Raised Panel doors with Pocket holes

[tim walker]

Can I make a RP door and use the Kreg system for joinery? Will plug the backside. Seems much easier than using all the fancy router bits. I have a RP maker bit (2 1/2"), and router bits to cut the grooves. Just not the curved part for teh rails and stiles.

Tim

[Dan Stuewe]

Not having curved parts for the rails and stiles is no problem at all. The Shakers have been doing it for a long time. When I've made doors like this (once), I cut the groove in the stile down the whole length, then in the rail as well. The trick is to have the rails be a bit longer than needed (2x the depth of the groove, to be exact) so a short tenon (stub tenon) can be machined out of the ends. The tenon will fit into the grove providing the glue surface and mechanical fit to hold the door together.

If you were to use pocket hole screws, you will need to plow stopped grooves in the stiles so they don't show on the top or bottom.

(I hope this helps, don't hesitate to ask for clarification if it doesn't.)

[Mike Goetzke]

You can make them with pocket holes but I think you will appreciate the fit/finish better using cope/stick profiled bits. I find most of my time goes into calcluating dimensions and raising the panel - both of which you will still need to do for pocket screws.

Mike

[tod evans]

i don`t think pocket screws are for doors......02 tod

[Bill Arnold]

For what it's worth, I agree with Tod. Pocket hole joinery has its place, but not on visible parts. Yeah, I know there are fillers made to cover the slots, etc., but I still think it looks cheap.

I built a cabinet a while back and made the doors in much the way Dan described. I used stop grooves on the stiles and haunch tenons on the top and bottom rails for a smoother appearance, but there's nothing wrong with running the grooves the full length.

Regards,

[tim walker]

Thanks all for your responses,
The application for these doors is to hide a wine cooler. For insulation efficiency, the doors need to be 1 3/4" thick. The rest of the cabinet is insulated on all sides wtih insulated glass doors on the bottom. The unit will cool to 55 F. I had thought about using pocket hole with a 3/4" RP door and then somehow attaching another 3/4" full piece behind it, that would cover any pocket holes. But that begs the question of how to attach addtional 3/4" piece. Glue is most likely not an option due to wood movement. Any suggestions? At this point, I could use decorative brass screws to connect the two?

Tim

[Bill Fields]

Tim: AHH--now you tell us!

My expereince with wood enclosed wine storage is that you can use conventional joinery for the door(s)--IF you are using the thick material you are proposing--AND--you use a 5/8-3/4" thick Styrofoam layer inside the door.

Considering the "ugly factor"--you should frame it with a wood---like cypress--or any that likes moisture, and you can paint the foam a nice dark color. Or, better yet, cover the foam with a sheet of Plexi.

Get a good thermometer to measure your results. Should be OK.

BILL

[tim walker]

Bill I have the frame built. It is basically 2x4 cypress. It has a cherry 1/4" ply by 1 1/2" styrofoam insulation, ;layer of moisture barrier, then will have another 1/4" cherry. The exterior face frame is 3/4" solid cherry. It will ahve two insulated glass doors that are about 5 ft tall and tehn it will ahve the RP doors. There will be a chilling unit installed that maintans 55F. It has a digital thermometer. This case is huge (it is 60" wide and 90" tall) It should hold close to 400 bottles of the good stuff. I plan to wet sand the cherry to a 1000 grit using watco natural oil. Have had good success with if for a grandfather clock.

Thanks again Bill.