Wedged panels

[Harlan Barnhart]

post deleted. Look below.

[James Davis]

them even after I click on them

[Harlan Barnhart]

Thanks James, I'll try to reload the whole thing.

[Harlan Barnhart]

Here is a panel design I learned from my grandfather. He copied it from a very old springhouse door from a farm his father bought in the early 1900's. It doesn't require any glue or metal fasteners and is surprisingly stable. He made his kitchen cabinets from salvaged tongue and groove siding this way in the early 50's and they are still solid.

Tongue and groovin' with a 45. Incidentally he also made the clock on the table behind the post.
151612

Door panel roughly sized, working on the layout for the slat/wedges.
151613151614

The slats were cut into wedge shapes and bevels were planed on the edges.
151615

I used the slats as a saw guide to cut the angled dado's in the door panel.
151616151617

Since I lack a router plane with a functioning blade, I made three passes with a router down each dado and evacuated between with a chisel. Then I drove in the wedges and pinned the end. In this picture the lid is not attached since I don't have hinges yet.
151618151619

Is this design common? I've never seen it anywhere else. I made this example in part to post it here to see if anyone can tell more about it.

[Jeff Burks]

That is a fairly old technique used to stabilize panels. It is usually referred to as a dovetail key and applied to the hidden side of the work.

Modern Practical Joinery (http://books.google.com/books?id=GXZZAAAAQAAJ&dq=George%20ellis%20joinery&pg=PA148#v=onepage&q&f=false) By George Ellis
Rivington's notes on building construction, Volume 2 (http://books.google.com/books?id=2kZDAAAAIAAJ&dq=%22dovetail%20key%22&lr&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is&as_brr=1&pg=PA91#v=onepage&q&f=false) By Walter Noble Twelvetrees
Carpentry & Joinery (http://books.google.com/books?id=vwIKAAAAIAAJ&dq=%22dovetail%20key%22&lr&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is&as_brr=1&pg=PA63#v=onepage&q&f=false) By Frederick G. Webber
Carpentry and Joinery (http://books.google.com/books?id=ed4TAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22dovetail%20key%22&lr&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is&as_brr=1&pg=PA67#v=onepage&q&f=false) By Gilbert Townsend

[Dave Ring]

The kitchen cabinets in my old house (circa 1925) had doors made of t&g beadboard joined like that. Seventy years on they were still straight and solid.

[Harlan Barnhart]

Thanks Jeff. Nice links. There is a wealth of info there.