Web Frame

Web Frame

Tom Sierszenski

-       Application to Cabinetmaking

Web frames provide internal structural support for large furniture such as dressers and desks, provide support for drawers and mounting points for drawer runners.

-          Any special tools or devices required?

The tools required can depend on the joinery method used, e.g. a router may be required for cutting dovetails and dados.

Example of a face frame

-          Are there many ways to go about it?

An alternative web frame design is called a Face Frame, where the frame also serves as the front face of the furniture to which doors are affixed and drawers slide into. There are also different ways the rails can be jointed. An internal frame or a face frame can also allow for additional aesthetic and design options in how doors, shelves and drawers are mounted.

-          How does it stand up to common stressors?

The frame is strong enough to support drawers and provide structural integrity to large cabinets or where the gables and panels can’t support the cabinet alone. Care must be given when joining to allow for wood movement.

-          Have you ever noticed this assembly method in a piece of furniture?

I notice it often inside cabinets, desks, counters and dressers, as well as in the form of face frames on furniture with doors and drawers.

-          What role did materials play in this method?

Gluing the frame to the gables directly can cause cracking if the grain direction of the frame rails runs perpendicular to the gable or panel it’s attached to, so it’s usually recommended to slide the frame into dados cut into the gables and only glue the front and back rails of the frame, leaving the side rails loose in the dados to allow for wood movement.