wood movement question

[Juss1]

Friend asked me to build this simple record player stand.  Close up pic seems like they just screwed the top on.  Does this type of joinery allow for wood movement?  If not any tips on how to design for it.

[ianab]

No real problem with that wood movement wise. All the pieces have grain running in the same direction, and will move together.  Of course it's only a screwed butt joint, so only as strong as the screws you use. but that wasn't the question.

[Juss1]

No real problem with that wood movement wise. All the pieces have grain running in the same direction, and will move together.  Of course it's only a screwed butt joint, so only as strong as the screws you use. but that wasn't the question.

thanks for the reply

[jteneyck]

There must be some cleats running front to back, otherwise you'd have a bunch of separate frames with nothing holding them together.  How those cleats are attached will influence whether the thing stays together over the long haul, but the boards are narrow enough that it probably doesn't matter.  

John

[Rob Young]

There must be some cleats running front to back, otherwise you'd have a bunch of separate frames with nothing holding them together.  How those cleats are attached will influence whether the thing stays together over the long haul, but the boards are narrow enough that it probably doesn't matter.  

John

To me it appears they just glued together 2x4 (might actually have milled the material straight & true then put the rounded edges back on) material to make panels. Then screwed the panels together and slapped on a cheap black stain.

[jteneyck]

To me it appears they just glued together 2x4 (might actually have milled the material straight & true then put the rounded edges back on) material to make panels. Then screwed the panels together and slapped on a cheap black stain.

You guys might be right, or maybe there held together with Dominos, splines, etc.  If so, the construction is fine as far as expansion/contraction is concerned.  Maybe Ian sleuthed that out from the beginning.  

John

[R Clark]

There must be some cleats running front to back, otherwise you'd have a bunch of separate frames with nothing holding them together.  How those cleats are attached will influence whether the thing stays together over the long haul, but the boards are narrow enough that it probably doesn't matter.  

John

That's what I thought, too.  But I couldn't see any cleats holding the one visible interior surface, and the albums in the pic don't seem to have clearance for a cleat.

I wonder if the boards in the pictures item have been jointed and edge glued to make the tops and sides of each box a single unit.  This might preclude the use of cleats.

[FS7]

Given that's cheap construction lumber, it almost has to be glued. The joints on the ends look pretty tight, and even "kiln-dried" construction lumber has a lot more moisture than equilibrium in most places. So if there were a cleat or something mechanical I would expect some shrinkage between boards. Glue, not so much.

I guess it's also possible that the wood was properly equalized in a shop before working. And I guess it's also possible that it was made by an actual skilled craftsman but made to look rustic and inexpensive because that's what the customer wanted.