Panel raiser bit with a back cutter.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Do they work or are they more trouble than they are worth?

[George Bokros]

They work. I have two of them, one bevel front edge, one cove front edge. Both are Whiteside.

[Cary Falk]

I use a back cutter all the time. I make the panel the same thickness of the door.

[Darrell Bade]

That is all I use. No trouble, same steps with or without.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Thanks!
I pick one up for the project I have coming up.

[George Bokros]

Ditto on making the panel the same thickness as the door.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I have done it both ways. For large projects I prefer 1/2 lumber for the panels. It is nice not to have to remove any extra material with the shaper or router. It also requires less lumber. Unfortunately 1/2 inch lumber is not as available.

[Paul Haus]

Personally, I use a back cutter, but methods depend on whether you are using a router table or a shaper. I've seen people try cutting it in one pass while others have moved the fence on router tables. In my case I set the fence and shape from the bottom till the panel is almost to final shape, raising the cutter on each pass. When the final cut is at hand, I add on the back cutter and make that last cut. It may take a little extra work, but I get very good results. Just thoughts.

[Rick Potter]

Agree about the panel being the same size as the frame, but if you happen to use a slightly thicker/thinner panel, it is important to do all the routing with the parts face down, and the panel will be level with the front side. I usually put a round over on the door after glue up, and you definitely do not want the panel to be above the face of the rails/stiles. DAMHIKT