I'm planning on featuring simple raised panel drawer fronts and doors (as seen below) in my new kitchen cabinets. Given the design I feel I can save a lot of time and future movement by using MDF rather than gluing up boards for the panels. I'll make the rails and stiles out of Maple but the panels out of MDF. My question is how to best build the panels which I plan on being 3/4 thick.
Screen Shot 2015-11-22 at 1.00.57 PM.jpg
Option A: Use full thickness 3/4" MDF and then rabbet the front and back to achieve the edge that sits in the stiles and rails as well as the raised portion.
Screen Shot 2015-11-22 at 1.05.04 PM.png
Option B: Use 1/2" MDF, rabbet the backside to form the tenon edge and the glue a rectangle of 1/4" MDF onto the 1/2" panel to form the raised portion of the panel. My thoughts on this are that the profile of the raised panel will be sharper when cut on the table saw rather than with a router. Yes I could use the table saw to make the raised panel but then I have two cut surfaces to get paint to cover smoothly.
Screen Shot 2015-11-22 at 1.05.51 PM.png
Thanks in advance for your comments,
Stuart