Replies

1. 
   wamara | Jun 29, 2002 01:34pm | #1

   Depends on what type of seat. It has been my experience that mortise and tenon joinery will not loosen due to changes in climate and humidity, at least not normal changes. If the joints are to support a wide seat then the issue becomes how to attach the seat to the frame so as not to trap it which could result in cracks in the seat or damage to the frame or joints. It seems to me that in modern America it is more important to think about the difference in humidity between the shop and the home since most homes are now airconditioned and centrally heated and many shops are not. In a home that is air conditioned and heated there is not nearly as much change in seasonal humidity as there once was. The air stays pretty dry year round. Once the piece of furniture has a chance to stabilize there is not much further movement.

   Wayne

1. 
   kandrewk | Jun 30, 2002 08:05am | #2

   THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT. YOU HAVE RELIEVED SOME OF MY WORRIES. THE SEAT WILL BE USED AT THE FOOT OF A BED. THANKS AGAIN.

2. 
   AlanTurner | Jul 18, 2002 10:56pm | #3

   My father was an amueter woodworker from whom I first got a taste for sawdust.  After he retired to Arizona he made a number of clocks which were 8 triangles, with   the points at the center.  An octagon, I guess.  In Arizona they were fine, but in Pennsylvania they split apart the firmst summer.  The summer to winter ambient moisture content was relatively constant in AZ; in Pa. it is not.  But, for your purposes, going from humidity to the absence of it should not be a problem with moritse an tenon joinery.   I made several pieces for him using this common joinery and there was never an issue.

3. 
   timburnisher | Jul 19, 2002 03:37am | #4

   You might want to fit the joints a little bit tighter than you would normally to allow for the shrinkage in the wood.  The general rule of thumb anyways is to fit tighter in the summer and looser in the winter (of course in the places where the winter is dry and the summer is humid, as is the case in Illinois).  Good luck.

   Tim