"toller" wrote in message
...


I am concerned about it pulling the screws out on the walnut support. It
is
only a tenth of an inch, unconstrained, but it could still be a problem if
it actually pulls the screw out a hair and ruins the threading in the
wood.


Well, let's look at it from this standpoint toller. A typical raised panel
door is very similar construction to your support and leg pieces. In fact,
so is the upper portion of your piece. There is a piece of wood floating in
the raised panel door and that relieves stresses which could occur, as long
as the panel does not swell and become a very tight fit in the groove. Most
do swell to become a very tight fit though, and in fact they really don't
float very freely at time of fabrication - or else you'd have a sloppy
raised panel door. In this door, you have a very good glue joint, but
that's all you have is a glue joint. How many have you seen that have
racked apart due to the cross grain construction? Likewise, do you expect
your upper part of your project to suffer expansion/contraction problems?
You do have cross grain construction there as well.

I backed off the screw tension to put a tenth of an inch of slop into the
supports. That "ought" to protect it. I will tighten them up in August.
Of course, they ought to be tight in August; right.

I've seen a lot of pocket screwed pieces and they sure seem to work, though
I problably would not have used that approach. Not that it means anything.
A lot of times I do things out of habit and not because it's necessarily a
better way. Again, they hold. I'm not a believer in backing off screws.
Maybe I'm wrong with this but I believe that if you give room, more room
will be created over time.


--

-Mike-