Gluing up raised panels question

[Sean Rainaldi]

Hi,

When you folks glue up your boards to make them into raised panels, i.e. glue them up to the correct width with 2 or 3 smaller boards, do you use dowels, or biscuits or loose tenons? Or do you just plane down a nice square edge and glue them on end without dowels etc?

Thanks.

[Nate Carey]

...for cabinet doors - jointed edge to jointed edge, somewhat over-size to be trimmed later...

...match carefully if finished "bright"...

[Sean Rainaldi]

OK thanks. What do you mean by "finished bright"?

[Philip Rodriquez]

I just glue them. Biscuits are nice if you have alignment problems. However, they are not necessary for strength. In fact, I like to avoid them so I do not run the risk of accidentally exposing them.

[Sean Rainaldi]

Thanks. Forgot to ask, what is the widest I would want to make raised panels, before adding a third center stile in between panels? I'm doing hard maple rails, stiles and panels. Some of my panels need to be 30 inches wide, for the 14 and 20 inch deep pots and pan drawers...

[Nate Carey]

finished "bright"...nautical term (that's my orientation, sorry)...finished with stain and transparent top coat or top coat alone...

...a properly constructed 30" (or wider) panel should be no problem...

[tim young]

I true up each board so I have (4) square sides and and glue them up. Run em through the planer afterward. It is nice having a 20" planer. If I didn't have the planer, I would use biscuits to keep the board alignment tighter.

[Cody Colston]

Jointed edge to jointed edge only and slightly oversized on the dimensions. If I need help on the alignment, I use cauls, not biscuits.

[Rod Sheridan]

I found that biscuits decreased the flatness of my glued up panel, so I don't use them.

If your biscuit slot is just the smallest amount out of plane or depth, the panel doesn't come out flat.

When glueing them by hand, i gently snug the clamps, tap the boards into alignment with the side of my fist, and tighten the clamps up.

Afterwards all I need is a cabinet scraper, or for large panels I use a scraping plane.

It's amazing how sensitive your finger tip is for determining whether the boards are properly aligned with each other.

Regards, Rod.

[Frank Drew]

Sean,

The key point in Nate's advice is to match your pieces of wood carefully; with furniture elements under a clear finish, you're after a unified look, not just adding up random boards to arrive at a certain width. Fewer board better than more, and all from the same tree if possible, but at least matched as well as possible as to grain and color.

[Chip Lindley]

Good advice given to just BUTT the boards together and edge glue! Arrange the boards for a pleasing grain pattern.

Are we talking 30" Panels for cabinet doors? That's HUGE! Not sure how convenient or attractive a door that wide would be. Would be very heavy on *normal* cabinet hinges! (even 3) Personally I would build TWO doors that close together for an opening that wide.

30" Raised panels for exposed ends of cabinetry would be fine! But I would still break up the large panel with a center stile. It adds visual interest and saves having to deal with sanding a 30" panel *flat*.

[Steve Jenkins]

Thanks. Forgot to ask, what is the widest I would want to make raised panels, before adding a third center stile in between panels? I'm doing hard maple rails, stiles and panels. Some of my panels need to be 30 inches wide, for the 14 and 20 inch deep pots and pan drawers...

I would not make a single drawer front for the pots and pans drawer. I would make two short doors then fasten them to the drawer box. I have done that in both my kitchen remodels and it looks great. They are about 19" tall.

[glenn bradley]

I just butt mine and have yet to have a failure, even table tops under stress have had no problems.

[Steve Jenkins]

Look below the oven. That is my cutting board and cookie sheet drawer. One drawer. I couildn't figure out how to edit my previous post to add this thus the second reply.