Spline Corners for Cabinetry??

[John Hixon]

Hi, I'm John, and this is my first thread.

I have made one raised panel door, the traditional way, with a tongue and groove type joint on the corners. Pretty much a fancy butt joint. It worked fine, but... perhaps something a bit more interesting and maybe more attractive, as follows.

I have an idea for the joinery on the rails/stiles for panel doors. I would like to poll the users for the reliability and practicality of this joint. (or even "yeah, we all do that" or "you've got to be kidding")

I would like to make a simple mortis in each mitered corner, parallel to the mitered corner, (same depth all the way across, this approach would make the splines rectangular) and then glue in a spline, cut from similar wood, into the joint. Add a couple of brads on each side of the joint while holding into a square.

I think the splines need to be cut so the grain would be more or less perpendicular to the miter and then the outside could be cleaned up with a flush cutting bit on the router, then sanded.

[Jim Becker]

I've seen this done with picture frames, but my concern would be to insure you dealt with strength on doors--try to get a good healthy spline in there for additional gluing area. Also consider a mitered half-lap for this as it will give you a ton of glue area. You get the look of the miter from the front and the strength of a lapped joint.

[Lee Koepke]

i built a jig, and cut splines on a TS. not thru splines like you are describing.

glue, no brads. my splines were "triangles"

[John Hixon]

I've seen this done with picture frames, but my concern would be to insure you dealt with strength on doors--try to get a good healthy spline in there for additional gluing area. Also consider a mitered half-lap for this as it will give you a ton of glue area. You get the look of the miter from the front and the strength of a lapped joint.

Jim, The tenon on the mitered half-lap is going to be difficult and tedious (that's my perception) and I calculate that if you use a spline that is the width of the stile and rail, you get as much glue area on each side of the joint as you would on the one side with the half-joint.

Thanks for the input and I calculated this after your caveats.

OK, I misunderstood the half-lap idea, but it has finally sunk in... Wouldn't that need a clamp to compress the joint while the glue sets?

[Jamie Buxton]

I regularly do something similar. I use a biscuit joiner on the mitered corners of doors. However I only do this on doors with a plywood panel, which I glue in. I'm not sure I'd trust a biscuit with a floating panel.

[Paul Simmel]

Jim’s half-lap idea is brilliant, though you’d certainly need a jig to position the pieces for plowing out the half-laps.

Tenons or spine would not be needed.

Also, a really good way to reinforce any style/rail connection would be to run a dowel or two right through the style and somewhat deeply into the edge of the rail. I know a guy who does this repeatedly with typical cope and stick joints. It’s his insurance policy.

Also, I have repaired numerous passage doors whose joints have come loose over time. I just clamp the loosened joint shut, drill two or three deep holes, squirt glue in the holes and hammer those suckers home.

Customers much prefer a reinforced joint, and could care less if there is a nicely sanded end grain dowel in the mix.