I was thinking of joining a 3/4″ Maple plywood back panel to the legs of a bed using Mortise and Loose Tenon joinery. I have searched several times for any discussion of this and have found nothing, which leads me to believe it is a bad idea. I was considering using 5 or 6 1/4″ thick X 3″ long X 2″ wide tenons per side over a 3 foot length. The tenons were going to be 1″ deep in the plywood, but I am concerned about the laminated plywood ripping out. Would this be any different than using biscuit joinery (with thicker biscuits of course)?
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Replies
Well, it is hardly elegant, but it should work and have adequate strength. If anything, the top and bottom edges of the plywood should be set into dadoed rails to prevent the panel from flexing if leaned back on which would add to the stress on the tenons.
John White
Thanks for the advise. I had planned on a dado reinforcement on the top and bottom. But I will also use a 1" deep dado to join the maple plywood panel to the legs instead of mortise and loose tenon. It's about the same amount of work.
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