Doing my biggest cake so far next week (nephews wedding) that is going to be 8",10",& 12" round lemon w/cream cheese filling. I have always used the skinny wooden dowels but wonder should I use the hollow plastic ones for more support? Worried about the weight of the cake & filling. Any suggestions?
Plastic drink straws will do nicely
There really isn't that much more weight to be concerned about.
You can pick some up at places like McD; BurgerKing or Wendy's. I'd use 5 to 7 in the biggest tier then 3 in the next one.
BTW: personally I suggest using a 6"er for the top. It looks nicer. An 8" top tier just does not present as well.If you still feel unsafe w/using straws, then go ahead and use 4 plastic dowels in the bottom and then you can use the straws in the other tier.
I've done a 3 tiered with the same and used the skinny wooden dowels with no problems. I would use 10 for the bottom tier and I also use one long dowel to go through all three tiers to secure the cake.
I like the skinny ones because it is less cake that is used up.
Thanks for the input! I agree about the 6" top, but she presented me w/ a pic of the cake she wanted. I'm just changing the flowers & the color of the band border. It's 3 tier & she's having 112 people so I had to go w/the sizes I came up with. Since it's family, I'm making a 6" round fresh for their 1st anniversary 
I sooooo prefer bubble tea straws or hollow plastic dowels over wood--easier to cut, more stable, use fewer.
To support the 8", you'd need 4. To support the 10", you'd need 5.
Rae
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