Other than a weight consideration, what concern is there with replacing a
typical fuselage tube cluster (all legs in the same geometric plane) with a
half circle plate where the slotted end legs are slide onto and then welded?

Kind of like a bridge with it's clip angles on I-beams. Then the diagonals
and other bridge members are riveted/bolted onto the clip angles.. Or
similiar to those wooden semi-circular gussets used to sandwich a wooden
fuselage member joint.

It appears to me that the linear inches of weld could be greater than those
fishmouthed connections so tedious to make.

Thanks, Dick