Should I use one or two dowels to install an ebony tip?

Also, does the dowel material need to be walnut? Or would maple or oak suffice?

i like 2, but will do one, if there isn't space -
what wood the dowel is doesn't really matter.

I have used big iron screws, one. Those won't break. Full threaded, epoxy in.

I've always used wo 1/4" dowels and a quality adhesive...epoxy, Gorilla, Tite Bond...never had one come loose/ Lightly score the ends that meet and use just enough pressure to get a tight fit without squeezing out all the adhesive

Any good marine grade epoxy is all you need. No dowels, no fasteners. Stronger than the wood. I like System Three G2 Epoxy. Clamp with light pressure before it is shaped. You can put a little drop go black or brown epoxy dye into the mix.

Brian...what you propose may have merit...But this ol'boy...Gonna keep using dowels! I KNOW darn well it will never come loose..

Two species of wood will always contract and expand at different rates. Ebony is a slightly oily wood and you have recoil forces in addition to normal banging and clattering around.

Why NOT use mechanical as well as adhesive connection?

Pete Grisel taught us to use a good grade of waterproof wood glue and wood dowels. I use Weldwood. Wood glue will tolerate different rates of expansion ie ebony and walnut.

I do something entirely different. Using a milling machine, I mill a 7/8" diameter x 3/4" long tenon on the end of the forend and a corresponding, tightly fitted hole in the block of ebony. There is a ton of surface area on the tenon for glue, and since the tenon & ebony block were both machined flat, they fit perfectly and no dowel(s) is needed. A little more work, but it works great. Roger

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Your point is well taken. I just didn't have any dowels when I did my first ebony tip
and just kept doing it the same way after that. With the oily ebony I sure rough sand it and clean it. I just never got around to the dowels. They would add strength, for sure and make it better when lining things up. I got into building wooden boats. The marine epoxy guys say "no mechanical fasteners. I have intensionally broken apart wood epoxy joint. The epoxy never breaks, It tears the wood out beside the joint. Epoxy is tough.
Having said that, boat builders use dowels sometimes too!

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Originally posted by RogersGunWorks:
I do something entirely different. Using a milling machine, I mill a 7/8" diameter x 3/4" long tenon on the end of the forend and a corresponding, tightly fitted hole in the block of ebony. There is a ton of surface area on the tenon for glue, and since the tenon & ebony block were both machined flat, they fit perfectly and no dowel(s) is needed. A little more work, but it works great. Roger

I have a little Greener .310 Martini cadet. When I got it, the forend tip was missing, but it was clear that they had used this method. The tenon was broken off and missing with the forend tip though.

I use 2 pieces of stainless steel threaded bar, scored along it's length with a Dremel tool and all epoxied in on all the ones I have done. May be overkill, but then all my tips have been made from buffalo horn...

I use a dowal and a tenon inletted in the inletting as I feel it will never turn that way..

I don't really trust adhesives in that Ive seen that stuff craze, come loose in extreme cold and Ive seen it turn loose on oily wood...

I always soak the Ebony in Lighter fluid or whatever to get some of the oil out...anyway its always worked..

Maybe Im using the wrong stuff but its glass bedding compounds and Ive never lost a forend tip so far that I know of....

What kind of adhesives do you guys use interests me, maybe I need a change..

I use GRP resin (glass bedding compound) or epoxy. Never had one come off.

My brother is a custom knife-maker, and he uses epoxy on his knife scales. If it's strong enough for that, it'll hold a fore-end tip.

We tried using epoxy back in 1961 without dowels and over time they would break loose. The best way is like Duane uses and I do the same thing to rough up the wood and use 1/4 in. maple dowels. Here is my jig for both square tips and 45 degree angle tips. With expanding wood the harden epoxy will glaze over and not hold. Use a good wood glue that will expand with the wood. Ebony and most tip wood has lots of oil, so I degrease with acetone. Here is the jig and next will be the clamp to float pushing on the tip to line up if the end stock.

Les- Sure hate that you have to do your work out of the back of your truck.Ever forget to put the tailgate up?

Old Mis

Never forgot to close the tailgate, Now I need your help to make a new shop for my updated RV for working on the road. I may have to build a bench on the back of my Ford Explorer and I may never build another stock. Ha Ha The above pic was in 2010 and now a newer RV.