Face frame miters on angled front cabinets - Woodworking Talk

FirewoodMaker · 04-23-2009, 02:42 PM

Hi folks -

Right in the middle of a project and thought it was time to consult the pros.

I'm building a set of cabinets above and adjacent to my fireplace; backs flush against one wall.

The mantle section is 12" deep, the end cabinet is 24" deep for A/V equipment, which leaves one middle cabinet to transition between the two depths.

Went back and forth between making this middle cabinet with an angled front, or simply an 18" box. Ended up with an angled front, 12" deep on one side, 18" deep on the other.

The carcasses are all built with 1/2" MDF.

But now, what do I do about the face frames?

The rails will hit the stiles at about a 13 degree angle.

I think I can manage doing mitered butt joints, but I was worried about using pocket screws and popping out the front.

I thought about doing lap joints, but that doesn't seem feasible at an agle like that.

Given a mulligan, I think I would have cut that same 13 degree bevel on the front edges of the cabinet sides, so the rails and stiles would be square, but it's too late for that.

So, I'm open to any and all suggestions.
Please bail me out.

Thanks!
John

jraksdhs · 04-23-2009, 06:38 PM

Could you post some pictures to furtuer explain your problem? thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by FirewoodMaker

Hi folks -

Right in the middle of a project and thought it was time to consult the pros.

I'm building a set of cabinets above and adjacent to my fireplace; backs flush against one wall.

The mantle section is 12" deep, the end cabinet is 24" deep for A/V equipment, which leaves one middle cabinet to transition between the two depths.

Went back and forth between making this middle cabinet with an angled front, or simply an 18" box. Ended up with an angled front, 12" deep on one side, 18" deep on the other.

The carcasses are all built with 1/2" MDF.

But now, what do I do about the face frames?

The rails will hit the stiles at about a 13 degree angle.

I think I can manage doing mitered butt joints, but I was worried about using pocket screws and popping out the front.

I thought about doing lap joints, but that doesn't seem feasible at an agle like that.

Given a mulligan, I think I would have cut that same 13 degree bevel on the front edges of the cabinet sides, so the rails and stiles would be square, but it's too late for that.

So, I'm open to any and all suggestions.
Please bail me out.

Thanks!
John

stormking · 04-23-2009, 09:17 PM

just take pieces of your scrap, with same angles, of course, and keep trying different settings on the jig and the bit collar until you get one with the deepest bite without breaking through. I keep pieces of stock with different thicknesses with the settings written on them to refer to when working and make new ones to keep when I run into different situations...

FirewoodMaker · 04-23-2009, 09:24 PM

OK, hopefully this will help.
This is a top-down view of the cabinet, without the face frame.
The dashed lines are the edges of the shelf board.
Hope this helps.
Note that the angles are a bit exaggerated

, but I think you get the idea.

firehawkmph · 04-23-2009, 11:34 PM

Firewood,
I don't see why the pocket screws would be a problem at all. Looking at your diagram, make your faceframes and looking down at them, measure the thickness where they touch the inside edge of each sidewall of the cabinet. Should be just a bit heavier than 3/4" . The pocket screw holes would be going in the sides so they will be in the same orientation as if the cabinet were square. I would set the jig for 3/4" depth and if its a little thicker, shouldn't make a difference.
Mike Hawkins