Out of curiousity, how many dowels do you use in the bottom tier of a 6-8-10-12-14 inch stacked cake as well as 8-10-12-14-16 inch cake? In the bottom three tiers, do you use just the 1/4" wooden dowels or a combination of the wooden dowels and plastic tubes?
I use what they call bubble straws. My wilton teacher and very close friend told me about them. depending on the size of each tier would account for how many straws I would use. And as dorie67 stated going around the next tier for support would be good. Before I started using the bubble straws I have used the plastic tube dowels to support the tiers and I used 4 for the bigger layers and 3 for the support of the 8" and 2 to support the top tier. 
If I'm using wooden dowels (rarely) I put in 1 per inch of the tier above.
If I'm using plastic dowels, I use 1 per 2 inches of the tier above. For very heavy/tall cakes, I sometimes use the heavier gauge plastic hidden pillars and then I cut back to 1 per 3 inches of the tier above.
I do my best to space the dowels very evenly and leave the direct center free so that I can drive a long dowel thru the entire cake.
HTH
Rae
Im making a beer mug cake, tomm...my first...I was told by one CCer thats done cakes for over 25yrs I didnt have to for a 4layers (single) tall cake. Others have said yes...so Im lost.
Can I use bubble straws or does it have to be dowels and can I just dowel as I go? meaning 2 cakes, dowel at that height and not insert onto the bottom board? then next 2 layers dowel those and then do a final one dowel down all 4 layers? and not the bottom board?
thanks!!!
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