"Woodworks" Bowfront Chest design...

[Roy Wall]

Got my latest "woodworks magazine" this aftenoon....

They have an article on at "bowfront chest of drawers"..

My question really deals with selecting "proper joinery" -

THis chest had the front (curved) dividers joined with a horizontal haunched tenon to the vertical legs on each side. Why did they select this joint? There isn't much vertical grain (I think) to glue up with??

Is it because there is more "stress" in holding the drawers up rather than what is required to hold the piece together laterally? I believe there are three drawers and four dividers - I guess the "sum holding power" of the four dividers is plenty??

Any recommended reading on proper joinery solutions...?

THanks Guys!

[Alan Turner]

roy,
I skimmed that article as well, and noted that the joinery wouldn't have been my choice. If M&T, then two vertical M&T's would seem a better choice. Were I to build this, I think my choice would be the sliding dovetail, cut either with a router or by hand. In some drawer/carcase pieces that do use the sliding dovetail, a trim strip of the same wood is applied over the sides to hide the joinery, although I have never done so.

[Mark Singer]

I don't perfer that M&T joint either....The 2 vertical tenons are not very long either. One solution is to rabett the the fronts to maintail the same appearance and make them from 8/4 allowing for a reasonable twin verticle M&T joint. Or at least make te very top one from 8/4 with a double verticale M&T and leave the others as haunched horizontal M&T,s. Of course Roy it works fine as they did it if you use epoxy and a bit more space in the fit... The epoxy bonds to the wood regardless of grain and to itself and would also work well.

[Roy Wall]

Thank guys!! Two good (better) options from those who know!