Jerry - the embarq e-mail address you sent me ( jerbitt@embarqmail.com ) returned an "undeliverable" message after a couple of days. Here was my reply: Ha! Most of us in NC are transplants, though I seem to be unusual in that I came from Birmingham, AL about 25 years ago. What I'm suggesting is that you cut dovetail slots across the grain on the back of the headboard. You then make a corresponding male part of the dovetail in a couple of pieces of maple or other strong wood - I'd guess you'd want them about 2" square. You then slide the dovetailed battens into the headboard with no glue (use wax - it's relatively easy to get these jammed in the dovetailed slot and not be able to drive them home nor pull them out). At the top of the batten, you drive a screw through the batten and into the headboard. What this does is allows the headboard to expand and shrink in width as the seasons change, but the dovetail keeps the headboard from bowing or twisting. David Keller NC
