# Shiplap box sides. Glue?



## skogie1 (Sep 1, 2014)

I'm going to make a treasure box for my boy out of pallet wood and to add to the rustic rough appearance I thought I'd use shiplap boards with boxjoints at the corners. Should I glue the rabbits or does that create a problem with expansion? Thanks.


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## jdh122 (Sep 8, 2010)

This will not create expansion problems but it may create other issues. Shiplap boards are traditionally used when you have wood in cross-grain orientation. It allows expansion and contraction without showing gaps, but it needs to be nailed rather than glued, usually to the sides of the case you're making. In your treasure box you'll simply be making panels out of shiplaps, which seems to defeat the purpose altogether, especially since you won't be able to know that the shiplaps are even there (it'll just look like a regular glued up panel). Unless the shiplaps have bevels on them that leave lines along the length of the panels, I suppose.


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## skogie1 (Sep 1, 2014)

Yeah, I was going to leave gaps. Originally I was just going to edge glue a panel together but then I thought I could a little interest this way.


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## jdh122 (Sep 8, 2010)

You definitely should glue the boards together or else the box will fall apart unless you figure out some way to make wide box joints that cover each shiplap. And even then I think it wouldn't hold together for long.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Skogie1, are you sure you don't want to use a Dutch lap?


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