Panel Doors

[Woodenskye (Bryan)]

Thread transferred from previous forum - Original Post by Coop

Original Post:

Guys, I’ve never made a typical raised panel door. I researched making them on the table saw and they all look like my center drawing with no space between the panel and the stiles/rails where they touch on the bevel side. To allow for expansion, it looks like there should be some clearance, top drawing. None are cut like the bottom drawing (and excuse the crudeness of the drawing), where the connection has no space but does allow for expansion. It appears to me that if cut like the top illustration, if the panel expanded, the stiles would split? I realize the amount of wood movement increases, the wider the board, so everything is relevant. I hope all of this makes sense? And hopefully the drawing is clear enough. Sure doesn’t look good from here. Sorry.   (See photo Below)

Follow Up Posts:

1)  I only made 1 raised panel door in my life and it wasn't a complete fail. I believe you need to back cut what will essentially be the back of the door. Go take a look at the Infinity tools or Sommerfeld tools website, they should have raised panel router bit sets, and will hopefully give images to clarify.

2)  ThanksBryan. That type of bit is what gave me question. The videos on ts cutting doesn’t allow for the back culling. Thus the question on the space allowed on the bevel or no space?

3)  If you use a raised panel bit in your router table, it will make a flat so that things come out more like your third image. I've done a few and have a few different Freud raised panel sets that work well.
If you go this route, just be sure to turn your router speed way down! Remember, the bigger the bit, the slower the speed.

If you don't have a raised panel set, I could probably send you one to test drive..

4)  Thanks Kev for the offer. After looking at the panel bit, I think I can just lay the board flat on my router table and use a straight cutting bit to make the last cut.

5)  Yep..  You can certainly create the flat you're looking for that way..
To be honest, I've often had this same question when watching Cremona do drawer bottoms.  He only bevels one side which leaves that odd angle into the groove.  I'm guessing there's just not enough wood movement to create any issues over time?

6)  Although movement does exist. We had new cabinets installed about 6-7 years ago and I wanted solid 3/4” wood flat panel doors so the raised portion was on the back side, all made of solid beechwood with the exception of the shelves and back panel. This year my wife got a wild hair and wanted them painted. The painter came in and sanded everything and caulked the lines between the panels and rails and stiles. Now that winter is here, a couple of the door panels have shrunk/withdrawn from the stiles and broken the paint lines. Hey, again thanks for the offer to loan me the panel bit set.

7)  Did he use the stretchy caulk or whatever it is called so when that does happen it will stretch instead of break .. or was it not the caulk lines that broke?

8  No, the caulk lines didn’t break but when the panel withdrew, the paint lines broke, if that makes sense?