I know I read this somewhere. Not sure if it was one of the books I have or on this website. It just doesn't seem possible because cake is so heavy! I can imagine it would be so much easier to use straws but I wonder how much weight they could actually support. I would hate to have a cake collapse on me.
Feel silly asking this.... 
but am i correct when i push in 4 straws into the base cake and cut them off and leave a little bit above the cake?
Then i place my second cake over the base.
Do i need to put the second cake on a board before i place it over the base cake? or just put the second cake directly over the base cake without a board?
After this do i need to stick in a dowel at the centre of the second cake?
If so how do you actually get the dowel to go through the second cake's board? 
Appreciate your replies....honourable chefs 
rajwant, go to "Articles" on this website and there they show you how to do a stacked cake!!
And, yes, you need to put your second cake on a board before placing it on the bottom cake.
When I was at school many many years ago we used to stab potaotoes with a straw. As long as you held your thumb over the end of the straw it was strong enough to go through the potatoe. If you didn't have your thumb over it the pressure inside the straw was then lessand then not as strong
Sorry for the rambling was just saying that straws should be strong enough to hold the weight of cakes. I use straws and they seem fine 
When I was at school many many years ago we used to stab potaotoes with a straw. As long as you held your thumb over the end of the straw it was strong enough to go through the potatoe. If you didn't have your thumb over it the pressure inside the straw was then lessand then not as strong
Sorry for the rambling was just saying that straws should be strong enough to hold the weight of cakes. I use straws and they seem fine
I use straws too.
Now, I'm going to look for a potato to test that out! 
I use straws too, and as lang as they are put in straight, they should be strong enough.
As far as pushing one long dowel through the entire cake, sharpen the end with a pencil sharpener or other means, and it should poke right through the board. I cover my board in contact paper and it still goes right through.
I was told by a cake decorator that they are just as strong as dowels. Dowels move cake out of the way but the straws actually fill up with cake and that makes them strong, is what she said.
I wasn't sure about using straws either. But this weekend, I had no choice. i had ordered some bubble tea straws on ebay and had been waiting to try them on some cakes for my family. Well this past weekend, I had to use them on a wedding cake since I forgot to pick up dowel rods. Let me tell you, I will never use dowels again. The straws were awesome, very strong and easy to cut. I had 3 tiers on a fountain. The attached photo is of the cake I used the straws on. So go ahead and try the bubble tea straws. Best of all, I got a bag of 50 for $3.99 and each straw is long enough to get 2 dowels out of each one.
Charisse
I wasn't sure about using straws either. But this weekend, I had no choice. i had ordered some bubble tea straws on ebay and had been waiting to try them on some cakes for my family. Well this past weekend, I had to use them on a wedding cake since I forgot to pick up dowel rods. Let me tell you, I will never use dowels again. The straws were awesome, very strong and easy to cut. I had 3 tiers on a fountain. The attached photo is of the cake I used the straws on. So go ahead and try the bubble tea straws. Best of all, I got a bag of 50 for $3.99 and each straw is long enough to get 2 dowels out of each one.
Charisse
I've never used straws but I am not against them. I have read so many posts on here abut them being successful. This is one of those personal preference areas, I've used wooden dowels for 26 years others have used straws.
Find your comfort zone and go with it 
Jibbies
If you do a lot of cakes and want a great deal for the bubble tea straws, nothing I have seen beats this! http://cgi.ebay.com/1-Case-Fat-Jumbo-Bubble-Boba-Pearl-Tea-Straws-Straw_W0QQitemZ4340912563QQcmdZViewItem
Check it out!
Do you only need to do the one long dowel through all layers when you're transporting the cake all stacked, or would you do it regardless even if you stacked the cake at the location? Also, isn't it better to transport the cake unstacked and then stacking it at the location?
I use the bubble tea straws, too, since they are 1/2" in diameter. I use a wooden dowel rod pushed through the center of all the tiers (makes the cake stable during transport), which I've sharpened with a little handheld pencil sharpener. 
Any time I take a cake farther than my front porch I don't set it up until it gets to where its going. I do put it together on my dining room table as a trial run on Friday evening and I ususally leave it there until Saturday morning. This also helps with settleing issues, then I take it apart, transport and then put back together at the venue.
Jibbies
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