Decorating Screen

Making dowel joints
Each joint is assembled with two 8mm dowels. Dowel joints look simple but need to be accurately aligned. Dowelling jigs make the process simple. The trick is to ensure you’re always working from the same face.
For a cheaper option than a jig, use dowel centres. They have a sharp centrepoint, making it easier to identify the drilling position on the connecting piece. Insert a dowel centre into one hole and carefully align the adjoining piece to mark the hole position.
Use a dowelling bit (also called a spur bit), which has a centre point for more precise drilling. Standard twist drills have a tendency to wander off the mark. screenStay in the picture by displaying photos and hiding mess.

Construction
• Label all the joints as soon as you’ve marked out the dowel positions.
• Make sure all the pieces are flat on the bench during marking-out.
• When drilling rails, don’t be tempted to go all the way through. Mark both sides and drill toward the centre from each side.
• Sand all the internal edges before gluing up.
• Use a slow-setting PVA glue as the screen takes some time to assemble.
• Gluing early in the morning, or in colder weather, buys more time.
• Don’t be heavy-handed with the glue, as it will squeeze out and make a mess.