Panelled doors

[dedee]

I've never made a loose panelled door before and I am considering how best to make the frame. The doors, 2 of them, will be approx 14" x 8". The panels will be approx 1/4" thick, and will be flat. I envisage using pegged M&Ts for the joints. The cabinet will be about 4" deep.

What thickness should the frames be to accommodate the panel and 1/4" M&Ts and would a 3/4" frame width be about right for the size of door?

Andy

 

[Steve Maskery]

Hi Andy

I'm not clear on a couple of points.

When you say "frame" do you mean the frame in which the door is inset (faceframe) or do you mean the frame of the frame-and-panel door?

3/4" thickness would be fine, but I would think that 3/4" width would be a bit narrow for the face-frame (25mm would be better) and very small for the door itself. I would make the two stiles and top rail of the door about 30mm and the bottom rail 40mm.

FWIW

Cheers
Steve

 

[dedee]

Steve, thanks. I meant the door frame. It is the proportions that I am worried about getting right.

I am interested in why you would make the lower rail wider than the top?


Andy

 

[Steve Maskery]

Cos it looks better that way. It's essential for cabinets at floor level, because of visual fore-shortening (see my article in the last GW) and it's advisable for wall cabinets. Not essential, perhaps, but draw it up on the wall and you will see what I mean.

This is where CAD is so useful.

Cheers
Steve

 

[dedee]

Steve, thanks.

It will be wall mounted so I will draw it up and see.

As for CAD, well I have dabbled with a few of the freebies and find them all a bit complicated. If my experiance of more straight forward software (word and excel for example) is anything to go by then if I did learn how to use it I am sure that I would forget most of it by the time it was next needed :lol:

Andy

 

[JFC]

As steve said but i tend to make doors on the upper part of a cabinet all the same size , unless there is a middle rail then the larger bottom and mid rails come into effect .
If its a stand alone piece i.e. a bathroom cabinet at eye level then i would make all the rails the same size for a small piece like yours . I used to set the rails out and then offer up the bottom and middle rails and then decide what size i wanted . Ive found that bottom rails larger than you would think give the door that old well built look rather than the ikea look but thats just IMHO :?

 

[dedee]

Steve/JFC

thanks for your comments. I tried pinning up a full scale drawing on the wall last night and to my more than uneducated eye I am not convinced about a wider lower rail. I expect in 3-D in might look different.

I think I will do as Steve suggested to start with as I can always reduce the lower rail down if required.

Andy