I have some that were reclaimed strictly for the lumber. On mine the
end panels had a groove the shape of the seat and back assembly routed
into it. The seat/back boards were then held in place by glue. If the
glue joint were to ever fail the ends "mortised" in a good inch into
either side and would have been bolted down keeping the whole thing
together. If yours is similar and you intend to leave it free standing
I would think you would want to have something besides the glue. How
about cleats on the underside of the seat? They only have to ensure
the end doesn't separate if the seat and back are joined and resting in
a mortised groove.

Daryl
scbody wrote:
Hi

I recently bought an old oak church pew on eBay. I had it cut down
somewhat for shipping so I did not see how the seat was joined to the
two ends. How do I get the seat and back to sit in the rabbited groove
in the sides without drilling screws from each end?

Many thanks