Wood movement and Bracket feet

[Dean Lapinel]

Building a dresser and I'm using a lower molding frame to attach to the carcase then adding four bracket feet to the lower frame. The bracket feet are mitered at 45 degrees and each horizontal length of the two sides is 5". I have stacked glue blocks as support an a spline for the miter joinery.
An example of the technique I am using can be seen on Finewoodworking #163, May, June 2003 page 36.
In this 2003 article and in two other sources it recommends simply gluing the bracket feet to the lower frame. Why doesn't this potentially cause problems? Actually I don't have any other approach that accounts for wood movement but perhaps the 3/4" size of contact is not enough to be concerned with.
Thoughts?

[Jamie Buxton]

A pic or drawing would help show what you're trying to do. I don't have FWW available. You could even photograph your magazine to get a photo to post here.

[Robert Engel]

Dean yes a pic would be quite helpful!!

I am in the design stages of a dresser myself and have looking into this aspect.

I will make a 1x3 mitered subframe to attach the feet to, rather than gluing directly to the carcase. It will stand proud of the dresser and a moulding applied.

The feet will be attached to the subframe by screws and glue. This isolates the feet from the carcase and also provides a better aesthetic (IMO).

The subframe will be glued only along the front and screwed to the sides and back of the carcase in such away as to allow for expansion of the sides.

[Dean Lapinel]

A pic or drawing would help show what you're trying to do. I don't have FWW available. You could even photograph your magazine to get a photo to post here.

Here's a crop to show the area.

[Jamie Buxton]

The glue joint between the bracket feet and the molding frame is a long-grain butt joint. Wood doesn't move along the grain direction. Therefore there's no stress applied to that butt joint.

The grain direction of the molding frame runs across the grain direction of the cabinet side, so there's big opportunity for movement issues there. The cabinet side should be fastened firmly to the molding frame firmly at the front, but allowed to slide a bit at the rear -- like Robert is describing for his dresser.

[Jamie Buxton]

ummm..the grain direction of the molding frame and the bracket feet is horizontal, right? That's the assumption my reply was based on. If the grain direction of the bracket feet is vertical (I see the FWW article mentions that as an option), my answer would be different.

[Dean Lapinel]

ummm..the grain direction of the molding frame and the bracket feet is horizontal, right? That's the assumption my reply was based on. If the grain direction of the bracket feet is vertical (I see the FWW article mentions that as an option), my answer would be different.

Horizontal...and thanks so much for the response.
Dean