Inside Shaker cabinet door

[John Lasher]

I am building some Shaker doors for my daughters kitchen. I am using 1/2" MDF for the panel. Poplar for the frame. Not sure how to address the inside of the panel.
If I do nothing there is a fine gap between the panel and the frame. When painted I think won't look right. I have tried a 45 deg bevel and a rounded relief but not happy with either. The panel and frame are flush in the back. What has anybody done with this situation? This is my first time making cabinets for painting. Have made lots with stain and varnish. I have considered taking the time and making the panel and frame so they butt, but that is very time consuming and still will probably have a line where they meet. Need suggestions.

[Gene Davis]

If the panel is going into a rebate on the back side, which seems to be the way you have described it, you are going to have to accept the look of the joint.

There are ways you could dress it, but hey, it's the back side of the door. Consider just living with it, or telling her to live with it.

Here is some advice on the next set of doors, though. T&G the panel and frame, finish the edges of the panel before assembly, and don't use poplar. Use soft maple, a much better species for painted work.

[John Lasher]

If the panel is going into a rebate on the back side, which seems to be the way you have described it, you are going to have to accept the look of the joint.

There are ways you could dress it, but hey, it's the back side of the door. Consider just living with it, or telling her to live with it.

Here is some advice on the next set of doors, though. T&G the panel and frame, finish the edges of the panel before assembly, and don't use poplar. Use soft maple, a much better species for painted work.

It is T&G and it isn't assembled yet just dry fit. I was advised to use 1/2 panel as some people told me a 1/4 panel would be too flimsy. I have put a tongue on the panel to fit in the groove in the frame. The back of the panel ends up being flush with the frame but I want to eliminate a crack between the panel and the frame. So I was suggesting beveling the panel. But I was wondering what other people have done in this situation.

[Lee Schierer]

Since you are using mdf and planning on painting, paint the edges of your panel or the entire panel before assembly. It will make the joint less noticeable.

[Wayne Lomman]

John, get back to you tonight. Cheers

[Gene Davis]

Here is the way Walzcraft builds them. I don't have the tooling to mill that "reverse cove" as they call it, and so just mill a rebate. Just widen yours so your reveal is 3/8" to 1/2" and soften that sharp edge with a little fine sandpaper.

[Jerry Miner]

What I have done in this situation (and am doing on a current project) is to rabbet the back of the panel to create a 1/4" channel between panel "field" and frame.

To me, this makes the gap look more deliberate, not something that you want to hide or make disappear. I have seen others create a similar gap with a small cove or bevel.

[Wayne Lomman]

John, in your situation the panel should be glued in all the way around. This being the case, you could assemble them with sufficient glue to take up the gap and sand it off later. If your glue is a variety that doesn't like being sanded, use car body filler after assembly instead.

In future, the way to do shaker doors is to groove the stiles and rails to the full thickness of the panel - 1/2 inch in your case. You make the groove a snug fit and since the panel is MDF, you glue it all the way around. You end up with a door that looks the same from both sides. I do a reasonably deep groove and machine matching tenons on the ends of the rails for the frame joints. The whole lot is done on the table saw. I was shown this method in about 1972 and have done them this way ever since. The only difference if the panel is solid timber is to only put a spot of glue in the centre top and bottom of the panel to allow for seasonal movement. Cheers

[Robert Engel]

I've seen inside panels with gaps before if using solid wood its actually necessary with a rebate.

With this in mind, I would accentuate the gap to maybe 1/8".

Then don't sweat it too much you're probably the only one who's going to worry about it.