So thankfully I put together some test joints with my nails before I put them in my final pieces. It was splits-ville three times before I got the right size pilot hole.
Test joints. Three pilot holes split before I got the right size.
No spits on the back.
And no splits on the front! Yippee!
Here’s a sneak peek at the carcass. Oh and the maple strip is for a box to slide back and forth on.