Dowel
Dowel turns up in 3 fields: concrete, woodworking, shop slang. Here is what it means to the people in each one.
Dowel in concrete
A smooth steel bar across a slab joint that transfers load while letting the joint open and close.
Pavement and industrial slab joints use smooth round or plate dowels, debonded on one side with grease or a sleeve, so wheel loads cross the joint without faulting while shrinkage can still pull the panels apart. A 10 in highway slab commonly carries 1.25 in round dowels at 12 in centers in wire baskets. Misaligned or bonded dowels lock the joint and crack the slab beside it.
"Check the dowel baskets are square to the joint, one cockeyed dowel and that panel cracks the first winter."
Dowel in woodworking
A cylindrical wooden peg used to align and reinforce joints.
A dowel is a solid cylindrical rod of wood inserted into matching drilled holes in two mating pieces of stock. When glued in place, dowels provide mechanical strength and precise alignment for edge joints, frame assemblies, and chair construction. Fluted or grooved dowels allow excess glue and trapped air to escape during assembly.
"Drill three holes for a 3/8 inch dowel to reinforce that miter joint."
Dowel in shop slang
A solid cylindrical pin used to align or join two components.
A solid cylindrical pin, usually made of steel or wood, used to precisely align two mating parts before they are bolted or glued together. In machining and assembly, dowel pins ensure that heavy fixtures or machine casings line up perfectly every time they are reassembled. They bear shear loads and prevent lateral shifting between joined parts.
"Tap the dowel into the engine block before you try to lower the cylinder head onto it."