Advice on using Dowelmax versus M&T

[John Michaels]

I'm considering buying a Dowelmax to build sofa tables, coffee tables, end tables, etc. Currently I'm using a Shop Fox mortising machine and then cutting the tenons on the table saw. It takes me forever to do it this way.

I know M&T is very strong, but for small to medium sized tables wouldn't using dowels provide plenty of strength?

[Keith Christopher]

I'm considering buying a Dowelmax to build sofa tables, coffee tables, end tables, etc. Currently I'm using a Shop Fox mortising machine and then cutting the tenons on the table saw. It takes me forever to do it this way.

I know M&T is very strong, but for small to medium sized tables wouldn't using dowels provide plenty of strength?

John,

This tends to be somewhat of a religious debate here. Most side tables that don't carry VERY heavy loads do perfectly fine with dowel joints. I am -as Mr. DeCristoforo put it- a Krenov acolyte I believe dowels work just fine if used correctly. Often times, people shy away from them because they are "not strong" but in fact they are plenty strong for most joinery. If you are tiring of all the M&T cutting, go with dowels. I don't think you'll be disappointed (well unless you misalign dowel holes. :) )

Keith

[John Michaels]

Thanks for the input Keith. I really enjoy woodworking, but the M&T part is probably the most tedious part of the whole process for me. A fellow woodworker I know has been using dowels for years with no failures and man can he glue up the legs and aprons fast.

[Mike Henderson]

For many applications, dowels do perfectly well. I mostly use M&T and don't find it takes me long to produce either the mortise or the tenon. I often drill out my mortises and clean up with a chisel. I cut my tenons on the table saw and trim with a shoulder plane or chisel.

I suppose it depends on how many M&Ts are in a project. For me, compared to the complete project, the time spent on the M&Ts is pretty small. And I don't worry about whether the joints will fail.

If your primary concern is speed, there are some commercial systems where you attach the apron of a table to the top, and then use this hardware to pull the leg into the two apron parts. This metal piece (looks like a corner block) is screwed to the aprons, then a big screw goes through the "corner block" and into the leg. If you examine some factory made tables you'll see how it's done. You might even be able to do this with wooden corner blocks and do away with either the M&T or the dowels. It all depends on what kind of furniture you want to make.

Mike

[Josiah Bartlett]

You could always go to loose tenons if you think dowels aren't going to be strong enough. I added a cheapo x-y machinist's vise to the table of my mortiser and it makes repeatable mortises very quick and easy. Then just make a bunch of loose tenons all at once and build away.

[Tim Dorcas]

I seem to be a collector of Mortise and Tenon jigs. I rarely use my mortiser these days. While strong, it's the slowest method (for me). Next up is the Festool Domino. It's the fastest, cleanest method but ridiculously expensive. If money were no object, I'd say get this. Next up is the Dowelmax. It is also very quick and accurate once you get the hang of the different setups. All of the furniture I have built using this jig is still operational and I expect them to be for the foreseeable future. You needed worry about joint failure (for most things) when using this jig. For the money, I think you will be quite happy.

Good luck!

Tim

[Frank Drew]

Here's a vote for mortise and tenon over dowels; I've rarely seen a broken tenon but have seen a fair amount of broken dowels.

I guess I agree with the time consuming argument, but I rather like joinery (kind of why a lot of us got into woodworking, no?), certainly much more than sanding or finishing.

[Prashun Patel]

If like me, you occasionally build stuff that you want to look great, be easy, and last just your lifetime - not several lifetimes - then the Dowelmax is amazing. It's so fast and accurate, and pretty versatile, and you can't beat it for speed.

The Dowelmax also makes panel glueups simpler.

Two more machines to consider:

The Freud dowel joiner. It's basically the Domino/Dowelmax hybrid. Nice thing about 'joiners' like the Domino and this is that you don't need to chuck up a drill, like you do with the DMax.

Kreg Pocketscrew system. For joints where one side is invisible - like a table apron, this is also a viable option. Personally, I find them tacky on nicer furniture, but they're fine for specific apps; especially when reinforced with glue.

[Vince Shriver]

Nobody mentioned the Mortisepal. Use loose tenons; pretty simple and fast.

[John Michaels]

My other consideration is the new Leigh Super FMT. About $450 versus $310 for the Dowelmax. But I'd also have to a plunge router also to use the Leigh.