I need help in deciding how to fix the sliding dovetail joints that join my cherry bed’s posts and footboard. See the attached drawing.
The bed was designed and built by William Brouwer, inventor of the futon bed, and was a wedding present almost 40 years ago.
The cross grain foot board expands and contracts with the seasons while the bed posts move very little. This movement results in the top of the foot board being sometimes higher or lower than where it joins the post by about 1/16″. On one side the joint is very loose and I have resorted to supporting the foot board there with a piece of 2×4 (not the fine joinery the bed deserves). The other side is much tighter. I cannot tell if the joint was ever glued or if it was how far the glue extended.
One possible solution is to insert a pin (or screw?) through the post into the foot board, somewhere near the top so that there is relatively little foot board width to expand/contract relative to the top of the post. How close to the top should I pin it? Or should I simply glue the top few inches together? What is the best solution?
Replies
Step one is to take apart the loose one and see what you find. All guesswork as to a fix before that.
If I understand what is happening correctly, under no circumstances pin or screw the moving part. The piece is telling you it needs room to move. Pinning or screwing it will only force it to destroy itself. I suspect if you take the moving part apart you will find the sliding DT it bedded at the base of the slide. Try removing the hidden part of the DT by the amount it overextends. That will give the bedded part a plact to move to. As to the loose sliding DT you will have to remove it and either patch it and recut the DT to the proper fit. Good luck.
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