So i am starting on making some chairs, the normal st down to dinner type
chairs. Now the plan calls for using dowels to attache the sides and the
front and back boards. Now i am sure this is all very strong and nice and
old school. So my question is can i use pocket holes instead of dowels. I
am thinking they will be stron enough to hold what ever weight is put on
them in shear. And i don;t think they will pull out very easily. What is
your thinking on the matter.

thanks in advance, eric

"Eric & Crystal" wrote in message
news:wo12f.424$bt2.357@okepread05...
So i am starting on making some chairs, the normal st down to dinner type
chairs. Now the plan calls for using dowels to attache the sides and the
front and back boards. Now i am sure this is all very strong and nice and
old school. So my question is can i use pocket holes instead of dowels.
I am thinking they will be stron enough to hold what ever weight is put on
them in shear. And i don;t think they will pull out very easily. What is
your thinking on the matter.


I think they might be less suitable than the tenons. People lean and tilt
in chairs, and where wood springs, screws my take a permanent bend, making
things progressively looser.

On Sat, 8 Oct 2005 23:54:42 -0500, "Eric & Crystal"
wrote:

So i am starting on making some chairs, the normal st down to dinner type
chairs. Now the plan calls for using dowels to attache the sides and the
front and back boards. Now i am sure this is all very strong and nice and
old school. So my question is can i use pocket holes instead of dowels. I
am thinking they will be stron enough to hold what ever weight is put on
them in shear. And i don;t think they will pull out very easily. What is
your thinking on the matter.

thanks in advance, eric


There are a lot of poorly designed chairs that eventually end up a
loose tenons. There are a lot various angled stresses on a chair.
Personally, I use wedged through-tenons, often using a contrasting
color wood for the wedges. A web clamp is very handy at glue-up time.

In article wo12f.424$bt2.357@okepread05,
"Eric & Crystal" wrote:

So i am starting on making some chairs, the normal st down to dinner type
chairs. Now the plan calls for using dowels to attache the sides and the
front and back boards. Now i am sure this is all very strong and nice and
old school. So my question is can i use pocket holes instead of dowels. I
am thinking they will be stron enough to hold what ever weight is put on
them in shear. And i don;t think they will pull out very easily. What is
your thinking on the matter.

thanks in advance, eric

I tend to agree with the assessment that the screws would bend and
wiggle themselves a bit loose over time.
I built some cherry dining room chairs over 20 years ago and used #20
Lamello biscuits. Two per joint. The chairs have had a lot of use and
are as solid as the day I built them.
I like dowels and pocket holes where suitable. In the case of chairs,
biscuits are the way to go for me. YMMV.

You must be dreaming. Those chairs fell apart years ago. Haven't you read
all the posts on here claiming buscuits have no strength?

"Robatoy" wrote in message
...
I tend to agree with the assessment that the screws would bend and
wiggle themselves a bit loose over time.
I built some cherry dining room chairs over 20 years ago and used #20
Lamello biscuits. Two per joint. The chairs have had a lot of use and
are as solid as the day I built them.
I like dowels and pocket holes where suitable. In the case of chairs,
biscuits are the way to go for me. YMMV.

In article t,
"CW" wrote:

You must be dreaming. Those chairs fell apart years ago. Haven't you read
all the posts on here claiming buscuits have no strength?

I did see the double smileys

Must be because I use genuine Lamello equipment and cookies, because my
biscuit joints are some frickin' strong.
Those fellas here, who claim that there is no strength, just aren't
doing it right.

because my
biscuit joints are some frickin' strong.
Those fellas here, who claim that there is no strength, just aren't
doing it right.

How true is that? You know, someone started the rumor that the
biscuits were only good for alignment. I don't mean just here, I mean
everywhere. And you know how it is in the woodworking zoo; one monkey
tells another monkey "a well known fact", and then by the time it gets
the parrot cage for all to hear it repeated, it is the truth.

Biscuits are strong. Biscuits when doubled are REALLY strong and just
too damn easy. Google this group and there is a great chart somewhere
that compares many types of production/machine joints, and you will be
pleasantly surprised at how well biscuits fare.

Sure, there are better joints to be made for specific kinds of
applications, but my biscuit jointer is on the ready when needed as a
great "go to" machine.

Robert

On Sat, 8 Oct 2005 23:54:42 -0500, "Eric & Crystal"
wrote:

So my question is can i use pocket holes instead of dowels.

I wouldn't go to all the trouble of making chairs (chairs are hard
work!) and then use either of those methods. Screws will "creep" over
time and work loose, dowels will snap if leant back on. Go for full size
tenons.