Replies

1. 
   eddiefromAustralia | Jan 25, 2006 06:21am | #1

   Craig,

   In a framed door, the vertical internal frame divisions are called muntins, in a window they're called mullions.  There's very little difference except for the fact that one is rebated to receive a piece of wood and the other rebated to receive a piece of glass.

   Cheers,

   eddie

1. 
   joinerswork | Jan 25, 2006 05:27pm | #4

   Eddie, and Kraig,

   Interesting, in the shop where I learned sash making, the longer bars were the muntins, in the (cupboard, not house) doors we made, they ran side to side.  What they called mullions were the shortest bars, that ran between the muntins, vertically.

   However, I've noticed that in the old windows in my c.1850 home, the longest sashbars run from top to bottom.  My dictionary says mullion is from the Old French for median, the picture shows the example in a vertical orientation; muntin, I've been told, derives from the French "muntire", to rise up, and I've been told that the vertical bars are muntins, whatever their length.

   I'm guessing that at one time, tradition dictated that the longest bars "rise" from the bottom of the sash frame to the top, and those were muntins. When the orientation of the muntins changes to horizontal, the terminology gets confused.  Further muddying the waters is the practice as you noted of calling the internal framing in a door a muntin if it's vertical- I guess the horizontal framing member is still called a rail.  In one shop where I worked, the short vertical member that separated the loper (pullout lid support) from the top drawer in a slant front desk, was called ...a mullion!

   Cheers,

   Ray Pine

1. 
   eddiefromAustralia | Jan 25, 2006 11:30pm | #5

   Hi Ray,

   A drawer muntin is also the central support in a wide (>600mm) drawer that prevents the drawer bottom from sagging.

   Cheers,

   eddie

   Edited 1/25/2006 3:32 pm by eddiefromAustralia

1. 
   Kraig | Jan 26, 2006 06:02am | #6

   Hi Everyone-

   Thanks a million (or is that a muntin or a mullion?) for all the great information.  I had thought about using the same bit set that I use to make the stiles and rails but had not gotten around to experimenting yet.  Thanks for confirming my suspicion Mcain.  But also, like usual, if there is a specific need there is almost always someone who has met it in some way.  Thanks to CharlesM and Freud I will be most likely go that route.  Also thanks Eddie and Ray Pine for the background info on the proper terminology.  Learning the language of woodworking is almost as much fun as making sawdust.

   Well, with any luck I'll get the project  knocked out here before too long and maybe, just maybe, it will give me reason to stop thinking about posting in the gallery and actually doing it. 

   Thanks again-

   Cheers,

   Kraig

2. 
   mcain | Jan 25, 2006 03:54pm | #2

   You can use the same rail and stile (or cope and stick) bits that you use for a raised panel door. 

3. 
   charlesm | Jan 25, 2006 04:10pm | #3

   The Freud 99-270 is specifically for this type door:
   http://www.freudtools.com/woodworkers/rep/router_bits/Router_Bits/Cabinet_Door/html/Cabinet_Door_1.html

   Charles M

   Freud America, Inc.