raised panels

[Thomas R. Zack]

Would you use a single 12 in wide red oak kiln dried board for the raised panel in a frame and panel cupboard door?

[Gary Redden]

Only if it was quartersaw would I use it as is.


Gary

[Charles Goodnight]

here is a wood movement calculator
http://www.woodworkerssource.com/movement.php

Right now the humidity where I am is 65%. In the winter in doors it can get down to 10%. Thus, if you made it in my shop in the summer and put it in my house should expect your 12 inch flat sawn panel to move 0.45 inches and have a winter width of 11.55 inches.

That says to me you can do it, but make sure the frame is deep enough that you can allow for a good 1/2 inch of wood movement.

[Gilbert Vega]

I agree that quartersawn makes a big difference. I have raised panels made from quarter sawn red Oak that are over 21" wide with no problems after almost 5 years. Of course our humitity hovers around 90%.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

This has to be "adjusted" for the local climate I am sure. Where I live our total average annual moisture is 13". 3 inches less and we'd be a desert. I haven't had a problem so far but...right now our humidity is 15-20% during the day.

[Frank Drew]

Thomas,

Once I was confident the wood had been dried to match its intended future location, I'd definitely consider using a solid panel, if I liked how it looked. That's the point, after all: we usually choose one design over another based on appearance. Flat sawn looks very different from quarter sawn, and I usually prefer a well-selected flat sawn board (i.e. crown cut) for panels, most table tops, etc. Yes, you have to account for movement across the grain -- make the stile grooves deep enough, etc. -- but that's part of making furniture, understanding your material.

[Rod Sheridan]

Sure I would.

If it's nice looking I wouldn't hesitate to use it.

I live in Toronto, the maximum range of wood moisture content in my house is from 7 to 14%, which works out to about 1/4" total change in dimension for a flatsawn panel, about half that for quarter sawn.

Regards, Rod.

[Sean Hughto]

Absolutely. Without thinking twice about it. Here's a cherry panel that is nearly 11" counting the parts that ride in the stile gooves.

These rails and stiles are m&t. I think I used some space balls in the grooves. Been holding up well for a few years now.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3456/3249289560_5a6639f83b_z.jpg?zz=1

[dave toney]

Yes, I would use it.
If the humidity reaches the extremes of high and low that will give the 1/2" of movement indicated below then the cabinets will not be the only problem in the house.
Dave

[Thomas R. Zack]

Here in mid west Michigan there's plenty of variance in humidity between summer and winter and I'm sure there will be plenty of movement. I guess what I was actually worried about is the possibility of it cupping or is that not an issue seeings how it is encased in a groove?

[Sean Hughto]

Cupping would be bad, but properly choosen and prepared wood should not cup very much. If the wood has been properly dried, it has presumably done its significant cupping during that process, and hence when planed and jointed to final thickness will not cup very much as the humidity changes. There may be exceptions for some sorts of wood or particular sticks that come from high stress areas of the tree or whatnot that will swing to a significnat cup and back as the seasons change, but most properly dried and surfaced stock is gonna be fine.

[Mike Goetzke]

For my current kitchen project I had lumber wide enough to use one piece for my 30+ doors but my boss (wife) liked the segmented look better. This is my tiny above frig door:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/Projects/Kitchen/Cabinets/Doors/IMG_2081.jpg

[Thomas R. Zack]

Thanks all for the replies and info!

[Dan Hahr]

I used flat sawn red oak for 20+" doors with no problem at all. I live in humid FL. I built it in the humid outdoors in the summer and they may have shrunk an eighth of an inch overall inside. 5 years, no worries. 12" small door- less than 0 worries.
Dan

204327

[Jay Allen]

I would have to see it in person to believe that a 12" wide board would swell by 1/2" even if you left it in a bathtub full of water....

[Mike Hollingsworth]

I would have to see it in person to believe that a 12" wide board would swell by 1/2" even if you left it in a bathtub full of water....
I agree, just common sense.

[Dan Hahr]

Thought so too, so I did just that with an off cut of those doors. Left it in the rain for a couple of days. It bowed a lot but measured flat, it increased in width by less than a 1/4". Can't remember exactly, but those door panels are about 21" wide. The whole cabinet is 52" wide.

I think the wood expansion calculators and such are far fetched.

Just mount a steel rule to a wide board with an elongated hole at one end to keep track of wood movement. Unless your wood is dried to 0 %, just leave an 1/8 or so of space on each side and be done with it.

Dan