Techniques for making frames and panels from real wood

[Mike Holbrook]

I am determined to use more "real" wood, even for making tool cabinets. So maybe it makes sense to make carcasses from plywood, but I want to at least make pieces like doors from panels made with hard or soft wood.

I am interested in hand tool techniques for making raised panels and panels in frames. I am looking for the best techniques: draw boring, mitered corners, mortise and tenons, dowels, half laps.....specifically discussed in regard to making frames to hold panels for cabinets and furniture. Specifically how to make frames and panels with hand tools. Also how to mount the panels in the frames. I am trying to avoid machines, but if this is not practical for some parts I am listening.

[Bill Houghton]

I take it you've scoured your library for relevant books or videos and cruised around the interweb for articles on the subject? There's a lot out there. Doing your homework will answer a lot of your questions above, and result in better questions here.

And hand tools vs. machines? Go into any museum with 19th century or earlier furniture, and you'll find plentiful examples of frame and panel furniture made with hand tools only.

[steven c newman]

There is a"Next Project" thread out there.....right below this thread of your's.
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Might involve a Stanley $5 as a plough plane....

[Derek Cohen]

I am determined to use more "real" wood, even for making tool cabinets. So maybe it makes sense to make carcasses from plywood, but I want to at least make pieces like doors from panels made with hard or soft wood.

I am interested in hand tool techniques for making raised panels and panels in frames. I am looking for the best techniques: draw boring, mitered corners, mortise and tenons, dowels, half laps.....specifically discussed in regard to making frames to hold panels for cabinets and furniture. Specifically how to make frames and panels with hand tools. Also how to mount the panels in the frames. I am trying to avoid machines, but if this is not practical for some parts I am listening.

Hi Mike

There are a few articles on my website.

One is this pair:

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/Buildtheframe.html
http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/Raisingapanel.html

Another is an article by Sean Hughto: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/Making%20a%20frame%20and%20panel%20door.html

Morticing: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/MorticingByChisel.html

Drawboring: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/Drawboring.html

There are others, so yell out if you want more.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Kees Heiden]

Use quarter sawn or at least rift sawn for the frame. Looks better and is slightly more stable. On the panel you can get fancy with weird grain patterns. Keep the panel rather thin so any cupping or twisting is easilly dealt with by the frame.

[Mike Holbrook]

Ok, more specifics then. Derek I went to your site first, but your work and articles tend to be of a higher caliber than what I think I need for basic shop tables/cabinets, rolling tool cabinets. I am looking for something a little more basic.

Currently I am working on rebuilding an old metal desk. Making a new top for the desk, as the old top was useless. The desk has sentimental value as it belonged to my grandfather. It is a basic old metal desk that I plan to make into a work table for my shop. So far I have four mitered pieces which I attached to the old sheet metal frame that was there after removing the old top. I attached a waterproof composite board as the base for the new top. I am thinking about replaceable\changeable surfaces for the top. So I am thinking about some sort of frame around the existing piece to hold different tops.

I plan to clean and repaint the metal surfaces. The black material is a roll of 3/16" pressed rubber that I am thinking about attaching to a piece of plywood to make a surface for hand sharpening. I like the idea of a waterproof, edge friendly surface that things want slide around on. I am thinking about a glued up wood surface to fit in or around this frame too. The piece of wood is 1" SYP that I have a supply of. I plan to make an outer frame out of the SYP to hold replaceable tops.

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I just thought I would turn to fellow Creekers for some ideas about this and other shop related projects I am working on. There are many posts about very nice furniture. I just thought it might be interesting to look at more basic, sturdy shop cabinets and furniture for a change, to see how Creekers approach these projects.

[steven c newman]

Screen door for the backdoor..
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Through mortise, getting ready for a pair of dowels.
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Raised panels, set into grooves. Panels were raised with a handplane. 1/4" wide grooves via a plough plane
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have since up-graded to a Stanley #45

[Warren Mickley]

I recommend through mortise and tenons for frame and panel work. If you make blind mortises they ought to be at least 1 1/2 inches deep. Stub tenons tend to break out the face of the stile.

With a deep mortise it is some work to remove all the waste and also to keep the mortise perpendicular. A through mortise, because it is cut from both sides, tends to correct for angular inaccuracy and the waste is easier to remove.

[Mike Holbrook]

I like the idea of through mortise and tenons, particularly as they are easier to make for these more basic projects. How would you recommend holding the joints together? I am working on some shutters, that will be outside for example. Will Titebond III "waterproof" glue be sufficient? Screws, drawboring, small nails...?

[Jim Koepke]

I like the idea of through mortise and tenons, particularly as they are easier to make for these more basic projects. How would you recommend holding the joints together? I am working on some shutters, that will be outside for example. Will Titebond III "waterproof" glue be sufficient? Screws, drawboring, small nails...?

For something exposed to the weather draw boring would provide a back up holding method to glue.

The hand tools needed for this kind of work would start with the basics of a plow plane and a rabbet plane. If you want to get a bit fancier, then add some beading blades and a gouge to match to add a decorative touch to the frame.

I think Steven and myself have both used Stanley/Bailey #6 planes to raise a simple panel.

To get a bit fancier with the panel, hollows and rounds can do a lot. For starters, a large round sole plane can make an impressive panel when used with a rabbet plane. Make any cross grain cuts first so the cuts with the grain can clear away any tear out that commonly occurs at the edges when planing across the grain.

The panel for this frame and panel cabinet door was done with a large round molding plane:

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Nothing real fancy but it still looks better than a flat door.

jtk

[Pat Barry]

With a deep mortise it is some work to remove all the waste and also to keep the mortise perpendicular. A through mortise, because it is cut from both sides, tends to correct for angular inaccuracy and the waste is easier to remove.
This is great info to remember.

