I looked up discussions on dowel preferences, but both discussions were a few years back. I know there are a lot of new CC users out there since then. I've done 3 tier cakes with wooden dowels, but never anything larger then that. I have a wedding cake coming up soon with 12-10-8-6 tiers. I'm thinking of trying bubble tea straws, but I'm concerned about them breaking. Any thoughts?

Anything over 3 tiers, I would use the SPS system. Others will disagree.

http://media.cakecentral.com/files/sps_104.pdf

I was a bubble straw user until I discovered SPS.  LOVE it!  Your bubble straws will not buckle with a cake that size, but I would trust the SPS so much more!   With the SPS, your cake goes together so much easier.

If your off even a little on your straw height it can put pressure on the cake(s) underneath.  Read through the SPS threads and I think you will also be a convert!

A bubble tea straw can't "break", certainly not like a skinny wooden dowel.  Just try to crush a straw lengthwise between the palms of your hand--it won't bend and it won't break.  The hollow cylinder is, by it's nature, one of the strongest physical structures.  The SPS may have some other features--plates with gripping "points" and pre-cut leg lengths-- but the principle of it is the same......hollow cylinders.

I use 3/16th" foamcore cake boards coated in melted edible soy wax and make sure that my straws are evenly cut--never given me a problem.

AI use bubble straws for all of my cakes, and I've certainly never had any buckling issues. And you don't even need to use very many either. I measure one and cut all to that one measurement, and double check before inserting them.

A

AHowever, the responsible part of me wants to direct you to use SPS for your first big cake, and practice with straws on smaller cakes with the straws until you're comfy with them.

Not a fan of bubble straws, but I agree that they work just fine. I prefer wooden dowels - they are just easier and faster for me and take up less room in the cake.
 

I use bubble tea straws. I use them because the SPS is too hard to cut, and I think the 4" tall cakes are squatty, mine are mostly 5", but not always, so I like to keep my options open, without resorting to a hack saw.

AAnd they are perfectly sturdy. For 6"ers and smaller, those get three straws, 7, 8, and 9 inchers get four, so on and so on.

AThat's another reason too, my tiers at 5 inches tall too. And I know SPS comes with different lengths, but I'm just interested in it anymore. I use foam core boards, prepped the same way maybenot described.

I get my bubble tea straws at restaurant depot. A huge bag lasts me a whole year. I do use regular drinking straws under my 6, 5 and 4" cakes, since the bubble tea straws (and sps) take so much cake out of the tiny cakes. (and I have a case of them, and my daughter can only use 10 or so a day, no matter how hard she ties to use more!)

AFor the individual tiers, yes, the thinner of the two sizes offered. That's what I use in place of cardboards. I'll cut bottom base boards for drums (the one you decorate that's seen) from half inch when I don't have real ones on hand.

AI ordered a case of 4500 bubble straws from Boba Tea Direct over a year ago, that I split with a friend. Bags and bags and bags of them! It was quite a large box, and worked out to about $1 per bag.

Ahttp://www.diytrade.com/china/pd/7063857/sewing_gauge_metal_ruler.html This is handy for measuring where to cut your straws.

Thank you everyone! I just purchased my bubble straws and I'm working on the foam core search. I think I'll hang up the wooden dowels and try the straws.

AI think my bag cost me $12-16 and I bought them about 14 months ago. I still have quite a bit left, and I mostly do 2 tier cakes. The bag was the size of a small garbage bag, like what you would keep at your desk if you work in an office. they are about 8" long, so I save the off cut and use them for bow loops, or single layer tiers. We have found several uses for them, but if your cakes are only 4" tall, then you'd be able to make 2 supports for every straw. I would guess at about 1000 or so per bag, is what I got. Multicolored. I have noticed the yellow green one and the purple one are thinner than the blue and the pink.... If that matters to anyone at all. I do tend to save the flimsier ones for fondant, and the stronger ones for buttercream, since buttercream makes me nervous, but I am sure it doesn't actually matter.