I have built a few shaker style doors using plywood as the panel. My spouse would like some doors that have a “more solid” feel to them. My default plan is to glue up some solid wood (cherry or maple) into panels to use for the door panel. I have a couple of questions about this:
1) Some suggest these panels will warp and it might be better to use veneer on MDF for the door panel? I have no objections to MDF for door panels, but is the warping of solid wood panels something inevitable? What did cabinet makers do before MDF to solve the problem or did they?
2)I plan to raise the panel and insert it so the raised side is facing inward — the idea is to keep the front plain, but have as much heft in the panel as possible. Is this the standard way to do this or is there another way?
3) My previous doors have used a simple mortise and tenon structure with a groove for the panel. No coping etc…, but a simple look. If I want to add a rounded edge to the frame insides, should I buy a cope and stick router set or use some other method? (I do not have a shaper)
Thanks
JR
Replies
Hi JR.
Your question has a lot to it, mainly because there are so many ways to produce frame and panel doors and so many different tools and techniques to do it.
So to begin, I'm going to point you to the section on our site dedicated to Frame and Panel construction. There are 26 articles and videos on the subject that will each help in there own way.
Now for some spefic answers:
1. Veneered MDF (or even painted MDF) is perfectly acceptable, but it is not your only option. Solid-construction panels are commonly used in furniture making. In fact, a lot of furniture makers would do it no other way. Wood movement isn't much of a concern; in fact, the frame and panel was primarily invented to allow the inner panel to move without compromising the dimensions of the frame that it floats in.
2. What you describe is a fine way to design the panel. There are a few approaches. 1. If your stiles and rails are 3/4 in. thick, the panel could be 5/8 in. thick and positioned flush with the inside of the door and inset on the front of the door. Or they can be the same thickness and the panel can extand on the inside face. This can be accomplished by off-setting panel tongue while centering the groove on the frame.
3. A cope-and-stick bit set is the fastest and easiest method to dress up the frame inside, but again, there are other ways. One of the simplest solutions is to apply a round-over, or bead, as described in this video.
Let me know if I answered everything, and please post a follow up question if we can be of any more assistance.
Matt Berger
Fine Woodworking
Hello Matt,
Thanks for the reply. I leafed through my collection of FWW reading Frame and Panel articles before posting, so that helped some. And, the link to others I did not find while turning pages is helpful.My understanding is that frame and panel doors were designed to deal with wood movement ... so, when I received advice that I was just asking for trouble if I used solid panels, it was confusing. However, since at least some of the doors are going to be figured maple of some sort, it might be worthwhile to experiment with veneer and the mdf core.Thanks for the help!
John
The panel in a framed door serves no structural purpose, it just fills in the space between the frame pieces. A thick panel is much more likely to twist the frame if it warps and the added weight increases the stress on the hinges and joints.
Many Shaker doors were built with thin flat panels in the doors, just 1/4" to 5/16" thick, and this is how I build most of my doors. The doors are relatively light but perfectly adequate and in keeping with the Shaker approach to design.
An added advantage to this approach is that it will allow you to get more door panels out of figured stock since you can resaw a 1" thick board to get two, or possibly even three, matched panels.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
Thanks John ... another good reason to buy a new band saw.... I am going to proceed with solid flat panels, make them 5/16 or so thick so there is some substance to them and then insert them so the back is flush with the interior face frame ... I appreciate the help
John
John,
A simple flat panel is usually set into a centered groove in the door frame and the panel is set back from both the inside and outside faces of the frame. How do you plan to attach a thin panel so that it is flush with the interior face of the door?
John W.
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