Reply To: The Hounds Bench
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When the joint is glued, both directions resist racking Ed. My comment had to do with cupping. Load on a bench is predominately downward, not side to side and I wouldn’t worry at all about racking. If the tails are on the side, the long grain to long grain glue joint between the pins and tails would help the horizontal seat resits cupping. It won’t stop the vertical supports from cupping, but you don’t sit on them. That’s why I said what I said. With timber this size, I don’t think it makes much difference, but for thinner stock it might.
Make a simple dove tail box and see how easily you can rack the box in or out of square. That movement is the tail boards rotating against the pins which they are free to do. Now with those joints seated, try and rack the box sides perpendicular to the tails. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been able to do that to any degree. Aesthetically, either way would be stunning. Structurally, putting the tails on the side is a better choice I think.
- This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by harry wheeler.