Continuing Education Courses
Woodworking - online program
Construction 2140: Furniture Making 2 (Frame & Panel)
Content
Orientation
1. Frame and Panel Construction
The student should:
a. identify the construction details of a typical frame and panel component
b. identify the typical wood joints that are used in frame and panel construction
insert pictures of standard household furniture (coffee tables, china cabinets, doors)
Look around your home. Notice the way that your kitchen cabinets are built. How about coffee tables, china cabinets, even the door to your room? Many of these pieces are made with frame and panel. Frame and panel means that a frame of wood is built to hold the panel in the centre. The main purpose of this is to allow movements of the joints. In changing humidity or as doors heat up and cool down or even age, the different parts of the component shift at different rates. If they were all attached tightly together, they would twist or warp and possibly even break against each other. This is one of the purposes of frame and panels. The two main reasons you build them are for strength and for appearance. It's a simple as that. The panels can even be made out of glass, or the frame might be inside the furniture and you never see it. Look at furniture made using frame and panel. Look at the joints, notice the details. What are the different materials used?
insert a picture of a cabinet showing wooden and glass frame and panel doors
Obviously, the two main components here are the frame and the panel. Both can have simple or complex design features to them. Frames can be used inside of a cabinet for strength. The two vertical pieces are called stiles and the top and bottom pieces are called rails. These open or skeleton frames are generally used to support drawers and may or may not have panels. Most frame and panel construction is for the outside of furniture. The main components are the frame, the molding or sticking, the corner joints and the panel. As we just mentioned with the inside frames, the frame is made of at least four pieces. The sticking is part of the stiles and rails, it is actually the inside edge of the frame. Stickings can be made in a wide variety of styles. A groove is cut around the inside of the frame to fit the frame.
insert labeled picture of joints styles
The joints used in building frames include mortise-and-tenon, open and dowel. Mortise and tenon joints are strong, often used on chairs and tables. Simply speaking, the mortise is a hole cut in the stile and the tenon is a peg cut to the size of the hole, cut into the rail. The joints used depend on whether the sticking is square or molded. Consider the work involved in making a joint when you choose your project design. Think about how much of the joint you want visible and how much hidden. These are the details that determine which joints are used.
insert labeled picture of panels
The panel can be as simple or detailed as you want. It can be made from one solid piece of wood, or it can be made with different layers of veneer for design effect. The placement of the panel in the frame can also vary. The panel can be level with the frame, or "flush". It can stick out, or "elevated". It can come out of the middle of the frame, but be flat, or it can have any collection of cuts or beveling on one or both sides. The panel can also be made up of a main piece with a rim or edge of different material. And dont forget that even glass can be used for the panel. There are many uses and options.
Exercise A (In-School & Off-Campus)
1. Research frame and panel construction using the assistance of resources you may find in your public or school library, your instructor, the Internet or other sources. State the typical construction details for frame and panel. Provide a completed copy in your Assignment Folder.
2. Prepare a chart similar to the one below, which address the joint, the tools needed to make the joint and the types of materials that the joint can be used for. A couple of these joints were summarized in the paragraphs above, however, you are responsible for completing the chart and adding additional information.
Joint Uses Tools Used Appropriate Materials
Dowel Interior frame Drill Wood, Composites
Square sticking
Mortise and Tenon
Biscuit
Lap
Miter
Loose tenon
Complete the chart as per the example given above by researching using the Internet or books and/or contact with someone in the field. Your completed chart should be included in your Assignment Folder.
*************************************