Cutting miters on inside thumbnail profiles help

[Mark Rainey]

Anybody have a good work flow for this job: making a door for tall case clock arched dial. The door has tenons rails into mortise stiles with 3/16 thumbnail profile. Backside has rabbet for glass. I start by hand chopping mortises and sawing tenons. No problem. Record 778 for tiny rabbet, then make 3/16 thumbnail profile ( getting sort of ugly - hollow plane - concave - causing a lot of tear out - sandpaper on round rubber profiles to the rescue ). Now to cut miter - estimate where miters will merge and mark. Saw off thumbnail profile of stile to that miter point marked. Now my tenon is too long or mortise too shallow and I cut tenon shorter. Clean up saw parts with chisel to make mortise and tenon joint cleaner. Miter joint looks sad - I will be using sawdust and glue on these.

[Bill Houghton]

Pictures would be helpful.

[Mark Rainey]

377293thete is the joint

[Patrick Walsh]

45% guide block and a razor sharp pairing chisel or any sharp chisel for that matter.

[Mark Rainey]

Good advice Patrick

[Gerald Schram]

mark did you cope the moulded part on the rail? thats how i usuallymake that joint. leave the moulding on the style even with the mortice on the rail make the tenon cut the molding at 45 even with the shoulder then pair to the profile it should fit over the mating piece. a incanal gouge works really well for coping the moulding. jerry

[Mark Rainey]

Gerald are you saying that 1. I should leave the thumbnail molding on the stile ( vertical component that is mortised), then cope entire end of horizontal rail to mate or slide over stile?

[Tom M King]

I replaced the lower rail on a 1755 entry door recently. It's easy when one is not glued together. You just knock the pegs out. The copes were only done where it mattered. The tenon shoulders were all square, where the joints meet. Drawboring kept joints tightly together.

[Gerald Schram]

no just the moulding profile. i use a little block cut at a 45 as a guide to a chisel to make the 45 cut on the moulded edge.

[Gerald Schram]

sorry mark for not being clearer. no you cut the profile on the mortice side like you did just dont cut a 45 on that side. jerry

[Mark Rainey]

I think I follow you. I am going to redo the joints - they call for. 3/8 thumbnail profile which will be less fragile377315

[Mel Fulks]

I replaced the lower rail on a 1755 entry door recently. It's easy when one is not glued together. You just knock the pegs out. The copes were only done where it mattered. The tenon shoulders were all square, where the joints meet. Drawboring kept joints tightly together.

I predict that tomorrow the big box stores will get lots of home owners wanting to buy " a 1755 E-Z-2 repair door"

[Mark Rainey]

Gerald, Patrick & others, I nailed it! Thanks for your expertise!377515