I am repainting the wood screen door on my front portch. It’s in bad shape. I broke it apart with a rubber mallet. There’s these wood things in it. Maybe they are 1/2″ dowels or pegs. I don’t know what wood workers call them. Anyway, 40 years and the glue has gone bad.
I pulled out all I could with a pliers. I drilled out the broken ones with my brad point bits. Can I get some new pegs at the home depot? What department will they be in? I suppose I could cut up a dowel rod and work over the edge with my pocket knife, but that seems like a lot of work.
Replies
Greetings FarmerDave,
Those wood things are called dowels. I don't spend alot of time at Home Disaster as I call it. You might want to try a local woodworking retailer, lumber yard, or hardware store instead. I've suffered enough bad service at Home Depot. There are also some mail order companies that specialize in woodworking supplies. Here are 2 of them:
Woodworkers Supply - www. woodworker.com
WoodCraft Supply - http://www.woodcraft.com
You might also want to get an exterior grade or even a waterproof glue. There is a water resistant glue, but the waterproof glue will be better for your situation. And some clamps would be a great help to hold the joints together until the glue dries.
Those daring young men in their flying machines!
I got the clamps and I got the glue. I've seen little bags of those dowels, but the question is where. Like you say, getting help at the home despot is hard at best. More often than not I know where more things are than the orange coated experts. But some wood worker person is likely to know. There some wood working places about but farmer usually just makes sawdust and joins things with 20d nails. :)
Ha, ha-- er-- uhm-- FarmerDave?
You've been a member since 2002, and you just asked--- what?
I could be wrong here, but if you pull the other one it's got bells on it.
If I'm wrong, apologies are extended. Slainte.
Sounds like I got my leg pulled, but then I've only been posting since May, so I haven't met everybody yet.
Those daring young men in their flying machines!
So while you were in HD did you notice any birds flying around in there? Around here all the HD's have them. Are the stuck in there, can they get out? Do they want out? Do they breed in there? What do they eat/drink? Do they ever help with customer service? Just curious.
Some of the stores in my area have pigeons or sparrows. But the coolest thing I saw was last summer. One of the stores attracted a hawk (or maybe they brought it in on purpose?) which was 'taking care of the pigeon infestation'. I found out about it when I found a pile of feathers in the electrical aisle and asked a salesperson about it (yes, I actually found a salesperson!). He told me that there was a hawk around - I saw perched on a truss on a subsequent visit.
This is a true story.
It's totally amazing! I would be more colorful in my language, but I probably would find myself being expletive deleted. One time I went to the one that was built where I live, and I asked for crown molding, it's amazing I didn't throttle the poor slob. Here's how the conversation went:
Me; Where's the crown molding located?
HD guy; Uh! I just work here
Some much for customer service!
Those daring young men in their flying machines!
Edited 7/17/2004 11:46 pm ET by f4phanatic
f4phanatic,
I've not encountered quite that level of disinterest, but I have learned that the people who work there usually know little or nothing about what they're trying to sell.
I once made the mistake of looking for wood filler (grain/pore filler) in a big box. All I could find was wood putty, some of it mis-labeled as 'wood filler' of course. I made a second mistake by asking an employee.
I carefully explained that I wanted wood filler, not wood putty, and the difference between them. His reply?
"Wait a minute. What's the project?"
As though knowing what the project was would make wood putty turn into wood filler.
Then there was the fellow in Woodworkers Warehouse that I asked where the plane irons were kept. He blanked out, so I added "...plane blades."
He was working the register when I checked out. I decided to be helpful.
"The right name for these is 'irons'," I said, holding it up.
Quick as lightning he shot back, "they're called different things in different parts of the country."
I smirked and another customer within earshot laughed out loud.
There's a deliberately ignorant fellow who will never learn anything for the rest of his life.
Alan
"they're called different things in different parts of the country."
Alan, he was right. They are. Blade or iron are both acceptable terms here in the UK, as they were when I lived in the US. Slainte.RJFurniture
Hi, Alan
Well, as for Home Depot your right about the people who do work there knowing little or nothing. Unfortunately the one in my city seems to have a few who truely do seem genuinely disinterested! I try to go there as a last resort when I need something quickly. Having figured out where everything is now is a big help. As for Woodworkers Warehouse I had 2 near where I live, I patronized one and avoided the other. The difference between the two was worlds apart. I guess it came down to the individual managers at each store. It's too bad they went out of business!
