Raised panel thickness

[Warren Lake]

If you are using cope and stick cutter sets you are fairly locked in by your profile, There is some jazz by how much you raise or lower it but you are changing the profile some amount doing so. If you have a cutter set you want already then next step is your material thickness. Thicker will give you more control of what you are doing. I think Jared posted he uses 1" material. He will have more flexibility to do what he wants than you with thinner material. Jared so you are starting with 5/4 stock?

[Steve Demuth]

That would be great. I just was assuming it was centered, but that doesn't sound like a safe assumption.

As others have said, it depends entirely on your rail and stile profile. If you're using a router bit set for that, it'll be pretty obvious what depth the profile requires. If you're doing this entirely on the table saw (so you've either got no profile at all on the frame, or it's a simple Shaker bevel, then it's pretty much up to you. You could go with a centered 1/4" groove, and 1/2" mdf for the panel. I've certainly built cabinet doors with a symmetric groove. But i'd do a test panel first, because you might find that 1/4" doesn't give you enough back bevel on the panel to achieve the look you want.

[Jim Becker]

That makes sense, but I thought I was locked into the groove location by the stile bit. If I move it, won't it also change the profile?

Ah...the cope and stick makes for a more difficult situation to customize if it's a fixed configuration. As has been noted, you pretty much get what the "set" is designed to do. But that drawing of what your set produces appears to provide a panel flush with the rails and stiles unless I'm "mis-seeing" it...

[Greg Quenneville]

I have made lots of frame and panel wainscoting and think 3/4” frame members are too thin for doors. If you look at your drawing and imagine 1/8” less material behind the groove you will see the problem. On my (Infinity ogee) set a pleasing depth of cut leaves barely 1/16” of material on the back of the groove.

The fixed wall feature frame and panel I have done has been 3/4” frame material and 5/8” mdf panel which ends up flush.

[Nick Lazz]

If anyone has mentioned this yet, forgive me... but you can use a rabbet instead of a dado... I do that quite a bit on drawer fronts.

[Jared Sankovich]

If you are using cope and stick cutter sets you are fairly locked in by your profile, There is some jazz by how much you raise or lower it but you are changing the profile some amount doing so. If you have a cutter set you want already then next step is your material thickness. Thicker will give you more control of what you are doing. I think Jared posted he uses 1" material. He will have more flexibility to do what he wants than you with thinner material. Jared so you are starting with 5/4 stock?

Typically I can net 1" of thickness from 4/4 lumber, in the widths needed for face frames and doors. I usually only go to 5/4 if I'm doing a 1.125-1.155" thick door.

[Jared Sankovich]

That makes sense, but I thought I was locked into the groove location by the stile bit. If I move it, won't it also change the profile?

What does the profile look like? There is usually some leeway in the height.

[Warren Lake]

thanks, not possible with our 4/4 last time I asked they said some mills still cutting thicker. No way to make 1" doors out of the stuff we get, some rough is just over 1". What thickness is your rough. More leeway on face frame material as its glued in place.

[John Gornall]

I have a 3 piece router set - rail and style bits and a panel raising bit with back cutter. Small set designed to make 1/2 inch doors with all parts flush front and back. Can't remember brand name, had it for many years, it is red and came in a fitted box. I used it to make boxes with frame and panel sides as well as lid. I bet one of the bit companies still makes these.

[John Gornall]

Here's one -

CMT 800.518.11 3-Piece Junior Raised Panel Set

[Mel Fulks]

I would not see any need to match doors across the room. You will probably have closets in there and maybe a bathroom , you gonna put
labels on all the doors ? Doors to closets should be narrow or sliding, to signal they are not a bathroom.