Dowel construction is VERY common in commercial shops. They
will not s pend much time on M&T joints as a rule. It really
depends on the style of stuff being produced. Pocket holes are
also used quite frequently in factory construction.

There are MANY machines that produce almost instant M&T joints,
but many situations don't really call for M&T joinery.

I'm betting your local guys use a ton of melamine or plywood
products. Is kitchen cabinets a big part of their business ??


BUB 209 wrote:

There are a lot of posts in this group about mortising machines, I have yet
to
use one, though I've made a few hand ones. The guys at the local mill shop
do almost everything imaginable with wood and its always interesting to see
what tools they invest in because they turn out flawless work really fast; but
you won't find a mortising machine in their shop. What they do have are
two old, small, foot operated horizontal boring machines and several large
boxes of fluted dowels always on hand, so I'm just waiting for the day I walk
into Home Depot and there's a "Rigid" version for sale in the tool dept.,
although it's hard to imagine how the "heavy dutiness" of this machine
could be compromised into a cheap version that actually worked well.
Anyway, if you see a used one up for cheap and don't want it, let me
know.