There's been a lot of discussion of how to put face frames together, and how to mount them to the cabinet. When asked on how to join face frame rails and stiles, if joinery is desired I will usually suggest a half lap. M&T is also good, but in reality a bit of overkill.
In installing to the leading edges of a cabinet, comments have been to use dadoes, rabbets, biscuits, pocket screws, dowels, and splines. Glue and clamps is really all that is needed. Well, the complaints with that, is that there seems to be a dislike to waiting for glue to dry.
For those other joinery methods, there is the time to set up and actually prepare the method to use. There's not much stress on face frames, as they add to panel rigidity, and have to carry doors. For the time needed to do the joinery, a face frame can be assembled using only a butt joint...glued and clamped, and that assembly glued and clamped to the leading edges.
As for maintaining a squared corner with a face frame, when the stiles get glued and clamped to the edges, the joint of the panels is covered by a single piece of wood...not dependent on the rails. With the rails, they help substantiate the corner of the stile and the two panels. Once those parts are glued and clamped, you have a very rigid assembly.
So, is there a trade-off? You can wait for glue to dry, or you can do some machining to the parts, and hope that they fit their corresponding members perfectly. Other choices for assembly could include a fastener from the back of the face frame to bring a butt joint together (like corrugated fasteners), but, they exert force on the back of those pierces. Using biscuits, dowels, pocket screws is a waste of time and materials IMO. Just glue and clamps provide the most gluing surface, without the possibility of being at risk by some type of fastener not performing perfectly.
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In installing to the leading edges of a cabinet, comments have been to use dadoes, rabbets, biscuits, pocket screws, dowels, and splines. Glue and clamps is really all that is needed. Well, the complaints with that, is that there seems to be a dislike to waiting for glue to dry.
For those other joinery methods, there is the time to set up and actually prepare the method to use. There's not much stress on face frames, as they add to panel rigidity, and have to carry doors. For the time needed to do the joinery, a face frame can be assembled using only a butt joint...glued and clamped, and that assembly glued and clamped to the leading edges.
As for maintaining a squared corner with a face frame, when the stiles get glued and clamped to the edges, the joint of the panels is covered by a single piece of wood...not dependent on the rails. With the rails, they help substantiate the corner of the stile and the two panels. Once those parts are glued and clamped, you have a very rigid assembly.
So, is there a trade-off? You can wait for glue to dry, or you can do some machining to the parts, and hope that they fit their corresponding members perfectly. Other choices for assembly could include a fastener from the back of the face frame to bring a butt joint together (like corrugated fasteners), but, they exert force on the back of those pierces. Using biscuits, dowels, pocket screws is a waste of time and materials IMO. Just glue and clamps provide the most gluing surface, without the possibility of being at risk by some type of fastener not performing perfectly.
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LCHIEN
Loring in Katy, TX USA
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