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Hi everyone, If you don’t have a copy of this article in front of you the joinery I’m wondering about involves a 16 inch wide sycamore shelf (it doesn’t mention being quartersawn or glued up butcher block style) set inside of four sycamore legs which are two inches square. The legs are double biscut joined to two inch tall sycamore rails. The shelf is joined to the rails with two biscuts per rail. I am wondering what this fixed shelf will do when it tries to expand sideways into the legs. The rails have grain running parallel to the floor so I can’t see them stretching, the shelf is held with eight biscuts to the rails so I can’t see it “bellying” up. Will the shelf bow up slightly taking the rails with it? I guess this much flexing up and down would not be noticable but would it eventually crack the tight joints between legs and rails, shelf and rails? My dad made a kitchen table up recently with a similar situation. I was thinking that the next time I’m involved with something like this I’d make an open mortise into the inside corner of each leg for the shelf to recess into, the shelf could be shaped to move in or out of the slot with enough of a lip on the side perpendicular to expansion to cover up the gap which would be able to form. Is this unnessary? Will enough glue M+T’s or biscut joints freeze the woods movement as if it were a part of a plywood panel? Thanks for reading! Have a Good One, Paul