A handmade home for woodworkers and admirers of woodworkers. Our community icon is a planter box made by @Captain Aggravated, the winner of our summer '24 woodworking contest. Congratulations!
As I understand it, their main benefit is in aiding alignment rather than for strength.
Iirc from various YouTubers who have tested these.
Biscuits being thin pressed wood fibers don't offer much if any strength to any joints.
Dowels and dominos can help strengthen long grain to short grain joints.
Either will help with alignment with long grain to long grain glue ups.
I can't provide sources, so take this with as many grains of salt as you wish.
How long of a useful life are you looking to get out of this tabletop? How severe will the wear and tear be?
If you're looking for something to last decades or stand up to heavy use, I think there's no question that you need dowels/biscuits/whatever. Humidity and temperature changes are going to affect the bond between the glue and boards long-term, and the lateral pressure of heavy weight or motion will eventually be too much for that bond too.
If you just want to make something useful and nice while practicing your skills, don't plan to have it support any real weight, and fully expect to transform it or cannibalize it for parts eventually, then probably just glue will do.
Thanks for the info! I’m hoping for a few years, at least, with daily use. Would steel legs like these from Semi-Exact be enough support to use glue only? BTW, I’m not married to the glue-only concept. Just really curious about all kinds of joinery.
I am not an expert, but I think if you're keeping the joints perpendicular to the leg assembly and don't have any joints hanging off on either side, those would be work great. Those look like a sweet find! I think I'd also glue-only the tabletop if I were using them.
Clamp & glue is plenty strong. I've built a couple of desks with this approach plus a large dining table.