Too tight?

[ironhat]

I'm in the middle of building a (covered) porch swing out of cherry - not to worry though, the wood is about a grade#2. The top and bottom rails of the back are mortised into the sides and mine are a pretty tight fit. Am I going to be sorry that I made them so tight?

TIA,
Chiz

Ah, the porch is covered. It's not a swing with a small roof.

[LCHIEN]

Too tight is relative.
Did you have to pound in the tenoned pieces in with a sledgehammer?
Were the dry fit pieces stuck and you could not get them apart??
When you "mic" the tenons with calipers do they measure .005" more than the width of the mortises?
Did the mortised pieces split as a result?
Is there no glue in the joint?
Those are all definate signs its too tight.

How tight is "tight" for you?

[ironhat]

Thanks for the reply, Loring. No sledging but firm pressure and a little wiggling to seat the tenons. To get them apart I have to wiggle and pull. So, I guess that glue starvation is probably the biggest concern and I had not thought of that. I was concerned that the wood moisture content would increase and cause splitting.

Thanks again,
Chiz

[cgallery]

Glue starvation isn't really a problem, in my humble opinion, as you should completely cover the tenon before assembly.

The bigger problem, if you ask me, is that the glue will further swell the tenon and shrink the mortise, and it will get even tougher to assemble.

If it were me, I'd carefully scrape or sand the tenon until I can assemble the joint with only moderate pressure. If you feel the muscles in your upper arms begin to flex, it requires too much pressure (again, IMHO).