Replies

1. 
   RW | Feb 27, 2003 03:25am | #1

   People do all sorts of different things. My two cents, dry fit everything so you KNOW you won't have to plane, and completely finish the raised panels before assembly. Then mask the panels off when you finish the stiles & rails. If you can, try to slip just a sliver of the masking in underneath the profile (between the stile or rail & the panel) to help avoid any errant lines, and press it into place with a flexible plastic putty knife for a good seal. If you're spraying lacquer, give it time to cure and invest in the higher quality masking designed for lacquers. Even blue tape will leave marks in a fresh lacquer finish.

   As to spraying dye for color, I see the issue. Batch to batch matching. You'll probably want to mix enough to do the whole thing and keep track of how many layers it took to get what you wanted. Also keep a recipie in case you estimate wrong and run out. Keep a test piece sprayed the same color as your panels next to you and keep checking (since you won't see the panels anymore).

   " To the noble mind / Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind" - Wm Shakespeare, Hamlet, III,i,100

1. 
   JayS | Feb 27, 2003 05:01am | #2

   Thanks for the comment.  If you plane during dry fitting, and then disassemble, I may not have fully understood, but why couldn't you spray each of the unassembled pieces separately, and then assemble, without masking anything?

   Jay

1. 
   RW | Feb 27, 2003 06:38am | #3

   You could if the finish and the glue liked each other. Not likely with PVA's, which pretty much need good clean bare dry wood to form their best bond. Test it. Put poly on two blocks of wood to seal them up. When it's dry, glue them together. You'll be able to break the bond with your bare hands. " To the noble mind / Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind" - Wm Shakespeare, Hamlet, III,i,100

2. 
   notDusty | Feb 27, 2003 07:19am | #4

        JAYST ,

      Maybe if you just stain the panels before assembly this will eliminate the unstained line showing if the panel shrinks .And by all means don't glue the panel in , they should be free to float. I agree with RW you for sure do not want to pre finish the frame before assembly.A pal of mine used to stain and seal all panels before assembly.                                      

               good luck

1. 
   JayS | Feb 27, 2003 07:26am | #5

   Thanks.  I wasn't thinking of applying finish, only aniline dye.  This chemically colors the wood, but should still le the glue permeate the pores and make a bond.  The only problem is what to do with the glue lines, as it extrudes from the joint with clamping. Scraping would take off some of the color from the frame.

   Jay

2. 
   JayS | Feb 27, 2003 07:28am | #6

   If I were to just stain the panels, I would then have to stain the frame after the panel is in the frame.  Then I would get into the problem of having to mask the panel, so as to not get overspray ( or over brushing) onto the panel, which would further darken spots or create a line.  Any other ideas?

   Jay

1. 
   notDusty | Feb 27, 2003 08:56am | #7

               JAYST ,

       Perhaps the shrinking panels you spoke of was caused from wood that was not of the proper dryness or for instance if they set next to a wood stove or furnace even perfectly dry stock will give you troubles.I stain all my doors and panels after they are assembled. I have honestly made thousands of doors over the last 25 years and can't remember the last time that happened. One thing I do is to apply the stain very liberally in the areas of where the panel meets the frame . This way the stain soaks in under the frame edge a ways and even if it shrinks there is no reference. also try to keep the solid wood panels centered in the frame . I generally make my panels a strong 1/8 " shy of the opening size. I also check to make sure no stain bleeds back out of the frame, and I merely wipe off any excess whithin an hour or so .

            I hope this helps               Dusty

1. 
   JayS | Feb 27, 2003 03:22pm | #8

   You are certainly reassuring, but I thought the whole principle of a frame and panel is to accommodate the expansion and contraction of the panel.  A panel made in winter should be at it's smallest and expand with summer humidity, and vice versa.  I'll try your method and let you know in a few months.  Hopefully the season now will act in my favor.  The panels I have have not been in proximity to steam heat, but have been in my shop for a month.  I don't have a moisture meter.

   Jay