I am building an alder blanket chest and the lid is designed to hinge about 5" away from the back so that it can sit against a wall. My concern is attaching the 5" strip to the chest. If I biscuit and glue to both the back and the ends, am I risking this 5" piece cracking from seasonal movement? The main lid will attach to the 5" piece with 2 hinges.
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Potentially (although 5" isn't much). It depends on the timber and the conditions.
A neater way might be to screw it down. Find some "figure 8" fasteners and screw them down to the top of the sides and back. Then screw upwards into the lid, through the other end of the fastener. Place them inside for neatness, or outside for convenience. A little morticing into the lid strip neatens them up too. You can usually sink figure 8s with two shallow counterbores with a lip-and-spur wood drill.
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With several coats of finish, the wood movement is lessened over the seasons. That, and with only 5" of wood, I would say that you don't need to worry. Especially if the wood doesn't naturally have a lot of movement with moisture changes.
Preston
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