chair qustion

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.

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.

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? :) :)

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. :)

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

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.