Replies

1. 
   joinerswork | Jan 22, 2007 01:24am | #1

   fauson,

   For a single frame, it is a simple thing to do by hand.  First you will want to make a shooting block 6 or 8" long, with both its ends cut off at opposing 45* angles. This will be clamped to the side of the stile (or rail) at the point where you want the miter.  If you want to dedicate the block for this job, you could work a rabbet along its lower edge so that the mitered end lips over the molding to be trimmed.

   The stiles will need the molding chopped down to its fillet or perk, at the area of the mortises.  This can be done with a mallet and chisel, chopping down near (within 1/16- 1/32") the fillet, stepping the chisel back 1/8"-1/4" at a time, til the area of the miter is reached.  The new shoulder of the mortise is then pared flat with the chisel, from the end of the stile, flush with the line of the fillet, square to the face of the stile.  The location of the miter on the stiles' molding is determined by the width of the rail; from its edge, to the fillet of the molding.  Measure down this distance from the end of the stile, and locate the inside corner of the miter there.

   Be aware that wasting away the molding from the face side of the stile's mortise will require that the rail's tenons must have off-set shoulders to compensate.  That is, the distance between tenons will be greater on the face (out) side of the rail, by twice the width of the molding, than the distance between tenons on the back (in)side. 

   Also: If you rabbet the frame members (for the glass) before assembly, the depth of the rabbet will affect the distance between tenons on the inside, as well.  You might be able to adjust the depth of the rabbet in the back to be equal to the loss of the width of the molding on the front; then the tenons won't need any offset at all.

   Of course, milling the rabbet before assembly, may, on the rails, mill away some of the tenon width as well, so you might need to allow for this when laying out the mortises. That will depend on the thickness of your stock, and the location and thickness of the tenons, and the depth of the rabbet.

   Mitering the molding on the rails is done after cutting the tenons.  The miter is located so that it ends at the point where the fillet and tenon shoulder meet.

   The block you made is clamped to the stock, (and the stock in a vise,) and used to guide a wide chisel (could use a plane iron) in a slicing arc-shaped motion along the end of the molding.  Nibble the end back til the flat side of the chisel is riding down the slope of the shooting block, with the blade's overhanging end paring the end of the molding at a perfect 45* angle, same as the end of the block.

   The process is faster than reading about it.  Once you have the block,  and the stock laid out, clamping and cutting will only take a minute or less to do each end.

   Regards,

   Ray Pine

    

1. 
   fausonj | Jan 24, 2007 07:22am | #2

   Ray,

   Thank you very much for your helpful input.  It has been a busy few days so have not been able to respond until now.

   I read an article from FWW written by Lonnie Bird on creating tombstone doors that briefly discusses creating mitered sticking.  Bird apparently uses the table saw to get rid of the molding down to the area of the mortises.  Have you ever used this approach?

   Anyway, I intend to draw out the project before I begin a test run on some poplar and the final run on mahogany.  Thank you again for your input.  I may have some additional questions about offsetting the tenons as I begin to put the approach to paper and will reply again if I do.

   Regards,

   Joel

1. 
   MikeHennessy | Jan 24, 2007 03:19pm | #3

   "Bird apparently uses the table saw to get rid of the molding down to the area of the mortises.  Have you ever used this approach?"

   I'll often use the bandsaw (or a backsaw, if not in the plug-in mode) to get close, and then clean up with a bullnose plane or paring chisel.

   Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA

2. 
   joinerswork | Jan 24, 2007 03:45pm | #4

   Joel,

   I don't waste away the molding on the tablesaw for a couple reasons.  I'm normally doing custom furniture, which means one at a time.  So cutting the joint by hand is quicker for me than setting up the saw, with different stops for different width top and bottom rails, etc.  Then too, crosscutting the molding away on tablesaw (or ripping on the bandsaw) means you are wasting away the back cheek of the mortise as well as the front, and old work typically wasn't done this way.  It just looks "off",  to me, to see that offset on the inside of the door, on a traditional piece.  Call me finicky   Milling away the whole edge of the stile to the same width does have the advantage though, of not needing an offset on the tenon shoulders.  And once you are set up, it reduces the risk of an inaccurate cut.

   Regards,

   Ray