Maybe there's another word for "slop" we can use... that way it won't sound like "sloppy," which as Tim pointed out, can lend a negative meaning.
What about
"tolerance"
or
"allowance"
Anyway, I was giving this some thought... seems like we're talking about two different animals, even two different time periods here.
What Ken seems to be asserting is that it made sense (long ago) to cut mortises with some "allowance" factored in because of the conditions, principaly no modern foundation, and green timber.
Settling of both wood and building were certianly going to happen.
So I'm wondering, and the question might now be, if we need to make mortises in frames today with "allowances" given we don't have those concerns in new construction: modern foundations and kiln-dried stock reduce movement issues considerably.
(I assume stock is often KD these days)
thoughts??
