I used to dowel stuff. Then I got a biscuit joiner. It's life changing.
I built this "stand up desk" for my kid's room at his frat house. They are prohibited from having "bars" in their rooms...
The wood was mostly rough sawn cottonwood. Which is nice because it's super light. I have a big pile of lumber like this in my barn that my dad and grandpa cut up back in the 60s. I don't think my grandpa EVER bought lumber. He had several acres of woods, and his dad had a sawmill.
I've seen a lot of furniture over the years, but have never seen anything built from cottonwood. Interesting.