[Bill Houghton]

Nice cabinet, Jim. I'm curious why you chose to make the top & bottom reveals on the panel so much wider than the side reveals. Certainly, it emphasizes the height of the cabinet; I've just not seen it before.

[Jim Koepke]

Nice cabinet, Jim. I'm curious why you chose to make the top & bottom reveals on the panel so much wider than the side reveals. Certainly, it emphasizes the height of the cabinet; I've just not seen it before.

Thanks Pat, that was my first attempt at a raised panel with a round plane. Second attempt at a raised panel in my woodworking.

Chalk it up to lack of experience.

Sometimes you have to make the mistakes to learn something new. Especially when your only teacher is the internet and magazines.

jtk

[steven c newman]

Seems to "center" the panel, doesn't it.

There is also the so-called Bridle joints....PITA to do, but gives more places for any glue or pins..
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Even the sides were done as a raised panel sitting in a frame..
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Better look?
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Enclosed End Table, in white Oak.

[Mike Holbrook]

Nice Steven,

I like the rougher textured wood.

Here is one I am working on:

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Jim, is a round a wood plane with a rounded blade & rounded sole? Would like to be able to do that without a router. I have been doing the basic work with a Custom 5 1/2. I will try with a #6 later today, but I think they are fairly close.

[Bill Houghton]

The thing to do, Jim, is come up with a believable story. "I did it this way because..."

[Jim Koepke]

Jim, is a round a wood plane with a rounded blade & rounded sole?

Yes.


The thing to do, Jim, is come up with a believable story. "I did it this way because..."

You are right Bill,

I did it this way because I didn't know any better. :D

jtk

[Pat Barry]

I'd not recommend you use the half lap method to join your panel boundary. I have used this frequently in the past, thinking that it would simplify things. I don't think it simplifies at all and in fact makes glue up more complicated. Instead of two clamps for a mortise and tenon type frame you need eight. Four of them just to hold the half laps together, the other four to pull the frame members together. Mortise and tenon, especially when well formed (not too sloppy a fit) go together with minimal clamping. Less issues clamping makes for less stress on you. Cutting the half laps so everything is coplanar when glued up is also difficult, even with machinery.

[Mike Holbrook]

I guess you bought your round plane at auction/flea market Jim? I do not remember seeing anyone making these in recent years.

Good point about the half lap Pat, my experience has been similar with this method.

Joinery planes I have are: a skew rabbet plane, a small plow plane, router plane, medium shoulder plane, the LV basic joinery planes. I am trying not to get much more complicated, although Jim's idea of a rounding plane that would allow me to make curved raised panels does sound like a good idea.

I guess sawing waste wood for mortises and tenons with a back, hand or bow saw will improve my sawing ability as well.

[John Schtrumpf]

In the episode of The Woodwright's Shop, "Painless Panel Doors". Roy goes through making the stiles and rails, butt jointing them (simpler than beading).

google "painless panel doors woodwright" and you should come up with a couple of PBS stations that have the full episode.

[Jim Koepke]

I guess you bought your round plane at auction/flea market Jim? I do not remember seeing anyone making these in recent years.

Good point about the half lap Pat, my experience has been similar with this method.

Joinery planes I have are: a skew rabbet plane, a small plow plane, router plane, medium shoulder plane, the LV basic joinery planes. I am trying not to get much more complicated, although Jim's idea of a rounding plane that would allow me to make curved raised panels does sound like a good idea.

I guess sawing waste wood for mortises and tenons with a back, hand or bow saw will improve my sawing ability as well.

Mike,

There are a few makers, but the price is way outside my ballpark.

I have bought a few at antique stores, some on the auction site but try to get matched pairs. Patrick Leach often has them listed on his site and likely has some in stock if you contact him.

Here is a post of mine about how it pays to talk to people at flea markets and antique shops:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?233119-It-Pays-to-Talk

I have since bought a few more from Dave. Here is the post on that:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?241967-A-Day-for-Wallet-Emptying

I also bought a few more on ebay. So often on ebay folks have no idea what they are selling. This can be good if they set a buy it now price too low. Often they think they have found a solid brick of gold and set the starting price way too high.

I would advise against buying planes without blades unless you want to start making your own. I have had decent luck restoring even some pretty rusty blades.

jtk

[steven c newman]

IF one has a Stanley 45 or a #55.......rounds are fairly easy to do. The 45 even had a special "bottom" for the hollows and rounds. The 55 didn't really need those. You can set up the 55 to make fancy raised panels....

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I re-ground an extra #29 cutter to make a "rounds" cutter for my #45.....

[Skip Helms]

This is my tablesaw miter jig. Ain't rocket science and the price was right. The runners are 1/4" x 3/4" waxed hardwood screwed to a piece of MDF. I ran the MDF deep enough into the saw to get my parallel cut and then lined up the angled pieces as close to 45 degrees as I could get. What really matters is getting a perfect 90 degrees at the corner because any mismatch on one side will be compensated on the other automatically. A framing square came in handy

I run longer pieces of frame stock with the back rabbett and rounded front edges in advance. Then you chop. You can eyeball your marks on the inside of the miter against the saw kerf very closely. Be sure to mark which are your A and B corners before you cut!

Not shown is a biscuit router bit in the table with the fence set to slide the 45 degree edges in the center of the thickness. Glue-up, clamp and check for square by measuring across the diagonals. They hold together well. I managed to drop one with picture and glass installed and it didn't even creak. sh

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