I was just looking at the Wood Works episode on the bookcase he built where the two sides have a bit of a serpentine curve to them.

In that ep, he joined the shelves as well as the top and bottom with mortise and loose tenon joinery.

First, if you're going to use M&T, why use a loose tenon? It seems that making and integral tenon in the appropriate place would be stronger.

Second, my own choice would be sliding dovetails. Blind of course.

So what do you think? There must be a reason for doing one over the other, what might that be? Normally he's all over a project with some incredibily complicated method. I'm waiting for him to introduce some chinese joinery into his stuff.

BTW, this isn't to knock anyone's methods, it's a matter of being interested in the "why" of it.