How to route a decorative edge on a face frame?

[dennis thompson]

I'd like to route a decorative edge on a faceframe I am building for a grandfather clock. How do you get the decorative edge into the corners?
Or do you route before you glue up & if so, how do you know where to stop so when you glue up, the decorative edges meet?
Thanks
Dennis

[John Grossi]

Dennis, build the frame, glue and pocket screw. Pencil in your routing boundry lines. Then choose a router bit and route by hand. (Maybe a nice Roman Ogee). You might want to make up a practice face frame with scrap wood. Depending on the size, you can do this on a router table. John

[keith ouellette]

If you route the edge first you will have a gap where the rail and stile meet.

[Todd Bin]

How do you get the decorative edge into the corners?
Dennis

The inside edge of a frame and panel (i.e. raised panel door) is made with a rail and stile router bit set. I believe the technical term for this is stick and cope. You can get many different designs. Here is one example.

http://www.sommerfeldtools.com/list.asp?d=98&p=1

Of course the outside edge of the frame can be routed with your favorite edge profile bit.

Hope this helps.

[Jim Summers]

It sounds like you are referring to the inside edges and do not want the rounded corner that will happen post glue-up. The raised panel bits are the best way I can think of. If it is just a chamfer you might get lucky with a pencil mark and routing up to that before glue-up, but I think it still won't work out right.

[Kurt Bird]

Dennis,
Build your face frame, route the inside edges, and use a good sharp chisel to continue the detail lines into a square corner. It sounds complicated, but it's easier than it sounds. Some of it does depend on how complicated your router bit profile is. If you're unsure, make a sample corner to get the feel.
Kurt Bird

[john bateman]

You can route the profile on the stock first. Then cut and assemble the pieces using 45 degree miter joints.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

I think that about covers it.

1. Use a rail and stile bit to make the face frame. That will give sharp inside corners.

2. Use the profile of your choice, run out the moldings and then miter the corners. This is probably the joint with the least strength.

Whatever you do don't just run a router around the inside edge and leave it rounded, especially for an item like a clock. Cheapie craft mall look.

[Paul Simmel]

Lots of set up for the Cope & Stick in order to remove the groove and tenon.

If you don't want to miter the pieces as was suggested, for whatever reason... this is tried and true:

80355

[Geoff Potter]

Saw Norm do this the other day. He made up the face frame then routed the detail on stock that he had cut into thin strips. He cut pieces to fit and glued and pinned.

[frank shic]

paul's method will also work for beaded face frames.

[glenn bradley]

I think they've got you covered. If you want the profile to go into the corners like on a kitchen cabinet then rail and stile bits will do it. You could also route around the inside edge after assembly and carve out the continued profile if you are handy that way.

[Paul Simmel]

For what it’s worth it’s called a “Jack Miter”, and there are quite a few ways to do it. In the OP’s case with just one frame, I’d probably cut it by hand.

Ah yes, the beaded face frame. Absolutely awesome look! I’m going to be doing a kitchen soon and had planned on doing the strip method myself. But some of the info from Google has yielded some very creative ways to cut the JM in milled frames. Still, the strip method will work best for me.

[Jim Becker]

Most of this kind of detail, I'd add prior to assembly so you can deal with the miters, etc. if they apply. This is the same way the casework is being handled in our addition...it has a double bead and the base also has a bead on the top. The joints have to be worked so that the beads flow continuously. It's a lot of work, but the end result can really be nice.

Another technique with face frames, however, is to make the openings larger and use an applied detail in the opening...or on the doors/drawers. 'Depends upon the design which way is the best to go.