Cabinet door questions

[Mark Rios]

The doors are inset panel doors. How long should I let the glue dry after gluing up the rails and stiles before taking the clamps off?

It just hit me that four hours of drying time x 20 doors divided by the number of door set clamps (2 K-body sets) I have equals a very long time.

On cope and stick doors, do I need to use four clamps? It seems that two would work since the rails are squeezed between the stiles. Am I missing something?

Also, on Freuds rail and stile bit set, do I use the standard router speed for the diameter of these bits? Or should I use a faster or slower speed for some reason?

(Finally I can see the end of this job. SMC bonus coming soon!)


Edit: Oak frame with mdf core 1/4" panel.

Thanks very much for your advice.

[Tom Jones III]

I let most things dry 1 hour before doing light work on them. If this was a rare piece of figured wood I'd let it dry a long time. I commonly use titebond or similar yellow glue.

About clamps, I use the smallest number with the least amount of pressure required to hold it tightly together. When I've tried to use as many clamps with as much pressure as books and articles have suggested something always gets out of whack.

[Lee Schierer]

For yellow carpenter glue, I would say 1-2 hours should be sufficient. I would still handle the panel with care until the glue had more time to cure completely.

[Mark Rios]

Thanks very much. Yes, TB II glue. How long after glue-up till I could rout a finger pull door lip edge?

[Jamie Buxton]

If your joints fit well, PVA starts to set pretty quickly. You may be able to take the clamps off in a half-hour. The glue won't be cured, but it will hold the door together while it does cure. One thing to be careful about is to stack the doors flat while they complete curing. It is easy to warp doors in the gluing stage, and there is very little way to fix it.

I'd probably be gluing doors on my bench, and stacking them flat on my tablesaw. After they cure overnight, I'd be willing to handle them more roughly -- for instance, mill finger pulls and hinges.

[Lars Thomas]

This is easy, I'll just come right out and say it. You need more clamps.

By the way, two per door are fine.

[Brent Harral]

I'll throw in my vote of 1/2 hour of clamping, and two clamps. In a pinch, I've even drum sanded after 6 hours of cure time If you have the time, always best to wait "overnight" before rough handling.

[Shelley Bolster]

You need more CLAMPS!


Really...Mark.... but seeing at the moment you are working without - I would say 1 hour of clamping time. I have never done this - just kinda thinking and typing at the same time, but what do you guys think about that cling wrap stuff that is often used for bundling items. I wonder if after removing the clamps one could wrap a couple of layers around joint so if by chance it does want to creep apart - might aid in preventing it?

[Tom Jones III]

For reference, I glued up an 11" panel from walnut 7/8" thick last night from two pieces. After 50' in the clamps I sent it through the power planer and brought the panel down to 3/4".

[Don Baer]

. After 50' in the clamps I sent it through the power planer and brought the panel down to 3/4".

wow that a big clamp..

[Joe Chritz]

There was a wood article a while back that tested breaking strength on glue joints made with a variety of glues.

I don't have the article in front of me but I take all my stuff out of clamps in 1/2 and set them aside to finish drying. I often hit the on the ROS after a couple hours but still prefer to do any real machining the next day.

I rarely ever use more than two clamps unless the door has a center style or rail that needs to be tighter.

More clamps doesn't hurt either.

Joe

[Bobby Hatfield]

Mark, I have made thousands of doors, use yellow glue brushed on both surfaces of the joint, clamp and shoot two 5/8" brads into the back of each corner joint and take the door out of the clamps, wash the glue off the outside of the joint and place it into the rack to dry until I finish the batch before sanding. I have never had a door come apart or opening of the joint from lack of clamping time. The next one may fall apart but so far so good. Bobby

[John Keane]

It's all in the brads!

[Steve Clardy]

I use titebond original.
Assemble, brad the back with 23 gauge, sit for 10-15 minutes.
I usually do six doors, then pull the clamps from the first door, do another door, etc etc.
Standard router speed if fine with cope and stick bits.

[Charles McCracken]

Also, on Freuds rail and stile bit set, do I use the standard router speed for the diameter of these bits? Or should I use a faster or slower speed for some reason?

I recommend no more than 16,000 RPM for the rail and stile bits.