Without a big dissasemble and re-build pretty much any liquid solution
won't stand up to the pressures a chair takes. Not sure how precious
this chair is but I would consider long screws. Pre-drill from the
back side and try to drill right down the center of the dowel. Use a
screw that is longer than the dowel. Counter bore the hole so the
screw head is below the surface and you can plug the hole with a
dowel. Find a chart that tells you the drill bit size for a pilot hole
and shaft hole. The screw should really just bite into the second
piece so the first piece has a slightly larger hole. Finally, use
epoxy on the dowels and joint as best possible before screwing.

On Feb 1, 6:28*pm, sam wrote:
I'm using a very standard old wooden chair for my
desk (it feels good, for some reason), but the dowels
that hold it together have come loose.

I've been gluing wood in various ways and for various
purposes for 20 years, but I cannot seem to get glue
to hold this chair together for more than a few days.

I've tried yellow glue, polyurethane glue, cyanoacrylate
glue, even tried epoxy resin. But those joints just don't
hold, esp. where the seat meets the back.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

s