Here the issue of joints is pretty simple. First, we are mainly only talking about the way the headboard and foot- board are joined to what we call the side rails. Secondly, the rule here is very simple: namely, always look for a ³metal on metal² joint. Why? Well, because metal is hard and wood is soft, a joint that mates metal to wood creates a situation in which the hardness of the metal may actually tear up the wood it is joined to, under the normal stresses of use. And as your grandpa likes to say, ³a chain is only as strong as its weakest link²!

     So where you see metal joined to wood, you must ask yourself whether there are other features in the design that compensate for that fact. The salesperson you are talking to should be able to help you sort it all out. And, as always-- and as your common sense tells you-- if the store you are in backs its products with a written guarantee, you have that much more confidence in what the salesperson tells you.