Hi.

Thanks for the great suggestions.

The dowels don't need to be glued at all - I don't care if they rotate
around in the sockets. Only the shelves and stretchers will be glued
into the sides.

But without some alignment tool, I just don't see how one could do the
glue-up, get all the dowels aligned, and then clamp it home. My
concern was that by the time I got all the dowels placed, the glue at
the tops and bottoms would already be dry!

BTW, solid, one-piece, 11" wide mahogany sides with a fair curve front
profile, mahogany shelves and stretchers, to be finished with shellac.
It'll stand about 5'-2".

Rob