Wooden Dowel Adapter for Moen Boardwalk Towel Bar

I recommend printing from PETG with a 0.15 mm layer height.

This adapter is designed specifically for the Moen Boardwalk 18" towel bar sold at Bed Bath & Beyond. (https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/moen-boardwalk-18-inch-towel-bar-in-brushed-nickel/5597101) However, I hope this can inspire similar projects.

I got a little fed up with how cheap and flimsy towel rods are designed to be. A thin-walled metal tube that is only held a few mm from its ends is essentially designed to buckle and fall apart sooner or later. If you have one thoughtless moment and rest a little too much weight on the towel bar, you will invariably have to buy a new one. And good luck if your desired length is no longer in stock.

So, I made an adapter that fits all the way into the bracket, with a firm interference fit and additional grip by the existing screw that holds the bracket together. This allows you to use any ¾" rod or tube, and cut it to any arbitrary length. Note that you need to partially unscrew the head of the bracket from the base.

The bracket insert is not smoothly continuous with the neck of the adapter, but this is by design, as the insert is completely hidden inside the bracket once fully seated. If you still see a seam, you need to force the adapter deeper into the bracket.

Note the flared out rib between the neck and the socket of the adapter. It's not just aesthetic; if you're using wood, it can be used to lightly score your dowel rod to the exact cut length, no measurement nor guesswork needed. Install the brackets, line up one end of the rod with the rib on one bracket, and rub the rod lightly into the rib on the opposing bracket.

The rod is held steady by a little bit of friction, but otherwise allowed to spin freely so that your towel bar does not have to cope with torsional forces.