Dowel Preferences?

Decorating By hayleythecaker Updated 1 Jan 2009 , 2:10am by Susie53

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hayleythecaker Posted 30 Dec 2008 , 12:01am
post #1 of 27

Hey--new here, so sorry if this has been covered a gazillion times.

I was wondering what kinds of dowels people find best to work with for tiered cakes...wooden, plastic, etc. I'm new to tiered cakes and I'm not quite sure where to begin with these.

Also, I see people talking about SPS...what is this?

Thanks!

26 replies
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laura1029 Posted 30 Dec 2008 , 12:09am
post #2 of 27

I love bubble tea straws and they are so much easier to work with than wooden or plastic dowels. No splinters to worry about and if I mess one up when cutting I don't feel bad throwing it away as they are cheap.

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kakeladi Posted 30 Dec 2008 , 12:49am
post #3 of 27

Have used nice, thick, standard plastic drink straws for years w/o a problemicon_smile.gif
SPS = Single Plate System. Bakery Crafts make a plate w/lock-on legs. The legs take the place of dowels. The price is minimal so you don't have to worry about getting them back or if you do get them back they can be reused a couple of times once sanitized.

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sugarshack Posted 30 Dec 2008 , 2:36am
post #4 of 27

i use bubble tea straws and fomcore bords and a ceneter dowel. Love it!

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leah_s Posted 30 Dec 2008 , 2:46am
post #5 of 27

I'm leading the SPS choir. Once you try it, you'll never go back. Wooden dowels are the debil.

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hayleythecaker Posted 30 Dec 2008 , 2:49am
post #6 of 27

thanks guys icon_smile.gif

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hayleythecaker Posted 30 Dec 2008 , 2:51am
post #7 of 27

and somehow I completely missed the sticky on SPS... d'oh!

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Margieluvstobake Posted 30 Dec 2008 , 2:53am
post #8 of 27

I guess I don't know much either. What are bubble tea straws?

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sweetlayers Posted 30 Dec 2008 , 3:08am
post #10 of 27

Does anyone know if they sell bubble tea straws at party city?

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gr8_seamstress Posted 30 Dec 2008 , 5:40am
post #11 of 27

You can get the large drinking straws at restraunt supply stores like smart & final, cash n carry, even sams clubs. Or if you don't need alot of them .......McD's & Jack n box have them for free!

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cakesbykitty Posted 30 Dec 2008 , 3:52pm
post #12 of 27

i have always used hard wood dowels, do the bubble straws really hold as much weight? Even with a 4 tier cake? .... knees a knockin' thinking about it....

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laura1029 Posted 31 Dec 2008 , 1:23am
post #13 of 27

Yes, the bubble straws hold weight just fine. A few weeks ago I had a 4 tier wedding cake that I set up 3 hours before the reception and it held just fine. thumbs_up.gif

Side note - I still put a dowel down the center though.

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gerripje Posted 31 Dec 2008 , 2:07am
post #14 of 27

Great!! My sister has a ton of bubble tea straws from her failed little specialty coffee shop thing (small town Albertans weren't too interested in bubble tea!) icon_wink.gif

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hayleythecaker Posted 31 Dec 2008 , 2:26am
post #15 of 27

What do you use for the center dowel, then? (unless they make super tall bubble tea straws icon_wink.gif )

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mommakristin Posted 31 Dec 2008 , 2:27am
post #16 of 27

I also use straws. I have always used the regular straws that I can get at Sams or Walmart or my local grocery store. They have never let me down. I still use a dowel down the middle for two or three tier cakes and anything larger I go for two dowels down the middle.

good luck!

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hayleythecaker Posted 31 Dec 2008 , 2:27am
post #17 of 27

What do you use for the center dowel, then? (unless they make super tall bubble tea straws icon_wink.gif )

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mommakristin Posted 31 Dec 2008 , 2:28am
post #18 of 27

I also use straws. I have always used the regular straws that I can get at Sams or Walmart or my local grocery store. They have never let me down. I still use a dowel down the middle for two or three tier cakes and anything larger I go for two dowels down the middle.

good luck!

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hayleythecaker Posted 31 Dec 2008 , 2:28am
post #19 of 27

What do you use for the center dowel, then? (unless they make super tall bubble tea straws icon_wink.gif )

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mommakristin Posted 31 Dec 2008 , 2:29am
post #20 of 27

I also use straws. I have always used the regular straws that I can get at Sams or Walmart or my local grocery store. They have never let me down. I still use a dowel down the middle for two or three tier cakes and anything larger I go for two dowels down the middle.

good luck!

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Juds2323 Posted 31 Dec 2008 , 2:32am
post #21 of 27

Wood dowels are used as center dowels when using straws.

HTH

Judi

- Where do you get the really long (food safe) dowels for the center dowels? I can only find the 12" wilton ones.

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mommakristin Posted 31 Dec 2008 , 8:55pm
post #22 of 27

I have not found dowels food safe longer than 12". If you find them please let me know too!!

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cakesbykitty Posted 31 Dec 2008 , 9:02pm
post #23 of 27

I'd love to try the bubble straws (they'd definitely be easier to cut and more cost effective) but the thought of straws supporting a hundred pounds of cake scares the life out of me.

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leah_s Posted 31 Dec 2008 , 9:09pm
post #24 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by kakesbykitty

I'd love to try the bubble straws (they'd definitely be easier to cut and more cost effective) but the thought of straws supporting a hundred pounds of cake scares the life out of me.




Me too. Have you looked at SPS?

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cakesbykitty Posted 31 Dec 2008 , 9:21pm
post #25 of 27

The only experience i have with them is in a dummy cake. you like them?

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sugarshack Posted 31 Dec 2008 , 11:20pm
post #26 of 27

those wide straws are as strong as plastic dowels, way easier to cut and more stable than wooden dowels for sure.

i have not uses SPS so no opinion on that method.

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Susie53 Posted 1 Jan 2009 , 2:10am
post #27 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by mommakristin

I have not found dowels food safe longer than 12". If you find them please let me know too!!




I'd like to know the answer to this too.

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