How to make the STRONGEST face frames

in an era where frameless cabinet construction has become popular it's easy to assume the traditional face frame has become obsolete but this isn't the case at all a face frame has a specific purpose and choosing the right joinery at the corners can be the key to a strong lasting project face frames make cabinets rigid they prevent warping or sagging that may cause problems down the road including poorly fitting doors and drawers the frame also provides a secure hinge mounting surface to support the weight of the door and it approves aesthetics around drawers and shelves traditionally face frames are pre-assembled before they're attached to the cabinet box this makes it possible to use the frame which is built square and rigid to correct and even conceal minor issues with the box itself there are many different choices for face frame joinery but the most common may be mortise and tenon lap or bridle pocket screws or no joinery at all mortise and tenon joints are perhaps the most difficult to construct of the three they're made by first cutting the mortise this may be done with a drill press and a forstner bit then cleaned up with a chisel or a router may be used or a hollow chisel mortiser the tenon is then cut to fit inside the mortise in traditional cabinet door construction the styles which are what receive the mortises are left a little long until after the frame is assembled for the final time this ensures that the fragile end grain next to the mortise does not break away once the frame is glued together the strength comes from the large glue surfaces on the tenon's cheeks for the joint to fail all the fibers on both sides of the tenon must tear this is what makes the mortise and tenon option so strong and it's also what makes lap joinery a good alternative a half lap is much easier to create than a mortise and tenon you only need to remove half the thickness of each work piece creating both halves of the joint with a single machine set up but since the strength of the joint comes from its glue surface a half lap is only roughly half as strong as a similarly sized tenon so for this joint to fail the fibers along one side must tear a bridle joint is an alternative to the half lap that doubles the glue surface and therefore the strength but bridle joints require two machine setups making them more difficult to create than half laps though still easier than a mortise and tenon joint perhaps the simplest of corner joints is one that's assembled with pocket screws this is a butt joint which has no real strength on its own even if it's glued together but the screws add a strong mechanical component for this joint to fail the wood surrounding the screws must break a pocket screw joint isn't the strongest of the options we've discussed here but it's still a very sturdy type of joinery for face frames finally there's the no joinery option some frames are made by simply attaching the components to the front of the box with no physical connections at the corners this is definitely the simplest method but it provides little reinforcement for the cabinet so which option is best for your project well it depends on how much the face frame will be relied upon for the project's overall strength a large cabinet requires the most protection from its own weight a face frame will reduce sagging along the horizontal components and resist racking forces that may throw it out of square a small cabinet on the other hand may require almost no reinforcement from its face frame due to its short horizontal spans and its minimal weight the way the box itself is constructed is a factor as well a back panel or even a wide rear cleat may hold everything square regardless of face frame joinery on the other hand a large heavy door may test the strength of the frame that it's attached to a great deal even if the cabinet has a back panel there is no one solution for all cabinets only general guidelines the larger the cabinet the stronger the face frame should be but the more the box itself is reinforced by other means the less you'll have to worry about the strength of the frame face frame construction may have a lot of competition these days from modern frameless cabinets but the choice isn't just a matter of aesthetics the frame serves a purpose and you may wish to consider that when you build your next project see you next time some folks are a pleasure to work with like ken rizzo over at woodturnerswonders.com that's where i get my turning stuff like sanding supplies and cbn wheels for my grinder seriously if you haven't seen what cbn wheels can do for you you are missing out i'll put a link below this video use it and tell ken i sent you wait don't go yet if you're new here please subscribe and remember to ring the bell i would really appreciate that give us a thumbs up or better yet leave us a comment i always read them and be sure to check out the latest issue of stumpy nubs woodworking journal it's always packed with tips tricks and tutorials designed to make you a better woodworker

Channel: Stumpy Nubs

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Keywords: woodworking, stumpy nubs, tips, workbench, table saw, scroll saw, drill press, quick tip, band saw, bandsaw, lumber, hack, hand plane, sharpening, tormek, worksharp, diamond stone, water stone, wood turning, bowls, lathe

Id: zVRhzAr-EpU

Length: 5min 1sec (301 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 24 2021