New answers tagged dowel
1
I use biscuits in this situation, not for strength, but because wood and mdf likes to move when glued, even when clamped. The biscuits align the piece so the edge is clean. Dowels would do the same job but hard to align if using a drill - router and fence is better. Pocket screws have the same issue.
2
I would definitely recommend the dowels. The greatest stresses will be in tension trying to pull the boards apart and breaking the connection of the screw or dowel with the boards. Both the dowel and screw will be stronger than the boards. Imagine pulling up on the horizontal board in your illustration. All the rotational force will try to pull the screw ...
2
MDF is different than normal wood, in that there is no end grain vs face grain. Since MDF is all just basically sawdust combined with a resin, any surface is as strong as the other for gluing.
It may well be that a properly glued, clamped, and cured joint may be plenty strong for what you want. It will depend upon where the stress is being applied. My ...
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