On television there was an interior door that looked like it had fake muntins over one large sheet of glass.
I sketched the pattern of the wood grille (see muntins.jpg) and the basic unit that creates the pattern (see unit.jpg). Now I just have to figure out what shapes to cut!
If you like jigsaw puzzles, please take a look and tell me how you would assemble the grille.
Janet
P.S.
There are two sketches in unit.jpg. The second sketch is more like the actual door; the points of the Xs looked as though there was a larger square at each intersection. I’m not sure if they were extra embellishment, or just a convenient way to hide joinery shortcuts.
J.
Replies
Janet, what do you mean about "shapes" to cut. looking at the pattern it looks like a fairly simple job. You only have two angles of cut to make. I would work out the precise assembly on a graft paper, then transfer the pattern to an assembly board that would be the actual size of the layout. After the entire pattern is cut and you are satisfied you have them right, you could proceed to join the pieces.
I have done chippendale where the glass is individual and the muntins glue front to back using that method. Woodworking is IMHO at least 50 percent problem solving.
Good luck
What I meant was, how would you deal with the T- and X-intersections? I already have a shape (see piece.jpg) that will work for all the two-piece joins but not the Ts and Xs. I'm guessing that the Tx and Xs have one and two butt joints that ought to be hidden.Janet
Janet,I think if I had to do this I would use half-lap joints for the X's and T's. Adds to the confusion of making pieces, but also adds to the stability of the assembly.OTOH, the design elements here are very similar to a lot of Islamic architecture that I've examined. They usually create a pointed meeting place at the intersections. That is, at the X you have 4 pieces meeting, each cut to a "diamond" tip. It's all just glued together. And the joints have a different effect on the overall look of the piece.Whichever, practice on a small section before you go into production. Any slight errors will multiply themselves ad infinitum.David Ringhttp://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e
Edited 12/31/2006 4:50 am by ring
David,Funny you should mention Islamic architecture. This morning I was wondering about the origin of this design, and for some reason the word "Moorish" popped into my head. (I have never studied the culture, but if you live in the U.S., sooner or later you get exposed to just about everything.) This design is similar to one that I saw in southern California (see Santa Barbara grille.jpg). An Egyptian friend here in Orange County said that much of what the realtors call Spanish architecture is actually Mediterranean, incorporating styles from several cultures.Janet
Janet, David is right. I believe what you said is that the muntin will be over a solid piece of glass. Not having a "backer" you would do well to half lap for strength. You are not going to be able to put the pieces under any kind of effective clamp in glue up.
Janet,
Most of these grilles, I won't call them muntins, are simply cut out of thin plywood with a face veneer of the proper wood. While you could cut crosslap joints in solid wood, and face them with mitered overlays, the typical thickness of what's on top of the glass would make this difficult in terms of maintaining flatness and structural integrity. If you want the effect of real sashbars, perhaps you could miter veneers on top of a thin plywood grill.
Regards,
Ray
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