I keep seeing folks skip the test fit on face frames and it's costing them time

Been noticing a bunch of guys in our shop and online just slapping face frames on without a dry run first. They measure the carcass, cut the rails and stiles, then glue and nail it straight on. Every single time someone does that, we end up with a gap somewhere, usually at the top or bottom corner. It happened to me about three years ago on a big kitchen job, and I had to spend an hour with a block plane and some filler to fix a 1/8 inch reveal that shouldn't have been there. The carcass is never perfectly square, even if it's just a hair off. Now I always clamp the whole frame in place, check it with a small square, and mark any high spots with a pencil before I commit. It adds maybe five minutes to the job and saves a huge headache later. Has anyone else made this a hard rule after getting burned?

2 comments

2 Comments

reeseanderson10d ago

Yeah that's a solid move. Started doing the same thing after a drawer front sat proud on a built-in. A quick clamp-up and a shim under the low corner saved the whole piece.

faith74110d agoTop Commenter

My first shim was a folded pizza box, which tells you everything about my skill level.