Another rail and stile dovetail proposal. Flogging a dead horse?

[Mike in Arkansas]

Having abandoned my earlier proposed kitchen cabinet door dovetail joints on the advice of several on the wreck I wonder if you could critique this new option. Strong enough? Weaknesses? Here is a link to a drawing

realize that, again the top rail will need to have a rabbet rather than a groove for mounting a panel. Your knowledge, experience and opinions appreciated.

Mike

[Dave Balderstone]

Sketch in the grain direction and you'll see it.

[Enoch Root]

Maybe the other way would be better. Even then, the bottom of the stile is going to be fragile.

er

[Mike in Arkansas]

Okay, I see. I was so concerned about solving the first problem, I failed to see this. I guess I'll just use m and t Thanks, Mike

[Leuf]

Just in case I wasn't clear in the previous thread, this is what I was talking about with reinforcing it with a loose through tenon:

could use something like the beadlock jig to make the mortise through both pieces at once with the dovetail assembled, then square it off half an inch or so deep. Leave the beadlock tenon short and cover it with a contrasting wood. The dovetail would be only decorative, but it would look cool.

-Leuf

[pat]

[Mike in Arkansas]

Pat, thanks for the input. What I'm trying to do is put the dovetails on the front of the frame so they will be visible so people will be so very impressed with my craftsmanship :). Leuf, I'm going to study your proposal some. My impression of what your saying is to go ahead and make the dovetails per my original submission. Then join the rail and stile and make a deep mortice through both parts. This would remove some of the dovetail which would then only be visible on the top and back and would be purely decorational. Am I understanding correctly? What is a beadlock jig? The constrasting colored wood you are saying to use would be visible on the edge of the stile? Is that correct? Regards, Mike

[RicodJour]

You give up that easy? Whatever happened to beating your head aginst the wall until one or the other gave up the ghost?! ;)

As an alternative, you could kill several birds with one stone by laminating the rails and stiles. You'd get your exposed decorative dovetail, you could use contrasting wood which would give an interesting effect on the edge of the door, it would solve the problem of grain direction and joint strength _and_ you'd be making a lot more work for yourself!

R

[Leuf]

Yep, you've got it. The beadlock jig is basically just a dowel jig that allows you to drill overlapping holes. They sell premade tenon stock that fits in the resulting hole, or a router bit you can use to make your own.

you can see it makes an odd shaped hole that I don't think you'd want to see exposed on the edges, so I suggested covering it up. You could do it with traditional mortises, but it would be deep, and might be awkward to do with the dovetails already cut (and the same for cutting the mortise first then trying to do the dovetails). So I figure this is the easiest way to do it, you'd be able to drill it all in one shot.

-Leuf