Raised panel question

[Jeff Monson]

What are most of you using for the raised panel on your doors? My last kitchen project I used 3/4" material and a raised panel bit with a backcutter. I'm about to start making a few more doors and have recently aquired a drum sander . I'd sure like to run my glueup center panels through it before routing, but that will leave me short of 3/4".

So am I better off using a 5/8" center panel and get rid of my backcutter?? What thickness center panel do you recemmond??

[Jay Brewer]

Hi Jeff, running your panels through the sander shouldn't change anything. Just run less of a backcut on them, the amount you sander off. I have always liked running the backcutter and RP profile together. This keeps your tounge thickness the same if you have some variances in your panel thickness.

Also think about building your doors out of 13/16 material, if its available. This will give you more room for sanding the panels and the completed door, and end up with a finished door thats 3/4".

Hope this helps.

[Peter Quinn]

I'd second what Jay said. As long as the tongue on your panel fits nicely in the groove in your door parts, no problem. If the panels are glued up pretty close with cauls, the few thousands taken off by a drum sander will be of little consequence. I too would run any variance to the back side, keep the show face looking the same. I like to separate the panel profile from the back cut personally, though I am doing it on a shaper and running everything from above the stock.

[Jeff Monson]

Wish I had a shaper, cutting above the stock would be nice, more uniform I would imagine.

I see most of the cabinets doors at the borg stores and kitchen centers, that raised panel has no backcut, are they using a 5/8 stock?

[Anthony Anderson]

If you are buying skip planed stock, like Jay said, just plane it to the desired final panel thickness + 1/32", to allow for sanding to flatten the surface of the glued up panel. BTW, most of those raised panels in the BORGs are made from some sort of fiberboard, and then veneered (not plastic laminate) with a real wood veneer. But I think those are 5/8" panels. If you are using 3/4 stock that you buy from the store, there would be nothing wrong with sanding (plane a 1/16" off first) your panels to 5/8" and not using a backcutter. I prefer the extra heft of the 3/4" solid panel door. IMO, it makes the door feel more substantial.

Bill

[Glen Butler]

I plane my doors part to 13/16". Then I run the profiles and completely assemble the doors before running them through the sander. The extra thickness allows plenty to sand off and assembling them first ensures the panel is perfectly flush with the frame.

[Steve Rowe]

I use 5/8" panels with no backcutter. It is easier to sand the backs that way.
Steve

[Chuck Isaacson]

I plane my doors part to 13/16". Then I run the profiles and completely assemble the doors before running them through the sander. The extra thickness allows plenty to sand off and assembling them first ensures the panel is perfectly flush with the frame.

Now when you do this, do you have the rails on? Do you just fix the cross grain afterwards?

[Jerry Olexa]

Agree w/ what Jay and Peter said....Should not impact your project..Run a test panel scrap first to check....

[Glen Butler]

Now when you do this, do you have the rails on? Do you just fix the cross grain afterwards?

Yes. The doors are completely assembled and then run through a wide belt sander up to 180 grit. Some quick ROS time cleans up the rails. Every door manufacturer I know of does it this way also. I don't have a wide belt sander so I take them to a shop that does. I know a drum cannot "plane" like a wide belt does but you should be able to get a comparable finish.

[J.R. Rutter]

I build doors to finish out at 13/16" with raised panels at just over 5/8 thick. I use the straightest flattest stock for the rails and stiles, and use the rest for panels. You can joint and plane the panel stock and get good flat panels. We run cutters above the shaper table for consistent edge thickness. The backs are easy to sand before assembly.