Securing brace on a ledge and brace door

[Wilson joinery]

Hi everyone as the title suggests really, how do you secure the brace on a ledge and brace door. I’ll be making it a tight fit so it will need lightly tapping into place with a mallet. The front of the door will be simply boarded with lengths of redwood timber which will be nail gunned to the door rails but also into the brace. Will this be enough to keep it put?

Cheers
Pete

 

[Agent_zed]

I made a redwood ledged and braced door last year. I screwed the lengths to the rails and also the brace, from the inside so you can't see them from the outside. I put 1 screw in the centre of each rail and brace into the board, so each board can expand or contract as needed.

Seems to be a good solid door so far.

 

[John Brown]

I've made three. I did much the same thing - only one screw per board from the brace, and in line with the single screw per board from the ledges. On the Siberian larch shed doors I cut notches in the ledges for the braces, but I didn't bother in the cedar gate I made.

 

[TRITON]

birdsmouth joint ?
It would mean theres no need for screws.

What I see on many of these doors is the weight of the door acting on the brace is pushing against the stile, right at the mortise on the middle(and/or) bottom rail. But with the birdsmouth its pushing down into the rail, rather than sideways and against the stile.

 

[John Brown]

birdsmouth joint ?
It would mean theres no need for screws.

What I see on many of these doors is the weight of the door acting on the brace is pushing against the stile, right at the mortise on the middle(and/or) bottom rail. But with the birdsmouth its pushing down into the rail, rather than sideways and against the stile.

I guess you could call the "notches" a birdsmouth joint. I'd still want a screw/nail or two though.

 

[Wilson joinery]

I've made three. I did much the same thing - only one screw per board from the brace, and in line with the single screw per board from the ledges. On the Siberian larch shed doors I cut notches in the ledges for the braces, but I didn't bother in the cedar gate I made.

Thanks john

For my ignorance, why do you use only one screw per board? Did you put the screws in the rear like agent zed did? And why do you have to line the screws up in the rails and braces? Is that to allow for movement?

My door is going to be primed and glossed so guessing this is more if the wood is bare?

Cheers
Pete

 

[Wilson joinery]

birdsmouth joint ?
It would mean theres no need for screws.

What I see on many of these doors is the weight of the door acting on the brace is pushing against the stile, right at the mortise on the middle(and/or) bottom rail. But with the birdsmouth it’s pushing down into the rail, rather than sideways and against the stile.

Thanks triton, I’d never heard of a birds mouth joint so that’s something new for me to look in to

 

[John Brown]

Thanks john

For my ignorance, why do you use only one screw per board? Did you put the screws in the rear like agent zed did? And why do you have to line the screws up in the rails and braces? Is that to allow for movement?

My door is going to be primed and glossed so guessing this is more if the wood is bare?

Cheers
Pete

If the boards are tongue and groove, then I think you have to allow for expansion and contraction, so one nail or screw per board helps with this. But I'm not an expert, when I made my shed doors I watched a few videos to get the idea. They're still looking pretty good after 3 years.

 

[nickds1]

This us what I did for a big, heavy, wide cellar door... Didn't want the outside edge to ever drop...