John Burt, a very talented woodworker and blacksmith, showed me a very interesting joint today. Chinese/Japanese in origin, it is used to join wood end to end, especially suited to curves where grain direction = strength. Even without glue this joint will hold together with quite a bit of strength.
Drew it up when I got home and have posted a GIF file to alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking.
Though the illustration is for rectangular parts because it was easier to draw, imagine it subsequently shaped to a circular or ovalized cross section. With a little planning all the shaping can be done on side grain rather than a mix of side and end grain.
Just something to file away for future reference - or not.
charlie b