Hi All,
A customer of mine has asked me to build 15 individual screen panels for an existing screen porch. The panels will be roughly 3′ wide by 4′ tall. I will be using mahogany to match the existing panel stops and sills. I would like to get some ideas of how to build the screen frames and how to secure the nylon screening to the frames. I had thought of half-lapping the corners, stapling the screen to the frame and brad nailing a 3/16th thick strip over the staples. The customer is set on wanting all wood, so that “screen-tite” product is not an option. Any ideas you folks may have (ie mitered corners and rubber spline covered with same type strip) would be greatly appreciated.
Thanx
dogman
Replies
I'm no expert but mortise and tenon joinery would likely be stronger. If you don't want to go through the trouble of making real M&T joints, try this http://www.beadlock.com/.
I've used the jig as well as using traditional M&T joinery and the Beadlock is pretty impressive. Used it on some screens for my dad built out of clear western red cedar and they are holding up beautifully. He wanted mitered corners for their look and the Deadlock was a breeze to use.
We cut a rabbet into the frames, stapled the screen and then cut a matching strip of cedar to cover the staples. The result was a very clean, solid look to the frames on the outside and the inside.
Just my non-professional two cents.
Better than a half lap and quicker than M&T, would be a bridal joint. Almost as easy to make on a table saw, too. Then cut a shallow rabbet w/groove for 'screen tite', cover with traditional screen molding.
Build your frames with an inside dado large enough to except a dark aluminum screen frame. Picture frame wrap around the aluminum screens. Hold the frame together with screws at the corners. Inset the wood frames and trim out appropriatly.
Now if a screen gets damaged you remove the frame, unscrew the frame apart and remove the aluminum screen. Take this back to the person that made them up and have them rescreened. Put it all back together. No additional nails, no broken screen mold. Perfect
or, you could table saw a spline grove in the wood to except the screen itself