GarageWoodworks wrote:
I just came back from my local Stickley store here in High Point. I
like looking at their stuff for inspiration and to drool. I was
careful to inspect the joinery for gaps and noticed quite a few.
Mostly where slats meet rails. I noticed several slats that had light
shining through from the back where the slat meets the rail. Not to
pick on Stickley, but I always thought they represented top quality
craftsmanship. I think the Stickley brothers would be turning in
their graves if they saw what I saw today.

Actually, there's an interesting article on through tenon joinery by
Chris Schwarz in Woodworking magazine that discusses this. Quite a few
old Stickley pieces had visible gaps in the joinery, especially closer
to the floor. Of particular interest to me, there were cases where
square tenons protruded through round-ended mortises.

One of the things mentioned in the article is that through tenons in
modern times are often used to "show off" craftsmanship, while in
earlier times it was simply used as a proof of joinery technique or even
for pure functional strength. Because of this, modern standards (among
discerning people, at least) for what a through tenon should look like
are probably higher than they used to be.

Chris