Dowel joint - whom uses them?

[lurker]

I suspect the reason why people on this forum don't use dowels is that they have "moved on" from them. But they are for a beginner like myself, a cheap and easy way of joining wood. So for that reason I would include them.

I think that's quite correct.
I have the wolf craft dowel jig and still use it at times.
I think you ought to mention them if you want to be inclusive of techniques and proficiency levels

 

[moosepig]

Amateur 2p worth: I'm a big fan of pocket hole joinery - but I find that using 6mm dowels for alignment and for preventing workpieces creeping when the screws are tightened makes a huge difference to the quality of the finished item. I wouldn't normally consider using glued dowels on their own as a joinery method except in very small pieces.

 

[Tetsuaiga]

I used 1" dowels recently to join leg ends to a stretcher for my workbench build. So end grain to side grain as the stretcher (if that's the right word) is seated above the legs if that makes sense.

 

[chipmunk]

For a turner, dowel joints are a natural extension of round tenons and drilled mortices which are our primary means of joining stuff together.

The only difference is that our dowels are not restricted to beech in 6, 8 & 10mm and can be matched in size and timber to the joint being made.

HTH
Jon