"Jack Stein" wrote in message
...
StephenM wrote:
You would never use a biscuit w/o glue. Biscuits are compressed at
manufacture so that the glue will expand them for a tight fit upon
*proper* installation.

I hear this all the time, and always wonder what happens when the moisture
in the glue evaporates and the swelling recedes? Ideally, I would want
the tenon to be stable, and the mortise to shrink around the tenon, not
the other way around. I guess the glue itself could remain keeping the
swelling up, but still, any moisture will eventually evaporate, and
swelling should recede, right?

Biscuits are mechanically compressed and dried. They don't shrink back to
their manufactured size even after redrying in a kiln. They need to be
stored in closed containers to minimize swelling from the moisture in the
air.

In other words, if the swelling DOESN'T last more than 4 hours, should I
call the doctor?

Simplest test: wet one with a sponge and see what happens at the end of 4
hours. Try baking it for those 4 hours, just to be sure. (I haven't tried
it. Just passing on my understanding of biscuits.)