I am wrapping up a bedroom remodel and have yet to build the passage and two
closet doors. I am building rather than buying because I would like them to
match the rest of the (1860 vintage) house.
These are four (flat) panel doors with a simple shaker-like bevel
surrounding each panel. The center and lower rails are about 8-inches wide.
The center rail meets the stiles with a twin through tennon rather than a
single tennon.
I have always designed wide rails with a single tennon, pinned in the center
with unglued "stubs" that sit in the panel groove to mitigate any potential
cup or twist.
While I suspect that the wider stance of twin tennons would do a better job
of controlling overall wracking of the door frame, I would think that the
crossgrain implications would not fare much better than a single full width
tennon. That is, shrinkage could cause the center rail to split.
Is there some other compelling reason to use a twin-tennon design? And does
the availability of modern glues change what makes sense today vs. the
original design?
Segue into question 2: Should I avoid regular yellow glue because of
"creep"? The door, being constructed of ash will be fairly heavy and enjoy
significant racking forces from gravity. The through tennons will be pinned,
so perhaps it just doesn't matter.
Thanks,
Steve
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