Door frame construction

"Arthur2" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Hi.
> I am currently in process of building a door frame (exterior)
> with sidelights and toplight.
>
> The design wil include 4 cross halving joints...
>
> (The 4 verticals
> http://www.beersltd.co.uk/view_product.php?code=MW000250 extend below
> the threshold to a concrete step)
>
> So my question is, (about the cross halving joints at points
> indicated by +) should the horizontal members be 'in front' of the
> vertical members?

I assume you're going to use a lap joint to join the verticals and
horizontals (stiles and rails). In that case, the strength of the joint
will be the same no matter which piece is in front. All the (fake) raised
panel doors in my house have the stiles interrupted by the rails--the
horizontal piece looks like it's in front.

Draw it in SketchUp and see which way you like better.

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX

"Arthur2" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> "Steve" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> "Arthur2" <[email protected]> wrote in
>> news:[email protected]:
>>
>>> Hi.
>>> I am currently in process of building a door frame (exterior)
>>> with sidelights and toplight.
>>>
>>> The design wil include 4 cross halving joints...
>>>
>>> (The 4 verticals
>>> http://www.beersltd.co.uk/view_product.php?code=MW000250 extend
>>> below the threshold to a concrete step)
>>>
>>> So my question is, (about the cross halving joints at points
>>> indicated by +) should the horizontal members be 'in front' of the
>>> vertical members?
>>
>> I assume you're going to use a lap joint to join the verticals and
>> horizontals (stiles and rails). In that case, the strength of the
>> joint will be the same no matter which piece is in front. All the
>> (fake) raised panel doors in my house have the stiles interrupted by
>> the rails--the horizontal piece looks like it's in front.
>>
>> Draw it in SketchUp and see which way you like better.
>
> Thanks.
> The reason I asked the question is that I want to replace the red
> hardwood horizontal pieces with some mahogany. I have some 60mm x
> 70mm section and I will join these to the vertical timbers I
> described in the original post. So if I cut the pieces so that the
> mahog horizontals are at front I would have to glue on more 25 - 30mm
> thick mahogany to the backs of these rails to bring them up to the
> same depth as the stiles. Is this nuts or fair enough?
>
> So all stiles will be the red hardwood sections I descibed in OP.
> All rails will be mahogany and I plan to paint the stiles and varnish
> the rails. I will be remodelling the ovolo mouldings on the stiles,
> also. Weird perhaps?

Not too weird; maybe just a little. ;-) It's unusual to have paint and
transparent finishes in the same application, but not unheard of.

When my clients want to do something out of the ordinary, I advise them
to do a mockup. You could tape some colored paper on the rails and
stiles, then stand back a ways to see what you think. Look at it from
the street, too. If you decide you hate it, you've saved yourself a lot
of work. If you like it, you can move forward with confidence.

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX

"Steve" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Arthur2" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>> "Steve" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>> "Arthur2" <[email protected]> wrote in
>>> news:[email protected]:
>>>
>>>> Hi.
>>>> I am currently in process of building a door frame (exterior)
>>>> with sidelights and toplight.
>>>>
>>>> The design wil include 4 cross halving joints...
>>>>
>>>> (The 4 verticals
>>>> http://www.beersltd.co.uk/view_product.php?code=MW000250 extend
>>>> below the threshold to a concrete step)
>>>>
>>>> So my question is, (about the cross halving joints at points
>>>> indicated by +) should the horizontal members be 'in front' of the
>>>> vertical members?
>>>
>>> I assume you're going to use a lap joint to join the verticals and
>>> horizontals (stiles and rails). In that case, the strength of the
>>> joint will be the same no matter which piece is in front. All the
>>> (fake) raised panel doors in my house have the stiles interrupted by
>>> the rails--the horizontal piece looks like it's in front.
>>>
>>> Draw it in SketchUp and see which way you like better.
>>
>> Thanks.
>> The reason I asked the question is that I want to replace the red
>> hardwood horizontal pieces with some mahogany. I have some 60mm x
>> 70mm section and I will join these to the vertical timbers I
>> described in the original post. So if I cut the pieces so that the
>> mahog horizontals are at front I would have to glue on more 25 - 30mm
>> thick mahogany to the backs of these rails to bring them up to the
>> same depth as the stiles. Is this nuts or fair enough?
>>
>> So all stiles will be the red hardwood sections I descibed in OP.
>> All rails will be mahogany and I plan to paint the stiles and varnish
>> the rails. I will be remodelling the ovolo mouldings on the stiles,
>> also. Weird perhaps?
>
> Not too weird; maybe just a little. ;-) It's unusual to have paint and
> transparent finishes in the same application, but not unheard of.
>
> When my clients want to do something out of the ordinary, I advise them
> to do a mockup. You could tape some colored paper on the rails and
> stiles, then stand back a ways to see what you think. Look at it from
> the street, too. If you decide you hate it, you've saved yourself a lot
> of work. If you like it, you can move forward with confidence.
>
> --
Thanks.

I think the mixture of painted and varnish is ok too. But it does depend on
using the right
combination of moulding work. My initial thought is that the stiles should
have a simple fluted moulding
while the mahogany rails require something more bold.
I could use a web site that shows a variety of moulding work.

Arthur

"Steve" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Arthur2" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>> Hi.
>> I am currently in process of building a door frame (exterior)
>> with sidelights and toplight.
>>
>> The design wil include 4 cross halving joints...
>>
>> (The 4 verticals
>> http://www.beersltd.co.uk/view_product.php?code=MW000250 extend below
>> the threshold to a concrete step)
>>
>> So my question is, (about the cross halving joints at points
>> indicated by +) should the horizontal members be 'in front' of the
>> vertical members?
>
> I assume you're going to use a lap joint to join the verticals and
> horizontals (stiles and rails). In that case, the strength of the joint
> will be the same no matter which piece is in front. All the (fake) raised
> panel doors in my house have the stiles interrupted by the rails--the
> horizontal piece looks like it's in front.
>
> Draw it in SketchUp and see which way you like better.
>
> --
> Steve Bell
> New Life Home Improvement
> Arlington, TX
>

Thanks.
The reason I asked the question is that I want to replace the red hardwood
horizontal pieces with
some mahogany. I have some 60mm x 70mm section and I will join these to the
vertical
timbers I described in the original post. So if I cut the pieces so that
the mahog horizontals
are at front I would have to glue on more 25 - 30mm thick mahogany to the
backs of these rails
to bring them up to the same depth as the stiles.
Is this nuts or fair enough?

So all stiles will be the red hardwood sections I descibed in OP. All rails
will be mahogany and I plan
to paint the stiles and varnish the rails. I will be remodelling the ovolo
mouldings on the stiles, also.
Weird perhaps?

Arthur