# Alignment pins for drawboring?



## Smile_n_Nod (Jan 20, 2011)

If you have drawbored a mortise-and-tenon joint (for example, when building a Roubo bench), did you use alignment pins and, if so, did you find them helpful or unnecessary?


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## Smile_n_Nod (Jan 20, 2011)

TTT, since I'm probably going to start drawboring this weekend.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

I drawbored a mortise and tenon joint for an outdoor table, and I did not use alignment pins. I just tapered the dowels with a pocket knife to allow them to pass through the opening.


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## MiniMoose (Sep 6, 2012)

I drill the hole in the mortise piece, then insert the tenon and dent it with the drill bit. Remove the tenon and drill through just behind the dent. Easy peasy.


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

1+ on minimoose's comment. I usually drawbore on large tables with 3/8" square pegs. I use a 3/8" drill bit to mark the center of the peg. Then I mortise the hole 1/32" closer to the shoulder of the tenon. 
No special tools required.


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## nwbusa (Feb 21, 2012)

Drawbore alignment pins are generally used after the holes in the mortise and offset hole in the tenon have been drilled, as shown in the picture below:










I use the same concept that Don does, and haven't needed to use the alignment pins. Some wax on the dowels might help if the fit is especially tight.


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## Smile_n_Nod (Jan 20, 2011)

I'm guessing that clamps would draw things tight, too. Maybe drawbore pins were more common before clamps became available.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

Brett-I did not use clamps to draw bore my joints. The driven pin pulls the joint together very tightly. I dry fitted the joint then pounded the tapered pin in. I used a 1/16" offset (as pintodeluxe described above in Post #4), but the offset depends on the wood species.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

I used drawbore pins with the assy of the base of my workbench. Bought them at Sears, essentially all-steel punches. Cheap and effective pair of appliances that have come in handy a bunch of times since. Pins do pull the joint incredibly tight, and sets the path for the peg. Do they have to be used? Maybe not. It's best practice, though.


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## MiniMoose (Sep 6, 2012)

Drawboring gives a tight M&T without needing glue or clamps at all. They certainly had clamps for other things. Drawboring also allows you to disassemble the piece later for repairs without having to do much but drill out the little peg. Even if they used glue (hide glue) it was still possible to disassemble with a bit of heat. Modern PVA glues don't really allow for that. I'm a hide glue and rice glue convert these days. I'd rather rely on joinery to do the structural support work.


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

I also used drawbore pins for my recent Roubo build. The offset was 1/16" and I did not used a drawbore pin. One reason is the my drawbore holes were blind and did not go all the way through. The pegs were tapered and went in without difficulty.


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## doordude (Mar 26, 2010)

Yes, i built the Roubo bench, and used the drawbore method. just like "the Schwarze" says in the bible. i mean book.
you buy them at sears for $8.00 each.worth having,yes 5 stars…


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