Thanks guys;
I have a reversible cordless drill and there's probably some wood filler in
the shed I could use to build up one corner around the dowel. The stuff I
don't think is stained; the small edges seem to be veneered with something
like, uh, contac paper. Whadya know I tried drilling and the bit broke;
gotta try a new one.

A tip which is almost lost to history is that for predrilling wood for a
nail you can get by using the same size nail for a drill. just clip the
head off and chuck it in the drill.

Try it, it woiks. Just stop drilling at about half to three quarters the
length of the nail you'll be using so there's some undrilled wood left
for it to drive into.


If you don't want to take the time, or can't for some other reason
pre-drill, I've always had pretty good luck preventing splitting
blunting the tip of the nail. (By snipping it off with my trusty
Knipex CoBolt cutter, which is the best F'ing hand-powered wire-cutter
on the face of the planet, even if it does cost $35.)
The absence of the chisle-point keeps the nail from wedging.
Be warned that this doesn't work well with bright-finish nails,
or on materials other than wood.

--Goedjn