Dovetailed Battens (the Dumb Way)

Part 3 of the chair-building series.

There are many ways to connect battens to a seat. I’ve seen them all.

1. A sliding, tapered dovetail made with a special plane
2. A sliding dovetail made with basic tools
3. A batten glued in a dado (the parts were plywood)
4. Nailed-on or screwed-on battens
5. Battens that were not attached to the seat; they were held in place only by the tenon shoulder in …