"whit3rd" wrote in message
ps.com...
On Aug 13, 10:19 am, "Toller" wrote:

So, do I joint and glue them, or just reassemble with the gap; since that
is
how the customer knows it.
The stretchers are warped badly and have to be replaced.

I'd joint and glue. Dowels almost always indicate the joint was
originally glued.
I'd also think about trueing the stretchers with a hand-plane,
but that depends on how bad the warp is. Obviously, you'd want to
retrofit
the stretchers with some provision for wood movement, too.

The stretchers are about 35" long, with a 1" dip in the middle. Trueing
them would leave them 1/2" thick!

The stretchers certainly should have had some provision for movement, but
they don't. Okay, the center joint split and must have relieved some of the
stress, but they were still 20" across themselves. Built in the Philappines
and moved to a Rochester winter, I am really surprised they didn't split
into several pieces. But since they didn't, I wonder if they aren't safe
now?