Use of dowels in furniture...?

[AlanS]

In the latest FWW...Article on Maloof....Nice article...see if you have any thoughts on this: On his dressers/ etc, he uses visible dowels (Flush to the surface). Ie: Let's say that a dresser has a horizontal divider between drawers. In the front it is obvious that he has used a sliding dovetail to connect the horizontal divider to the cabinet sides. Then he uses dowels to "secure" the divider (from the outside) which are visible and decrotive. Some people use them on drawer fronts, as visible connectors on mating drawer sides to drawer fronts (thus when you open the drawer, instead of 1/2 blind dovetail, there is a vertical line of dowels)....Nice stuff.....NOW>>>> won't these dowels move differently than the piece, thus causeing movement...thus affecting the joint? I used dowels ONCE, left them visible...in the summer they popped, in the winter, they were smooth.....Whatdoyathink????

[zenwood]

Depends on the context. If a long rail expands a certain percentage, the displacement of the dowel will be greater than for a short rail of the same species. In the Maloof piece, it sounds like the sliding dovetail will take all the stress. The dowel is just there for decoration, so doesn't have much load-bearing to do.

[AlexS]

My lounge furniture (bought) has dowel-reinforced joints. I don't think it's weakened the joints, but sometimes the dowels sit a little proud of the wood. Just enough to feel, but it irritates.

[echnidna]

Exposed dowels are not only decorative but are much stronger than blind dowels, if they are fitted on slightly opposing angles. This adds mechanical strength to the joint without glue. So the joint should last even if the glue decays.