Awwww....man!! Bigtime duck-ology.
First step is to stand down, do nothing else until you get a sampling of advice. I wish I could help, but the entire BBE via dowel thing is outside my orbit, so I can't.
When you are digging a hole for yourself, the first thing to do is to throw the shovel away.
You have all the time you need to get it right. You have no time to rush in and make it worse.
It will all turn out well, you will have some good stories, and will show us the finished project.
When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.