<p>They are called <strong>dowel markers</strong> or <strong>dowel pins</strong> and are used in cabinetry for marking where to place dowels/pegs for joining pieces of wood. Usually they are found in sets of varying diameter for different dowel sizes. Yours appear to be handmade and likely are antiques.</p>
<p>How they work: You would have holes pre-drilled on one of the sides to join. Stuff those into the holes pointy side out and then align it with the other piece. A tap with a mallet and you have center marks for the drilling the holes on the other piece of wood, guaranteed to line up perfectly. Nice!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-28T17:05:13.567Z
2025-01-01T15:51:53.877Z
2025-01-01T15:51:53.877Z
rebusB
<p>Found these in an old compartment box of chipboard screws that came to us from the adjacent household clearance business.</p>
<p>On a cylindrical base or shaft sits a conical, rounded tip. Overall length is about 2-2.5 mm, real tiny. They're attracted by magnets. Battered as the sides look, the base circle surfaces are reasonably smooth.</p>
<p>Google Lens mainly just gives me cone snails and pencils. I'm reminded of a center punch, but the items seem hard to fix in a handle when some of them have an even shorter base than in the picture.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/eAp6qUFv.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/eAp6qUFv.jpg" alt="tiny metal tips" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-16T14:48:06.337Z
Based on other tools or materials around where you found these, can you limit the type of craft or main material somewhat? Like was it found in a carpenters workshop or a jewellery workshop or was there raw leather / wood / metal lying around?
Elmy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-17T15:03:10.983Z
Looks like one is brass and the other is aluminum or steel? Can  you confirm what they are made of. A picture of the " cylindrical steel base" might provide a clue.
David D
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-20T21:33:06.357Z
Just a random idea, but maybe they aren't tools at all, but cutoffs from turning metal on the lathe? That would explain why some have different lengths. They are too short to be an awl, too narrow for setting grommets or similar items, not pointy enough to be scribers... Are you sure about the 2 mm length? That is absolutely tiny. I suspect you mean 20 mm / 2 cm?
Elmy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-23T12:36:22.480Z
@Elmy Not familiar with lathework but the idea of remnants seems plausible. Thanks.
ariola
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-23T12:37:48.187Z
@DavidD, Elmy: I integrated the info you elicited in the q and deleted my comments, might want to do likewise?
ariola
<tool-identification>
What are these tiny point tips?
ariola
# What are these tiny point tips?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-12-16)

Found these in an old compartment box of chipboard screws that came to us from the adjacent household clearance business.

On a cylindrical base or shaft sits a conical, rounded tip. Overall length is about 2-2.5 mm, real tiny. They're attracted by magnets. Battered as the sides look, the base circle surfaces are reasonably smooth.

Google Lens mainly just gives me cone snails and pencils. I'm reminded of a center punch, but the items seem hard to fix in a handle when some of them have an even shorter base than in the picture.

[![tiny metal tips](https://i.sstatic.net/eAp6qUFv.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/eAp6qUFv.jpg)

**Tags:** tool-identification

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Based on other tools or materials around where you found these, can you limit the type of craft or main material somewhat? Like was it found in a carpenters workshop or a jewellery workshop or was there raw leather / wood / metal lying around?  
> **username_2**: Looks like one is brass and the other is aluminum or steel? Can  you confirm what they are made of. A picture of the " cylindrical steel base" might provide a clue.  
> **username_1**: Just a random idea, but maybe they aren't tools at all, but cutoffs from turning metal on the lathe? That would explain why some have different lengths. They are too short to be an awl, too narrow for setting grommets or similar items, not pointy enough to be scribers... Are you sure about the 2 mm length? That is absolutely tiny. I suspect you mean 20 mm / 2 cm?  
> **username_0**: @username_1 Not familiar with lathework but the idea of remnants seems plausible. Thanks.  
> **username_0**: @DavidD, username_1: I integrated the info you elicited in the q and deleted my comments, might want to do likewise?  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2024-12-28. Score: 2

They are called **dowel markers** or **dowel pins** and are used in cabinetry for marking where to place dowels/pegs for joining pieces of wood. Usually they are found in sets of varying diameter for different dowel sizes. Yours appear to be handmade and likely are antiques.

How they work: You would have holes pre-drilled on one of the sides to join. Stuff those into the holes pointy side out and then align it with the other piece. A tap with a mallet and you have center marks for the drilling the holes on the other piece of wood, guaranteed to line up perfectly. Nice!


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