Doweled Tee Joint: Any need to apply glue to the wood faces?

Use glue.

While not the strongest bond with glue in that situation, every little bit adds to overall joint strength.

I glue the faces. People will tell you it's not useful but it gives it more strength.

Yeah!

I'm going to be gluing up the joints shown in the foreground of this drawing:

... the ones with three dowels per joint.

Here's what the assemblies will look like:

The wood surfaces are edge grain and end grain. Is there any need, any point, any benefit to applying glue to those surfaces? Or should I just apply the glue to the dowels and holes?

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Use glue.

While not the strongest bond with glue in that situation, every little bit adds to overall joint strength.

To all:

That's not the answer I was expecting, so I'm glad I asked. In reality, there would likely be glue on those surfaces anyway; spillover from applying it in the holes and being squeezed out by the dowels. But I'll make sure to get a coating over the whole surface.

Thanks.

If not much strength, it does add more stability by filling the gaps on mat ing surfaces. For fun, to see how much it adds glue up two blocks of the s ame dimension of your project, but without dowels. Leave overnight, then g o out in the morning and see how much it takes to break the joint. Probabl y only a few pounds, but translated to what you are doing, it is a signific ant contribution.

Robert

Exactly, any gaps will be filled rather than leace a collecting place/crack for dust.

Funny thing. Prior to my participation here, I was unaware that end grain does not allow a strong glue joint. So I would have glued the faces. Then I learned ... a little, and left to my own devices might well have left the faces bare. Now I will heed the more nuanced advice that it makes a lousy bond, but glue it up anyway; i.e., going back to the practice I'd have used before I "knew" anything.