I am considering making mitered raised panel doors for my kitchen instead of traditional ones. How harder or easier is it to make mitered doors? How strong are they? My primary concern is how to reinforce mitered join. Is #10 biscuit string enough?
If you work it right, you can probably get by without a cabinet making router bit set.
Why not use a spline with a contrasting wood instead of a biscuit?
brian
the trickiest part I see is getting the miters PRECISELY 45 degrees so that the glue line will be uniform so that the joints won't come apart under repeated stress. Use the largest biscuits you can fit into the joints. Rail/stile construction is the norm. what's the reason you want to make mitered doors? lack of tools? prefer the "look"?
dave
Cutting precise miters shouldn't be a problem. As someone else noted, a spline would also work well here and could add some "pizzazz" to the finished product.
I do have all tools and good router table and made raised panel doors for several projects already. I want to insert mouldings recessed into styles and rails.
Hi,
I usually make doors cope & stick or M&T, but on several projects I have done mitered doors. One big advantage is that you can make the rails/stiles with a bead/groove etc which will progress uninterupted around the door (which is why I did it).
I joined the miters with #20 biscuits. I found it useful to make a jig to hold the biscuit joiner in place an then after cutting the 45's, clamp them into the jig to cut the slot.
These are very strong joints. I have never had one fail. If you are worried about it, you can always use 2 biscuits at each joint if the wood is thick enough.
When I first got my biscuit joiner about 10 years ago, I made a pair of oak doors for my shop, just to see if the biscuits would hold up. They take a beating but have yet to fail in any way.
It is a quick & easy way to make a door.
Lou
Along with perfect 45 degree angles you will also need parallel pieces to be exactly the same length.
yeah, I've made two picture frames so far, and took SPECIAL care to ensure the miters were dead-on, perfect 45's. Popped in biscuits, laid on the glue and chinched it all up with my trust Lee Valley strap. Checked the diagonals--perfecto. and no unsightly gaps on the front face of the frame. Anytime I've looked at frames in stores, the first thing I check out is the corners. Many frames don't pass my critical eye for loose joints. I think my pickiness is the prime reason all my projects seem to take longer than I expect. :) The upside is that the results impress viewers (or they have all suddenly become good liars after lifetimes of always blurting out the truth whether it hurts or not). Life's little rewards are sometimes nothing more than a job well done...
Dave
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