"dpb" wrote in message ...
Toller wrote:
"FoggyTown" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Jul 29, 3:15?am, "Toller" wrote:
Depends upon (among other things) how good you are, and how fussy you
are.

Dowels require precise fits; screws are much less demanding.
On the other hand, dowels are invisible, but screws are pretty obvious
unless you do an incredible job of matching color and grain on your
plug.

Ooooo . . . no, no, no! You misunderstand me. I have seen many arts
& crafts pieces where the dowels are an actual feature - either by
coloration, grain orientation or protrusion. Hiding them is something
I do NOT want to do. Even if a screwed joint is necessary, I would
make it so the plug is visible.

I expect you are mistaken. They often have exposed tenons, but no
furniture features conspicuous plugs or dowels. Are are are simply ugly.
...

You might tell that to Sam Maloof and let him know he's been wrong all
these years...

"There are many places in my furniture where a dowel or
mortise-and-tenon joint just does not work because of the thinness of
the wood; so I use screws. In effect the screw is a metal dowel. I am
not a purist. .... I have no qualms about this."

--from Sam Maloof, Woodworker.

"...as an example, it's nothing more than an end grain to long grain glued
joint, drilled through the rail with 3- to 4-inch screws pulling it tight.
Then the screws are just plugged over with a rosewood or ebony plug for
contrast. ..."

From Gary in KC, from having taken one of his classes on chairmaking...

Should I see him I will tell him. Although the are likely to be unusual
instances to the contrary, plugs are ugly.
"If you can't make it attractive, make it conspicuously ugly"?