Replies

1. 
   SgianDubh | May 21, 2007 02:31pm | #1

   Not if it's the case that the shelves are fixed permanently to the sides or bookcase/carcase ends, and long grain of the shelves runs left to right where the ends/sides run up and down. In an all solid wood construction this orientates everything so that expansion and contraction of the parts from front to back is the same.

   On the other hand if the shelves are man-made board and the carcase ends are solid wood, then there will be differential shrinkage factors to consider. The same applies if the carcase ends are man-made board and the shelves are solid wood.

   Man- made board moves very little compared to some solid woods, but genuine mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) is one of  the world's woods that moves least. Still, you would need to allow for this differential even with mahogany.

   If the shelves are not fixed to the carcase ends, are solid wood, but float on pins, standards, etc., you might have some distortion to deal with but, again, mahogany is a wood that tends to distort very little compared to some other timber species-- but it's always the exception that proves the rule I suppose. Slainte.

   Richard Jones Furniture

1. 
   alancrailjohnson | May 24, 2007 02:00am | #2

   thanks for the advise!