Need input on making a Mahognay cabinet door with compass rose

[Jay Jolliffe]

I have to make a stereo cabinet that will have sides that are Mahogany raised panels & the door will be the same. The person I'm making it for wants a oval compass rose inlay in the door. Should that be a problem? I made 19 raised panel doors from the same wood & they all have stayed flat & stable. Am I asking for trouble doing this as too wood movement. The door will be 20"x 36" with the inlay in the top half.....

[Mike Henderson]

You should have no problems with wood movement due to the inlay. I'd make the inlay out of veneer, then lay it on the raised panel - tape it down good. Then take a knife and trace the outline of the compass rose (you raise the tape where you're marking and then put it back down again, one side at a time). Make sure you mark the rose to show "UP" - this is so you put it back the same way you marked it. You may think the rose is symmetrical but it isn't. Use a small router to hog out the majority of the wood, making sure you always have support for your router so you stay the proper depth. Go just a small amount deeper than the veneer so you guarantee the veneer isn't proud of the raised panel. Then use a chisel to finish to the marked line. Glue in the rose - use a caul with waxed paper between the panel and the caul. When finished, use a card scraper to take everything down to the same level. Then lightly sand.

Mike

[Jay Jolliffe]

Thanks Mike