How to Chamfer the inside of an assembled frame?

[Bill McDermott]

To soften edges, I prefer a few swipes with a block plane to create a small, but crisp chamfer. But when assembling a frame and panel - especially with partitions - the inside edges are tricky. For the pieces with tenons, no problem. Chamfer before assembly. But the pieces with mortices need to be chamfered after assembly, in order to get the inside corners just right.

I can do the chamfer with a sanding block and some very minimal paring in the corners. That really is a simple process. But I would prefer to cut the chamfer. Planes can't get in there (ok, a bit of the center section, yeah). Paring with a chisel and using a card scraper both leave less than the crisp, consistent chamfer I desire.

How do you do it?

Thanks, Bill

[Joe Bailey]

A stanley #90 or 97 would do the job nicely, I would think.

[David Weaver]

I'd mark out the chamfer boundaries with a pencil, and do most of the work by stopping the chamfer before the corners with a chisel and then working to it with a bullnose plane The few times I've had to work them into the corners on an assembled frame, I've used a chisel and discretion to finish the rest of the work into the corners after the stopped part. They have looked good, but not laser machine good. Nobody has ever said anything about them on our bathroom cabinets.

If I did those cabinets again, I would put a bead on the inside instead of a chamfer.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

A chisel and a lot of practice. I'm there 80, maybe 90 percent of the time. I'm probably doing slightly larger chamfers than you are, though.

Depending on how hard the wood is, sometimes drawfiling with a sharp file gives decent results.

[Sean Hughto]

Couldn't you treat the chamfer like one would a bead, and simply mitre the chamfered portions of the rails and stiles?

[Tony Shea]

I also mark the boundaries with a fine tip pencil and will take the frame back apart. I will go as far as I can with a block plane in the center and out as far as I dare. Then I get in to the lines with a chisel and or a file as best I can. I then put it back together and see how i did. If need be I will finish it off with some 320 grit or finer paper. We all love to cut wood with planes and chisels but sometimes you just have to suck it up and break out the sandpaper. It is a tool and does its' job well.

[Chris Griggs]

+1 plane in the center and chisel into the corner. I've messed with other ways, thinking that they would be easier, but they weren't. If I use the chisel bevel down my chamfers are much more consistent and I am MUCH less likely to over do/gouge it.

[David Weaver]

Couldn't you treat the chamfer like one would a bead, and simply mitre the chamfered portions of the rails and stiles?

Visualizing, I think that would work as long as the frame was mitered. Definitely didn't work with a lap joint on a mirror frame.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

If I use the chisel bevel down my chamfers are much more consistent and I am MUCH less likely to over do/gouge it.

Bevel down is the key for a lot of these things. So much more control.

[James Taglienti]

Doing it that way you could cut the corners first with a chisel and make a false miter, then do the rest with a spoke shave or bullnose plane.
Usually i will chamfer the stiles but stop a safe distance and t he cut the rest with a chisel after its built

Sean's way is probably the best and cleanest way to do it

[Sean Hughto]

To be clear, you need to cut away the rails and stiles like this to have them mate:
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3065/3106479892_700e961a8d_z.jpg?zz=1
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3257/3117375094_5105a9b30c_z.jpg?zz=1