I have been playing with the design and dimensions of the rail and stiles. Is there a reason that the vertical rail needs to run from top to bottom? I have been playing with the designs, and like to look of the stiles running the full width of the cabinet door and the rails butting into them.
Thanks, Eric
Replies
Eric ,
Running the stiles all the way up and down is traditional , but is really a matter of personal taste . The main advantage I can think of is the fact that you see no end grain and any edge work may machine smoother and visually have less contrast . But hey ,, there are no rules , be creative make a sample , check it out . One disadvantage for me is generally I make my doors a bit wider to allow for clamp crushing marks and then I run the sides or stiles over the Jointer .
good luck dusty
Eric,
Just to add another note to what Dusty said - there are 2 other things you might want to consider. First, where will the hinges attach? When you run the rails all the way across you can often get a hinge placement or screws in places that are somewhat inferior to the usual way. Second, in many doors the rails are wider than the stiles. In this case you would prefer the common arrangement because of the stronger joint (longer glueline) that is the result.
DR
Eric,
The verticals are stiles, and vertical dividers are muntins.The horizontals are rails.
More often than not the outer stiles run right through-looks better and there is the placement of the hinges to consider: screws are not too happy in end grain.
You can have a combination, such as when the top of the door is arched-here the top arched rail can go right through, bottom rail not through.
A lot depends on the style of the whole piece- if it looks better the unconventional way then that may be the way to go.
> like to look of the stiles running the full width of the cabinet door and the rails butting into them <
... which is what Krenov sometimes did with some of the furniture that features in his books, right?
Which is mechanically better will depend on the size of the door - small cabinet doors don't need to resist much racking stress, and joint strength is more or less immaterial.
However, a large heavy door is subject to considerable racking stress, and a wide morticed and tennoned bottom rail is essential. Horses for courses.
Malcolm,
...like the look of the stiles running the full width...
..which is what Krenov sometimes did, right?"
Actually, no-he sometimes ran the RAILS the full width i.e contrary to the norm.I am still on my high horse<geegee>Philip Marcou
Hi,
My early woodworking experience came from theatrical set construction. When making a scenic "flat" (a large frame covered with stretched muslin or canvas) you always butt the stiles into the rails. This is done (in this instance) because the flats are used upright (vertical format) and dragged along the stage floor upright during scene changes. The ends of the stiles (if they were to run full height ) would catch on things and split.
So later, when I made my first cabinet face frames, thats the way I made them because it looked right to me. I'll never forget the faces of my woodworking friends as they pointed and laughed, oh the shame...
Now, a slave to convention, I make my cabinets with the rails butted into the stiles.
Make them the way you like them.
Regards,
David C
As already stated , traditionally stiles run full length.I have built a few pieces with the rails running past the stiles.The reasons I did this were first for looks but also because I was using knife hinges.The way these hinges are placed, at the top and bottom of the door, it made more sense to me to mortise the hinges and run the screws into long grain not end grain.
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