# Using brass rods in joinery



## Tedstor (Mar 12, 2011)

I want to make some rabbeted drawer boxes. I've made these in the past, using 1/4" wooden dowels to better improve the joint, and because I think it looks cool.

I was thinking about doing some more. I have some abnormally dark ash, and think brass dowels/rods would be a stunning contrast. Any reason I couldn't use some epoxy? 
Only pitfall I can think of, is getting the rods even with the wood might be tricky/painstaking. 
Anything else?


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## Bob5103 (Feb 13, 2016)

Brass is soft and sands well. Cut it to length and gently sand. When I use brass I always use epoxy. It does contrast nicely.


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

Epoxy works well but you could avoid the hassle of mixing the two parts and having to work fast before it sets up by using Urethane glue (Gorilla glue is the most widely know). It is sticky so wear protective gloves and apply very thinly. Any squeeze out will foam up as it cures and is easy to scrape or sand off. Moisture triggers it so for fasting curing spritz the wood parts with a little water first.

You can use it for your rabbited joints as well. 
For parts that are not firmly interlocked (like the dowels in a hole) it is a good idea to clamp them because the urethane does tend to expand slightly as it cures.


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## Tedstor (Mar 12, 2011)

Cool. Thanks for the replies. I figured it'd work, but it's nice to have an affirmation, and some additional pointers.


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Scuff the surface of the brass to give the epoxy some teeth. A groove or other notch like structure will allow a locking lump to form in the epoxy.

Brass looks very nice with the right wood. It has been used as an inlay since brass was invented (and it was copper before that).


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

If you have a dremel, thats a perfect tool to use to machine brass down without being too aggressive.


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## wildwoodbybrianjohns (Aug 22, 2019)

A fine mill file is what I use to get brass or copper or silver flush with the surface. It is rather easy to do, and as long as you keep the file level, it wont bite the wood. Sometimes I use epoxy, sometimes CA glue, no issues with either. You can buff the metal afterward with 0000 steelwool to take out any file marks. It is a good idea to clean brass with acetone just before gluing.


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## PBWilson1970 (Jan 23, 2020)

+1 about using a file. I've made a few projects with aluminum rods inlaid and as pins. The first ones were a mess when I used a random orbit sander. It left the metal proud of the wood and more wood was taken away than I wanted.

Another time I used too fine sandpaper and too much pressure and it heated up the rods and discolored the wood and there was a micro crack around a couple. Arrrgh!

A file did the trick. No burning of the wood and they came out level.


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## Tony1212 (Aug 26, 2013)

Earlier this year I used 3/8" brass rod for a couple Morris chairs. I was going to use them as drawbores at the mortise and tenon joints, but that was too cost prohibitive, so I just used oak dowels, then drilled them out and stuck 1/4" brass slugs into the hole to cover the oak dowels. They look AMAZING!

My wife used a Dremel with a cutoff wheel cut up the brass rods into 1/4" slugs and I used 5 minute epoxy to glue them in. I just used a regular bastard file to bring them flush. It only took about 1 to 2 minutes per slug, depending on how close I hit the 1/4" depth with the drill.

Then I sanded both the wood and the brass to 220 grit and used Arm-R-Seal. The brass isn't mirror shiny, but stands out wonderfully on the walnut. I had thought about making them shiny, but that would have been too much work for not enough bang. I would have used the polishing kit that Dremel sells.

Here's a pic of the final project (forgot to do the stool mortise and tenons because they weren't actually drawbored)


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## tryingToBuildThings (May 5, 2021)

I also want to use brass rod as dowels to pin the corners of some wood shelves I'm building. I'm going to stain the shelves with some dark oil-based stain and polyurethane them. Should I stain and finish the wood first and then glue and insert the dowels? I'm concerned that I will damage the finished wood trying to get the brass glued and flush. Or should I insert the brass dowels and then finish the wood? Then how do I get the dark oil stain off the brass without messing up the surrounding wood before I poly?


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

It's a lot eaasier to just install your brass dowels, flush and sand, then stain. When applying the stain and doing the wipe down, the stain will clean right off of the brass. A light scrub with #0000 wool will also help clean them up.

If you go the finish first, then insert route, a common method is to place a piece of "blue" painters tape over the area, drill the dowel hole (through the tape) and install. The tape will keep the glue off of the wood. Of course you need the ends of the dowels clean and square as you will not be able to easily work on them after installing.


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Install first. Stain doesn't stick to brass.


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