MOTM

While I've got my mechanical hat on......

There is one major "worry" about fixing the rails to the *top*
and *bottom* surfaces.

Tolerances of cutting the wood!

See, in the current 19" scheme, the 2 "prongs" at the end of the MOTM-19As
are wider than 'normal'. This allows each rail to "wiggle" in a vertical
slop of
about 0.075".

This allows for panel accumulated tolerances (ie Joe Pavone's rack-o-MOTM)
to
be accounted for.

What has me worried is that wood is not "precision machined" to 0.002 inches
like
the panels and rails are! So, I can see mucho problems with a *fixed*
top/bottom
rail (never mind Hendry's scheme of bolting 12 things in the middle). I can
see the
bottom set of panel holes, in the bottom rail being off with respect to the
screwed-in
bottom rail.

The beauty of Moog's wood rails is "who cares?" As long as you allow slop in
the *overall*
inside "lip-to-lip" dimension, you are home free (remember, he used black
*wood screws*
to hold the modules into the *wood* rail). You start at the bottom, screw
those in flush to
the bottom board, and the top edge of the top-row panels fall "where-ever"
(as long as they don't
overlap the top edge!) Who cares if there is a 0.040 gap? You'll never see
it!

You *will care a great deal* if there is a 0.040" mis-match in the mounting
holes and the tapped holes
in the rails!

I am beginning to see that having 2 strong (oak, kiln-dried pine) wood rails
is looking good.

Now, you *still* need the center bar to joing the rows to each other.
BUT...that can be side
mounted.....

Paul S.