> Copying from Brushy Mountain's 1999 catalog,
> below is a ASCII-art top view of what they
> call a "Rabbeted Hive Body Joint"


 |             |
 |             |
 |             |
 |       +-----+
 |       |         +------------
 |       |         |
 |       +---+     +---+
 |           |         |
 |           |         |
 +-----------+         |
            +----------+
            |
            |
            +----------------------


Hmmm.  Looks better when I switch to fixed font in my email reader.

That's an interesting joint, and I guess it can legitimately be called a
rabbeted joint, although the rabbet is not the kind of rabbet we normally
visualize.

My first reaction is that the joint is more complex than necessary, but on
reflection, I think that, if  it is glued and nailed properly, it could be
as much as four times stronger than the normal rabbet/butt corner we use, as
well as having the advantage you mention of being easier to align without a
jig during assembly.

One thing that this design will prevent (again only if assembled with glue
and nailed both ways) is the tendancy of some boxes for the ends to warp
out, making the box too long.  I might mention that Lusbys have a nice
solution for this problem on old boxes.  It's a sheet metal corner that
nails on and can be seen at  http://photos.yahoo.com/allendick -- where some
Lusby pictures are on display.

> As I said, the drawback is that even slightly non-planar stock will make
this design very difficult to assemble at all.

True, and the lumber must be very flat when the joint is being machined.
This is probably not a joint for the average home carpenter, but one to
consider for above-average woodworkers who can measure accurately, keep
tools sharp, and who understand wood.

Thanks for that Jim, and BTW, I apologise for being a bit snappy last time.
Good thing you have a good sense of humour.

allen
http://www.internode.net/honeybee/diary/