Blanket chest joinery

[Paul Laphere]

I would like to make a large blanket chest with frame and panel construction. My question is what is the best way to join the panels together at the corners?

[John Dugo]

The panels should not be joined at the corners, only the frame. Now if that's actually what you meant, then there are a number of ways depending on the tools that you have. Splines & dowels could be just the ticket.

[Tom Young]

I would like to make a large blanket chest with frame and panel construction. My question is what is the best way to join the panels together at the corners?

Paul,
I used splines on the one I built for my daughter. The picture shows how it goes together.

Tom

[Vince Shriver]

The panels should not be joined at the corners, only the frame. Now if that's actually what you meant, then there are a number of ways depending on the tools that you have. Splines & dowels could be just the ticket.

Just want to make sure I understand your meaning. For frame and panel construction - join the frames, not panels. However, a chest can be made with no frame, in which case, the sides (call that a panel?) can be dovetailed or joined together in some fashion. Right?

[Mike Cutler]

Vince

Yes a blanket chest can be made frameless with the sides joined using dovetails or box joints. It's the expansion/contraction of the sides that have to be accounted for.

Paul

In a frame and panel construction the panels need to "float" , thus allowing for seasonal expansion/ contraction of the sides within the frame.
Here is a frame and panel chest I made for my wife. The frames are joined, not the panels.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=46908

[Lee Schierer]

In a framed panel design, depending on how you want the corner to look, use either a splined miter joint or a locking miter joint cut with a router.

If you build the corners similar to those shown by Tom Young, you can just glue the two frame pieces together. The spline doesn't really add any strength to that type of joint. It does add some to the appearance and aids in the alignment. An edge grain to face grain joint is as strong as the wood itself, so reinforcement should not be needed.

[Vince Shriver]

Vince

Yes a blanket chest can be made frameless with the sides joined using dovetails or box joints. It's the expansion/contraction of the sides that have to be accounted for.

Paul

In a frame and panel construction the panels need to "float" , thus allowing for seasonal expansion/ contraction of the sides within the frame.
Here is a frame and panel chest I made for my wife. The frames are joined, not the panels.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=46908

That chest is exquisit.

[John Dugo]

Just want to make sure I understand your meaning. For frame and panel construction - join the frames, not panels. However, a chest can be made with no frame, in which case, the sides (call that a panel?) can be dovetailed or joined together in some fashion. Right?

Hi Vince, yes that's right. Mike answered the question just as I would have, thanks Mike.

[Cary Falk]

Here is one I finished a couple of months ago.

[Paul Laphere]

Thanks for the input everyone. Cary that is exactly the type of chest I want to make. Instead of the raised panels I am going to do some simple shaker style panels and cushion the top to use at the end of a bed. I was concerened on how the corners would look.