SteveB wrote:
....

Now for the question. Most all the dowels are lose in their sockets. What
is the best glue to use to get a good joint? I have used some Elmer's
before, and the things came loose soon after. Is there a particular brand
of Elmer's, or another? I have seen Gorilla Glue, but with all the foaming
and expanding, I'm not so sure of using it.
....

If by "dowels loose in their sockets" you mean they are loose enough to
wiggle and essentially simply fall out on their own, glue alone of any
type isn't the answer -- you need to first fix either the hole or the
dowel to have a snug fit.

As for wood glue, any of the yellow PVA glues are fine. White glue is
ok as well, but not quite as strong. Either, however, will rely on
having a clean wood-to-wood contact and a tight-fitting joint to begin
with. Old glue and a loose fit will guarantee a non-lasting joint.

The polyurethane glues (such as Gorilla) are not worth a flip for
gap-filling, being even worse than yellow. Even in a good fitting joint
it isn't as strong in almost all instances, despite the hype/advertising.

If it were mine and there were sufficient room, I'd probably drill the
holes out to the next larger dowel size. Failing that, I'd clean the
existing holes out well and turn new dowels to fit.

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