Making Dowels

These dowels are used to support the rim reinforcement. They should be made out of a harder wood (not balsa), because they will be supporting most of the weight of the plywood insert.

• Remove any labels from the dowels (3/8" diameter).

  

• Cut the dowels into 2 1/2" or 3" pieces. You will need about 60 for a chu-daiko (2 per barrel stave).
• Using a miter box, a piece of 2x4, and a C-clamp, a simple jig can be set up to cut a lot of dowels without a lot of measuring.

  

• Round off the end of the dowel with very rough sandpaper. You only need to do one side, since the other will be cut off later anyway. The dowels will be coated in glue and pounded into the rim of the barrel; the end is rounded so it slides in easier without scraping all the glue off.