Beginner questions on making panels

[Roger Marty]

I'm making my first frame-and-panel piece of furniture (a dresser) after making a couple solid carcass pieces.

I have 4/4 curly maple stock that I'd like to use as a panel material.

Some beginner questions on panels:

1) Any guidelines on thickness? I was thinking something like 0.5"? I don't care for the raised panel look but I also want a solid piece of furniture.

2) 0.5" is probably too narrow to use biscuits to align the panels during glue-up. Are cauls my best bet?

3) 0.5" from 4/4 stock means I'll probably have to plane away half of it.

I suspect I'll get the suggestion of resawing thin veneers glued over plywood. If that's truly the best option for a fine piece of furniture, I'll consider it. But I'm going for traditional on this piece (no metal drawer slides!)

[Mike Cutler]

Roger

There are many great books available of frame and panel construction. It might be worth the investment for you.
You would be stunned at just how strong a 1/2" thick hardwood panel can be. You have a lot of "fat" there.


I'm making my first frame-and-panel piece of furniture (a dresser) after making a couple solid carcass pieces.

I have 4/4 curly maple stock that I'd like to use as a panel material.

Some beginner questions on panels:

1) Any guidelines on thickness? I was thinking something like 0.5"? I don't care for the raised panel look but I also want a solid piece of furniture.

What is the thickness of the frame? If you're not looking to build a raised frame panel, than the thickness of your frame material will have a lot to do with how thick your panel is. Your design could also lend itself to ussing full thickness panels. If you won't see both sides of the panel, then you could have the extra thickness hidden.

2) 0.5" is probably too narrow to use biscuits to align the panels during glue-up. Are cauls my best bet?

Biscuits will work in 1/2" material. I don't like them, but they will work. You could also do a tongue and groove joint to help with alignment. You'll need some type of cauls regardless of how you align the panels for gluing. The Cauls will keep the panel flat while the glue is setting.

3) 0.5" from 4/4 stock means I'll probably have to plane away half of it.

1/2" for 4/4 means you'll be planing off 1/4" if it's not rough cut. Do your glue ups with the full thickness of the material if at all possible and then plane to final dimension.

I suspect I'll get the suggestion of resawing thin veneers glued over plywood. If that's truly the best option for a fine piece of furniture, I'll consider it. But I'm going for traditional on this piece (no metal drawer slides!)

This is a tried and true method simply because of stability of the panel over time. It's not necessary as long as you ensure that your panels have room to expand and contract inside the frames with changes in humidity.
Typically panels only have a small spot of glue in the center of the bottom and top rail, if any at all, and then they are free to move. The glue is applied on the butt edges of the panels no matter what, if glue is used. Space balls are used to stop the panels from rattling.
No matter what you do, do not completely glue a panel inside a frame. It's a tried and true recipe for failure, virtually guaranteed. You also need to pre-finish your panels prior to assembly, so that as they expand and contract you won't get unfinished lines showing.

[Cary Falk]

1) Any guidelines on thickness? I was thinking something like 0.5"? I don't care for the raised panel look but I also want a solid piece of furniture.

If I am going to have the raised panel exposed, I will make the panel the full thickness of the frame and use a back cutter. If you want the flat panel look then make it 1/2" and us a backcutter ot the table saw to recess the back side where it sits in the frame

2) 0.5" is probably too narrow to use biscuits to align the panels during glue-up. Are cauls my best bet?

I wouldn't use biscuits or dowels in a raised panel.. I have more than once cut into one. If you don't have any cauls then glue 2 boards together at a time to get them to align perfectly.

3) 0.5" from 4/4 stock means I'll probably have to plane away half of it.

Depends where you get the 4/4. If it is S2S, S3S, S4S then it is only 3/4" to begin with and you are only wasting 1/4 of it. :)


I f you use plywood then you can glue the panels in place. which would be even more solid. I think people get too hung up on "traditional". If you want the look , Great. If you really want traditional then I say you have to put away the powertools. I hate wood slides.

[pat warner]

Indeed, a (wood/glueup) panel in a frame won't add much integrity to the carcass.
But it will keep the dust out.
Pinned on its centerline (top & bottom), will keep it centered.
Need more strength? Add a stout muntin and use 2 panels/frame.

[Lee Schierer]

When edge gluing boards of any thickness, there is no need to use biscuits. Biscuits may aid in alignment, but they do not add strength to edge glued joints. As others have noted you have to be careful with biscuit location so you don't cut into them in later operations. For flat panel doors, I use 1/2" thickness with a back cut to fit into a 1/4" groove.

[Jim Becker]

Yup... 1/2" thickness and back cut to slip into a 1/4" groove.

[Robin Frierson]

I would resaw them and make them 3/8, even 5/16, if your making flat panels, shaker style. Hate to see you waste half your boards to plane to 1/2. The thinner panels can bend some in case you get some warp. Just glue them up, I have never seen the need for bisquits or dominos to glueup panels. Just make sure they lay flat on the clamps and if necessary use C clamps on the edges where the boards joint.

[John Lankers]

As already mentioned, forget the bisquits, cauls are much better.
If you do decide to resaw, be aware that there is a possibility of the boards starting to warp. I would weigh the boards down after resawing for several days before further processing to keep them as flat as possible.
Also, I don't know how wide your boards are or how wide the glued up panels are going to be. If it works out to 2 boards per panel try to bookmatch them, the result could be an incredible looking panel.

[glenn bradley]

How large a panel are we talking about? I have used 3/8" panels up to 10" wide with no sense of being flimsy. Use space balls or dollops of silicone rubber to center the panels and they will feel tight as a drum and still be able to expand/contract with the seasons. That being said I feel better with 1/2" material rabbeted at the rear as mentioned to set into the rail/stile grooves.

Even if your 4/4 mills down to about 3/4" I would still resaw the bulk of the waste off. I find this 1/8" to 3/16" material handy for scroll saw work or panels on small items. If you don't have a use for them, find a scroll saw club in your area and drop it off there. It beats having it just go to spoil and you'll build some fellowship.

[David Eisenhauer]

Double up on what Glenn said - 3/8" panels are very stiff/strong and most definitely need to clamp your resulting panels down to a flat surface after cutting/planning the panels and before capturing them in the frame. If not, it will be your turn to learn the lesson. I run a cauls across my panel(s) stacked up on my bench and clamp the cauls down until I( am ready to trim to final size and insert in the frame.

[Brian Holcombe]

I would resaw and whatever they end up at is likely strong enough. The panel helps the frame against sheer forces, but even 1/4" or 5/16" is fine though I would aim for 3/8". Normally I would start with 5/4 stock to resaw and get 3/8. Resawing flat sawn wood usually requires a second flattening, so I like to leave a little.

Thin panels are easily manipulated by the frame, where heavy panels will influence the frame and not usually in a good way.

[Wayne Cannon]

If you don't want raised panels, you still don't have to "waste away" the additional panel thickness. If it works for your design, put the excess panel thickness on the back using a simple rabbet to clear the frame. The thickness gives the doors a nice solid feel.