Glue on rods

I was making some spinning tops by putting a short piece of dowel rod in a drill and using a belt sander t o make the end into a sharp point. It was when I went to slide it into my round/flat piece that I realized that the dowels were a little bit loose. I remembered someone, years ago, suggesting that you should use a pair of pliers to make a small indention where the glue was to go. It has always worked for me. Some of the tops were too tight, so the pliers trick worked well to hold the glue when pressing the dowel into place. Hope this will help someone else.