Doubting that the OP has elected to use 1 3/4" solid wood rail and stile six panel closet doors, the toothpick (heck-I shave wood from a hardwood shim) and glue method with a longer fastener is quite nice, and adequate.
I’d do so in my own home, and have done so for many customers over the years. It works, and isn’t overkill for interior doors.
If you elect to go with the long screw method, be aware that there might not be a shim in the vicinity of where you are putting the screw, so screwing into the 2x4 trimmer can result in the jam bowing in way too far, unless you remove the casing on one side and shim it where you are putting the screw. I do this a lot for solid core exterior type doors. For hollow core the fill/screw back into the jamb method is fine.
I must admit I have never seen a trim carpenter use the dowel method, only filling or long screws, and I have done hundreds of doors. I second the end grain problem.
Of course, I learn something everyday on jobs, so maybe it’s just a gap in my
knowledge or a regional thing.
Klaatu, you’re right, any of these methods will work. It is after all a closet door, not an oversized heavy weight solid exterior one. And maybe it is a regional thing, although I didn’t think so.
I don’t do woodwork professionally, merely as a hobby. And I’ve owned homes and businesses where doing my own repairs was quicker, easier and cheaper than engaging a pro (at least for things within my skill level). I’ve also made a bit of furniture. So perhaps my perspective is different.
But I am just aesthetically displeased by “quick and dirty” repairs. They certainly have their place, like when “quick” is the operative concern. I’ve done my fair share of “field repairs” and most of them did (do?) work adequately. Here though we have someone for whom time is not an issue, relative cost is negligible, who owns the property, and has the opportunity and the skill to make a “good” (that intangible judgement) repair. And this is the method I was taught.
End grain should not be a concern-- I specified “hardwood” dowel and a significant oversize (“like perhaps 3/4 inch”) in my original suggestion. The “pulling” or withdrawl force exerted on these screws by a closet door hinge should not be terribly large.
I was also taught that one could use a dowel cutter and a chunk of thick wood stock to create a “plug” of cross-grain. Such can be used where the repair is cosmetic rather than structural and one wishes the wood grain to match. But one could also use it in the present case, if end grain was truly an issue. I once made such a “plug” from a chunk of lumber using a lathe when the hole to be repaired was over 2 inches across. It was a pipe hole, not a screw hole, in an old “Florida house” built in 1907. The walls were original Dade County Pine planks in variable widths, apparently whatever the sawmill turned out. And I just couldn’t stand the idea of a non-cosmetic repair. But this is going well beyond the OP’s needs.
So please just consider the above a rather lengthy “IMHO”.
CannyDan, I didn’t want to quote your whole post, just wanted to say the dowel method is a great repair, probably the strongest. I just never run across it in day to day remodeling. I hope I didn’t sound disparaging, and if so, apologies.
In the carpentry/woodworking trade there are many ways to skin the same cat.
I use plugs occasionally like you mentioned, and it’s neat when you can get a good match. 