two adjacent pieces and holds them together

(Nautical) A belaying pin.

(Nautical) A thole pin.

An ornament fastened to clothing by means of a clasp.

A rolling pin.

One of the wooden clubs at which the ball is aimed in bowling.

A flagstick.

See fall.

Pins(Informal) The legs

(Electronics) A lead on a device that plugs into a socket to connect the device to a system.

Any of the pegs on the platen of a printer, which engage holes at the edges of paper.

Any of the styluses that form a dot matrix on a printer.

Any of the small metal prongs at the end of a connector that fit into the holes in a port.

To fasten or secure with or as if with a pin or pins.

To transfix.

To place in a position of trusting dependence

To hold fast; immobilize

(Sports) To win a fall from in wrestling.

To give (a woman) a fraternity pin in token of attachment.

Having a grain suggestive of the heads of pins. Used of leather.

A needle without an eye (usually) made of drawn-out steel wire with one end sharpened and the other flattened or rounded into a head, used for fastening.

A small nail with a head and a sharp point.

A cylinder often of wood or metal used to fasten or as a bearing between two parts.

The victory condition of holding the opponent's shoulders on the wrestling mat for a prescribed period of time.

A slender object specially designed for use in a specific game or sport, such as skittles or bowling.

A leg.

(electricity) Any of the individual connecting elements of a multipole electrical connector.

A piece of jewellery that is attached to clothing with a pin.

(US) A simple accessory that can be attached to clothing with a pin or fastener, often round and bearing a design, logo or message, and used for decoration, identification or to show political affiliation, etc.

(chess) Either a scenario in which moving a lesser piece to escape from attack would expose a more valuable piece to being taken instead, or one where moving a piece is impossible as it would place the king in check.

(golf) The flagstick: the flag-bearing pole which marks the location of a hole

(curling) The spot at the exact centre of the house (the target area)

(archery) The spot at the exact centre of the target, originally a literal pin that fastened the target in place.

(obsolete) A mood, a state of being.

One of a row of pegs in the side of an ancient drinking cup to mark how much each person should drink.

Caligo.

A thing of small value; a trifle.

A peg in musical instruments for increasing or relaxing the tension of the strings.

(engineering) A short shaft, sometimes forming a bolt, a part of which serves as a journal.

The tenon of a dovetail joint.

A size of brewery cask, equal to half a firkin, or eighth of a barrel.

(informal) A pinball machine.

(locksmithing) A small cylindrical object which blocks the rotation of a pin-tumbler lock when the incorrect key is inserted.

(often followed by a preposition such as "to" or "on") To fasten or attach (something) with a pin.

To cause (a piece) to be in a pin.

(wrestling) To pin down (someone).

To enclose; to confine; to pen; to pound.

To attach (an icon, application, message etc.) to another item so that it persists.

To fix (an array in memory, a security certificate, etc.) so that it cannot be modified.

5.0|page=244

(transitive) To cause an analog gauge to reach the stop pin at the high end of the range.

To peen.

To inclose; to confine; to pen; to pound.

To fasten with, or as with, a pin; to join; as, to pin a garment; to pin boards together.

A piece of wood, metal, etc., generally cylindrical, used for fastening separate articles together, or as a support by which one article may be suspended from another; a peg; a bolt.

Especially, a small, pointed and headed piece of brass or other wire (commonly tinned), largely used for fastening clothes, attaching papers, etc.

Hence, a thing of small value; a trifle.

That which resembles a pin in its form or use

One of a row of pegs in the side of an ancient drinking cup to mark how much each man should drink.

The bull's eye, or center, of a target; hence, the center.

Mood; humor.

Caligo. See Caligo.

An ornament, as a brooch or badge, fastened to the clothing by a pin; as, a Masonic pin.

The leg; as, to knock one off his pins.

A piece of jewelry that is pinned onto the wearer's garment

When a wrestler's shoulders are forced to the mat

Small markers inserted into a surface to mark scores or define locations etc.

A number you choose and use to gain access to various accounts

Informal terms of the leg;

Axis consisting of a short shaft that supports something that turns

Cylindrical tumblers consisting of two parts that are held in place by springs; when they are aligned with a key the bolt can be thrown

Flagpole used to mark the position of the hole on a golf green

A small slender (often pointed) piece of wood or metal used to support or fasten or attach things

A club-shaped wooden object used in bowling; set up in groups as a target

To hold fast or prevent from moving;

Attach or fasten with pins

Pierce with a pin;

Immobilize a piece

Pins are commonly made of metal for strength and durability, but they can also be made from plastic, wood, or other materials depending on the application.

The choice between a dowel and a pin depends on the materials being joined, the desired strength of the joint, and whether the fastener should be visible or not.

Yes, while dowels are traditionally made from wood, they can also be found in metal, plastic, and other materials for specific applications.

A dowel is primarily used in woodworking to join two pieces of wood together, providing alignment and strength to the joint.

Yes, precision in drilling holes for dowels is crucial for ensuring the joint's strength and alignment.

Yes, there are various types of pins, including straight, tapered, cotter, and roll pins, each designed for specific uses.

Dowels are sized based on their diameter and length, which can be chosen to suit the specific requirements of the joint.

A pin can be used for fastening or aligning components in various applications, including mechanical and construction projects, offering versatility beyond woodworking.

Pins can be secured with friction, clips, or other mechanical fasteners, depending on the type of pin and its application.

Yes, pins can be used in woodworking, especially for temporary alignment or where metal components are incorporated.

Materials for pins include metal for strength and durability, plastic for electrical insulation, and wood for specific aesthetic or material compatibility reasons.

Dowels offer a strong, invisible joint that enhances the aesthetic of the finished product and is well-suited to the material properties of wood.

Yes, dowels add significant strength to a joint by distributing load and stress over a larger area.

In mechanical assemblies, pins often serve to align components, allow for movement, or secure parts together against separation.

While pins are generally available in standard sizes, custom pins can be manufactured for specific applications.