a real woodworking question - Rocker back question

you dont need to glue. but it would probably be a good idea just to give the whole assembly a little more rigidity. especially those little mortise and tenons that after a little bit of abuse could get pretty loose

Betsy,

I agree with TWW, you probably wouldn’t need glue. The fact that the back slat tenons are not round also will prevent them from moving. I have seen chairs that the slats intentionally “float”.

Lew

most tenons are glued in chairs. the need the extra strength.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

I have always glued my back tenons because of the stress factor. There’s more there than meets the eye.

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

Thanks guys.

If I glue——Mike and Jim – I understand that with a glue joint the wood will give before the glue itself. Doesn’t this mean if the slat has a lot of stress that it will break above the joint? (This is purely a devil’s advocate comment by the way.)

Now since the slats fit so tightly in the mortise – there’s really no room for it to wiggle. Do you think that with use the slats will give back and forth and work the mortise open a bit and make the slats sloppy? Glue would probably prevent that don’t you think?

Now about the rigidity factor. Since there is such a span of material from the bottom to the top of the slat – and there is less than 2” of glue space – would glue really add that much to the strength of the chair itself?

I’d really like to see some more thoughts and opinions and reason for same to this. I know it’s a glue or not glue question – but there must be very good reasons why or why not.

I’m positively convinced that you guys can educate me more on this issue. Thanks in advance.

-- You can't get a hug from Facebook.

I vote just enough glue that it doesn’t squirt out and give you a hassle cleaning it off.

-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""