On Monday, June 18, 2018 at 9:42:10 PM UTC-5, Michael wrote:

Questions about Season 1, Episode 1, the oak medicine cabinet:
2) Does he need the dowels to hold his thru-tenon on the door? Won't the glue alone hold that joint place also?


Long ago I built a red oak table. With rails and stiles going from each leg to the other. Tenons at the ends of these rails and stiles going into mortises in the legs. Started with glue only. Number of years later I noticed the tenons were pulling out of the mortises a little bit. So I clamped everything back together and pounded some finishing nails into the tenons from the back side. Kept the tenons from ever pulling out of the mortises again. My experience tells me to be extra safe and secure and use the dowels to insure the tenons stay in place.


I would be inclined just to use glue, but maybe I'm wrong about that.

Mike