Those daring young men in their flying machines!
Edited 7/18/2004 9:02 pm ET by f4phanatic
As we Alans seem to be interested in language, I might as well mention that while the guy at Home Depot was uninterested in your transaction, he presumably was not disinterested, which would mean he had no financial stake in it. One would think his job might depend to some small extent on how well he did it.
AlanS,
Did I really write 'disinterested'?
AAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!
How embarrassing. Especially because I know the difference and I spent so many years correcting others. I tried so hard to beat into their heads the importance of such things. I actually used the confusion of 'disinterested' and 'uninterested' as an example of how, when words are not used precisely, the language loses precision.
How happy my old students would be.
A fail for me.
Mea culpa. I.e., stupid me.
I'm on my way to the corner.
Alan
Hi Alan,
I looked up both words in the DoubleDay dictionary. And he's right! Oh well,I like most of your students had been admonished for the improper use of nouns, adjectives, and verbs at one time or another! Happily I always passed english class in the end!
Those daring young men in their flying machines!
f4phanatic,
I know he's right!
I KNOW HE'S RIGHT!
Will this affliction never end?
Will my shame never ebb?
Will I ever smile again?
AAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!
Alan
Alan,
Well, it could have been worse! As a flight instructor I've always been beating my students over the head incessantly because the stakes and the inevitable consequences are much more severe!
Those daring young men in their flying machines!
f4phanatic,*
You're right, of course. But to see the volleys of arguments between the inmates of the ivory towers you might not think so. I guess it has to do with how large is the world you live in.
I've always wondered what brain surgeons say to put their work in perspective.
Alan
*Nice word play--as that seems to be the direction this thread has taken. How many others have gotten it?
Hi Alan,
Don't know any brain surgeons, I guess it's luck in one way I guess! As for my username, 2 have gotten it, 1 wanted to know if I were a photographer, and the rest have not asked.
Those daring young men in their flying machines!
Edited 7/22/2004 4:57 pm ET by f4phanatic
You can make your own dowels if you cant find them. Take a small square of solild wood and drill a hole slightly smaller than the dowel through the center.
Now, from each side of the square, drive a drywall or similar screw through until just the point of the screw protrudes into the hole you just drilled. Put the square on something that will support it so you dont have to hold it by hand.
Hammer sections of the clean dowel through this jig and it will make the striations in the dowel for the glue to set in.
Simple.
ps - or you can order pre-made from Rockler.
Edited 7/23/2004 12:40 pm ET by Toolsguy
This stuff is great, i will be going up and down the aisles of a lowe's engineering a project as i go and once every year or so a ( customer associate) will insist that he helps me after i say i dont need help, so i lay words and terms that sounds like i am planning a shuttle launch and he disapears.
Works for me, GER
hd and loews has dowels in the wood section. in all sizes from 1/8 to 1.5" take a part of the broken door and go. see what size you need by fitting it into the hole . the dowels come in 48" so you will have to cut them down. in addition , you may want to make some groves in the dowel for additional glue surface.
David
http://WWW.darbynwoods.com
I just want to get a bird of prey and let it go in my HD.
To get back to your question, the small pegs are called dowels, and Home Depot should have them. If you get them cut up in bags they'd be in the section with woodworking tools. If you buy 3 foot lengths, they are likely in the lumber and trim section.
For dowels to work, they must be driven into undersized holes. You'll have to measure the precise actual diameter in the store and purchase a drill bit 1/64 to 1/32 inch smaller in diameter. A waterproof glue that swells the fibers, such as Titebond II, is a good choice. New glue won't stick to old because it's very possibly a different type, so you'll have to drill out the old glue or put the dowels in a different spot.
Check the price and quality of new screen doors while you are there, as an alternative.
As you're finding out, Home Depot is not well liked by many folks here, because the service is, as a rule, not too good, which my experience bears out. You are likely to get better service and advice at a real hardware store.
IIRC, before we had the home depot we often had bad service at the mom and pop place. Now I get terrific service at the mom and pop place and fair prices at HD.
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