I am working on a project that will have an eight inch wide poplar board encapsulated by a frame. I have always been able to account for seasonal wood movement through the design process, however, this one has me stumped. With out going into detail of the construction, do you think that eight inches would have enough seasonal movement to open the framing joint? If it makes any difference, the poplar board is from the white part of the log and not the darker yellow.
BTW, I made a table top out of poplar with bread board ends that was 40 inches wide. I noted a total seasonal movement of about an eighth of an inch. Is my thinking correct to assume by that movement, an eight inch wide board will move a fifth of that amount, or something less than a 32nd of an inch? I might be able to live with that. Also, I will be assembling the project in summer, so if anything it should shrink.
Your thoughts appreciated.