It's a little late to ask at this point, as I've already glued three of the four assemblies with the most dowels, but I've noticed some inconsistencies.
I'm doing this:
to make four of these:
I'm only using glue for the top and bottom rails, plus two of the eight "rungs" in-between. To leave as little work to do as possible during the open time of the glue, I first inserted all of the dowels that will not be glued, along with their respective "rungs".
The glue is Titebond I, the dowels store-bought, 3/8", fluted.
I drizzle some glue into each hole in the first stile and spread it onto the walls of the hole with a thin metal rod. Then I insert the dowels and tap them in with a mallet. I do the same procedure on the first end of each rail. I can usually wiggle the parts together without any added persuasion.
The second side is a different story, as I have to mate all of the dowels and holes at once. Beyond getting everything aligned, I think the slightly greater "waiting" time after applying the glue swells the wood inside the holes. (on the first side, I can apply the glue for each joint, then immediately put the parts together).
In any case, last night I glued up the third ladder assembly. There was a little more squeeze-out than I had expected on two of the joints, and I took a minute to wipe it down. (in previous projects I didn't worry as much, as all the parts were prefinished).
Possibly because of that (short) delay, I had a heck of a time getting the joints together, resorting to a heavier rubber mallet and some pretty energetic pounding. It worked out OK in the end, but it was worrisome at the time.
So I'm wondering if this is just par for the course and working quickly is the only recommendation, or if there are any other tips anyone can offer.