Tall Door Center Rai/Stile Question

[Mike Goetzke]

I'm making a couple of tall (55") doors and will use a center rail for strength and aesthetics. I'm using a rail/stile bit set that puts about a 3/8" pattern on the inner edge of the rails/stiles. I'm using cabinet software and it outputs the center rail being the same width as the top and bottom. Is this common or should it be a little wider?


Thanks

[Don Jarvie]

That sounds right. You will lose a bit on each end when you cut the ends but the software should take this into consideration. With my Freud set I lose 1/2 over all on the rails so I accounted for this in the final width.

Depending on how wide the doors are you may want to consider spliting the middle so you have a cross for each half of the door.

Don

[J.R. Rutter]

It is common to have the center rail "unprofiled" width be slightly narrower than the top and bottom rails. You could always add 3/8" so that they match, but that is completely up to you. The difference would be more obvious with skinny frame elements, like 2 1/4" and less obvious with 3" plus wide parts.

[Bob Carreiro]

I have not heard of the "common" info offered by JR Rutter, but I'm sure it exists, along with other stuff saying nearly anything one may want to hear (if they search for it long enough). I design/scale projects for strength or aesthetics. Look at any panel door (entry or pass-thru) in your home. The bottom rail is wider. Why? Aesthetics. It's what "looks right" that's important. If your upper and lower rails are equal width, increse the center width by 3/8" (i.e., the width of the routed profile, or it will "look" narrower than the other two). If the lower rail is wider than the top rail, and IMO, it should be 25-35% wider in lieu of its 55" height, otherwise it will disproportioned - too "timid," unstealthy or "weak." If the bottom rail is wider, or going to be, make the center rail the same width plus the profile width.

[J.R. Rutter]

I have not heard of the "common" info

In my 10 years of running my cabinet door business, I have never had a customer specify that the center rail width be compensated. I do get requests for wider bottom rails. So that is where my info was coming from.

But the production mindset isn't what this forum is all about most of the time. If I were designing and building my own doors, I would do as Bob described. But really, do whatever looks best to you. It would be an easy mockup with cardboard panels...