rail & stile width

[lucky4fingers]

Any consensus / standards on rail & stile widths for cabinet doors? Should they be the same, I've always made my rails wider than the stiles, but now I'm rethinking that. Fire away! TIA

[cselby]

I read a piece a while ago where the guy writing said that 2" flats (2 3/8" per rail & stile uncut) was about the correct dimension for a balanced look. Unless your cutting curved top or bottom rails. This is what I've been going with. An exception would be door size per unit. A real small piece would have a narrower flat surface and an over size panel would be wider.

Just my 2 cents. Basically, it's what looks good to you and your end user.

Pete

[Toller]

The size should be appropriate to the use. I have done 1" and 4". But they have always been the same.

[seelyjv]

Rails and stiles are usually cut 2" plus the depth of the panel groove wide. This usually makes them either 2-1/4 or 2-3/8" wide - depending on whose router bits you use. The reason for making them that width is that it makes all of the calculations for door size easier - including the panel. If you need an inset door for a 16 x 24" opening and your cutter makes a 3/8 inch deep groove, the panel will be 16 - 4 = 12 wide by 24 - 4 = 20 long. And all of the sticks will be cut 2-3/8" wide. For offset doors, just add twice the offset dimension to the panel width and length. Jim Seelye

[alexy]

Seems like a bizarre thing to let drive a design decision. If 2" looks right on a 12x18 door, so you really think it would look right on an

18x48" door?

[alexy]

Most of the examples I have seen have the same width rails and stiles, or possibly slightly larger bottom rails.

[woodstuff]

2 1/2" stiles and rails. Just an old convention around here, but there is no law.

[seelyjv]