Warped faceframe

[venkatbo]

Hi Folks,

In our cabinet-making class, the first thing we are doing is building a ~12" x ~28" faceframe with a softwood.. - to go with a cabinet later on...

The cutting, jointing etc were all accurate to the drawing... For the joints we used 3/8" dowels... and this is where I think I goofed it... We were asked to drill a few of the holes (for dowells) using a horizontal boring m/c... and some with a Dowell-it jig/driill-driver/bench-vice... Despite clamping the jig properly, I think I may have not drilled the holes straight... because after gluing the pieces and clamping (dual pipe clamp) it down for 1/2hr... the end product was a badly warped (1/4" off between both stiles) faceframe...

What are the lessons I need to learn here...
Would using the boring machine thoughout (uniformity) or even a drill press solve this issue ?
I'm usually a very meticulous guy - 'am wondering if this is expected while using the Dowell-it jig or ...

Thanks,
/venkat

[JimD]

I'm having trouble understanding the flaw in the face frame. If it simply will not lie flat but is correct dimensionally, it doesn't seem to me that you have a problem. When you glue it to the cabinet it will be pulled flat and the glue will hold it that way.

Jim

[venkatbo]

It is not flat when placed on the table.
Basically, when it is placed flat on a table, one of the stiles is off the surface by ~1/4"... The stiles and rails are not exactly square - there is probably ~2 degrees variation from a 90degree angle.

Thanks,
/venkat

[LCHIEN]

It is not flat when placed on the table.
Basically, when it is placed flat on a table, one of the stiles is off the surface by ~1/4"... The stiles and rails are not exactly square - there is probably ~2 degrees variation from a 90degree angle.

Thanks,
/venkat

Unfortunately making square frames required precision everywhere. I'm assuming butted rails and stiles.

Assuming stiles (vertical ) butt up to rails,
To make them come out in a square with no degrees left over means each stile end has to be 90 degrees to the sides of the stile. If each is 1/2 degree off then you will end up with a 2 degree error. This is the miter angle error.

If the blade is not vertical then there will be another twisting error that makes it not lie flat.

Also did you use winding sticks to make sure there is absolutely no twist to the pieces you used for rails and stiles? That will make it lie funny like you describe, too.

[venkatbo]

The 2 stiles and 3 rails were jointed for a perfect square on all sides... They were of the proper dimensions, ie, the length of the stiles was the same, and the length of the rails were exactly the same.

I have a feeling I goofed it badly by mixing drill methods, and probably not aligning the Dowell-It jig... causing the holes drilled to be inclined...

'am wondering if I used a drill press, I should be able to abvoind this mistake...

Thanks,
/venkat

[Rob R]

The 2 stiles and 3 rails were jointed for a perfect square on all sides... They were of the proper dimensions, ie, the length of the stiles was the same, and the length of the rails were exactly the same.

I have a feeling I goofed it badly by mixing drill methods, and probably not aligning the Dowell-It jig... causing the holes drilled to be inclined...

'am wondering if I used a drill press, I should be able to abvoind this mistake...

Thanks,
/venkat

if your stiles were square on the ends, and you drilled the dowels crocked then you wouldn't be able to seat them properly and you should be able to see daylight. so i would say your stock is warped. you might be able to pull it back when you attach it to your case. especially if you use a bunch of glue and maybe a pocket hole or a few brads as the glue sets HA

in the future, i would make sure your stock is nice and flat before designating it for a ff.

rob

[JimD]

I do not like dowel joints. I think they could be the problem. The quickest way is to use pocket screws. If the pieces are wide enough, biscuits work well. spline joints are another option. I used to use dowels sometimes but I haven't made a dowel joint in years. They do not have good glueing surface and drilling the holes exactly where you want them, with the grain of the wood moving the bit sometimes, is challenging.

Jim