Replies

1. 
   IW | Feb 24, 2004 12:47am | #1

   Eric,

          Not sure I understand your question correctly, because most books are far from 'silent' on how to join rails to a common stile.  "Joyned" chests most certainly have a very long tradition.  You seem to be implying that you are going to build 4 separate panels and then join them to get the sides of your carcase?  The 'traditional' way is to use 4 stiles and mortice the rails into them. That's all the joining necessary.  To maximise the tenon sizes, you generally keep the mortise toward the 'out'-side of the stile.  The mortises meet each other, and the ends of the tenons are mitered where they meet.  The picture shows what it looks like from the outside......

   There is no reason why you couldn't make 4 separate panels and glue them together, in which case a butt joint would be fine, since it would be a reasonably large area of side grain to side grain.  I'd use a (thin) spline or a couple of biscuits just to make alignment easier at glue-up time, in that case.

   
1. 
   utternovice | Feb 24, 2004 07:25pm | #6

   thank you.  I was attempting to describe your second example where I would first build four individual units with their own sets of rails and stiles and then assemble them to form the sides of the chest and I didn't want to inset the assemblies into posts at the corners.

2. 
   IanC | Feb 24, 2004 02:05am | #2

   Eric,  I've built a few things where I faced the same question.  Ended up just gluing a butt joint.   I made the stiles on the side panels narrower than those on the front and back to account for the stock thickness so that both "legs" of the corner are equal width.  With some woods like straight grain maple, you can hardly see the seam, others would show up dramatically in which case, a miter might look better.  Also you might consider gluing up the four corners "posts" first and then continue with the panel glue up instead of assembling all four panels and then gluing.  

   Ian

1. 
   utternovice | Feb 24, 2004 07:29pm | #7

   Thanks.  I suspected that this was the route to go.

1. 
   IanC | Feb 24, 2004 07:54pm | #8

   If you decide to glue up the two end stiles first into sort of a leg or post, be sure they are dead on square or you'll pay later.  Voice of experience. 

3. 
   stancalow | Feb 24, 2004 03:37am | #3

   U-N

   I've been working on a frame and panel hope chest for my stepdaughters 18th birthday.  I expect to have it finished just in time for her 21st.  The plan I am working with uses the legs as the stiles.  The rails are mortised into the legs, with a notch in the mortise - that is, the mortise is stepped.  The plan also call for reinforcing the M/T with pegs.  I haven't gotten that far yet.  The plan came from the American Woodworker website, at http://www.rd.com/americanwoodworker/articles/200002/main/index.html  and has a good description of the joinery. 

   Stan

   
   

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   Edited 2/23/2004 7:42:15 PM ET by stantheman

1. 
   jackplane | Feb 24, 2004 05:56pm | #4

   If I understand you, and if you've already pre-made the four panels, then you could use a traditional joint panel-to-panel like dovetailing, or use box-joints.

1. 
   TomMGTC | Feb 24, 2004 06:09pm | #5

   Dovetails or boxjoints are a poor choice for this application. The grain will be the wrong direction. A lockmitrer or splined miter would be work well as would a butt joint or a rabbet and groove.Tom

   Douglasville, GA

1. 
   jackplane | Feb 24, 2004 11:20pm | #9

   you are correct, sir.I had forgotten the stiles would be running in the wrong direction for box joints or dovetails.

4. 
   robkelly1 | Feb 25, 2004 05:18am | #10

   I have actually built a large number of these. The 4 corners (total 8 pcs of wood) are lockmitered and glued. Then the 4 corners are mortised top and bottom (total of 16 mortises) for loose tenons. Now cut the rails, 4 long front rails (top and bottom, 2 ea) and 4 shorter side rails. Mortise them to match the other mortises (16 more mortises). Now put the cope pattern on the corners with the shaper or the RT (8 passes.) Put the stick pattern on the ends of the rails (16 ends).  Now put the cope pattern on ONE SIDE ONLY of the rails (8 passes). Cut some loose tenons and DRY ASSEMBLE.  Mark the pieces at the joints so it goes back together the same way when glued.  Measure for panel size and cut them.  Figure out a gluing strategy and start clamping and gluing. If the strategy calls for partial gluing, always dry assemble the rest and clamp.

   There are lots of ways to hold the bottom on. I like an "upside down raised panel" with the flat side inside the chest, sliding into a rabbet. If you do it as above, you have to rabbet the 8 corner pcs before doing the lockmiter and the rails any time before gluing.