How to use cam locks and dowels

• Cross-head screwdriver or Allen key (depending on the cam)
• Small hammer or rubber mallet

Before you start, lay everything out on a soft surface (the flattened box works) and check it against the parts list in your manual.

• Cam locks (discs)
• Cam bolts (the pins with a round head)
• Wooden dowels
• The two panels being joined

1. 1

   Step 1: Screw the cam bolts into the small holes in the face of the first panel by hand until the thread is fully in.

2. 2

   Step 2: Tap the wooden dowels into their holes so they stick out by the same amount.

3. 3

   Step 3: Drop a cam lock into the large round hole on the second panel, with its open side (often marked with an arrow) facing the edge where the bolt will come in.

4. 4

   Step 4: Push the two panels together so the bolt heads go into the cam locks and the dowels into their holes.

5. 5

   Step 5: Turn each cam lock clockwise with the screwdriver. It will catch the bolt head and pull the joint tight, usually within half a turn.

6. 6

   Step 6: Stop when the joint is tight; turning further can crack the panel or strip the cam.

• Putting the cam lock in facing the wrong way, so it cannot catch the bolt.
• Screwing the cam bolt in too far or not far enough, so the joint is loose.
• Overturning the cam so it spins freely.