When you think about it, woodworking is basically connecting a bunch of pieces of wood together.

I know that is an oversimplification, but it’s true.

Like most beginning woodworkers, I spent a lot of time on the internet watching and reading about how to make stuff from dimensional lumber. I got a lot of projects from Ana White and Shanty2Chic and quickly decided that the solution to all my problems would be a Kreg Pocket Hole jig!

It was kind of a big investment for me as a beginning woodworker; when your entire arsenal of tools consists of a drill, circular saw and mouse sander, the price seemed steep. But it presented the opportunity to make stuff without exposed screws, so I went for it.

After that, I built ALL THE THINGS with pocket holes. But unlike all the YouTubers, I had serious problems with every project I made. Most often, the joints would slip during assembly, making things not square and flush.

So then, I invested Kreg’s clamp system to hold everything in place while I drilled. Only now, instead of slipping, the receiving board would split when I set the screw. I spent more money, and had worse results.

• 

• 

I tried every tip and trick for pocket holes on the internet, all to no avail. Then I stumbled across a video that finally explained it; this is just kind of the way it goes with pocket holes. Since there is no pre-drilling on the receiving board, the screw is either going to shift the board to run between the grain, or it’s going to split the board. Wood is going to wood.

To say I was annoyed was an understatement. I had spent a lot of money on a tool that wasn’t solving my problems.

It was then that I decided I wanted to use traditional joinery.

If you want to feel inadequate as a woodworker, try searching “traditional woodworking joinery.” Dovetails? Mortise and tenons? Box Joints? All of these require an decent amount of skill and hand tools, or more fancy and very specific jigs.

For some reason, I never saw mentioned the through dowel joint. And looking back, the one thing I REALLY wish I had known about as a beginning woodworker are THROUGH DOWEL JOINTS! So I’m here to talk about them.

Through dowel joints are so simple, super strong (the strongest, actually?), and don’t require any fancy tools! The only tools required for through dowel joints are a flush trim saw, a drill, a brad point bit and a mallet! Chances are you have all these tools lying around! And if you don’t, you can probably get them for $30-$40.

All you do is glue up your corner, drill a hole, fill with wood glue, and then pound a dowel in! It couldn’t be any easier! The other great thing about the through dowel joint is that it can be used to shore up any kind of joint (butt, miter, rabbet or dado, etc). AND, as an added bonus, you can say you used traditional joinery for your project!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

For more details, here is a video tutorial I made:

Since the dowels are exposed, you can also use this as an opportunity to show off all your traditional woodworking skills! If you want the joint to blend in, you can match the species of the dowel to the wood species being used on the project. If you want it to stand out, you can use a different type of wood!

So if you are just getting into woodworking and find that you are struggling with your latest and greatest pocket hole 5000 jig, know it’s not you – it’s the screw.