Raised panel door

[Gregor1]

When building a raised panel door, and your stiles and rails are 3/4" thick, how thick should the panel itself be? When I run a test piece with 3/4" stock, making enough passes to get the edge of my panel, 1/4" thick, I end up with a lip on the face of the panel. Do I not have the correct router bit? Does the panel need to be less than 3/4" 

Thanks  Greg

[FS7]

There are a few ways to look at this.

The first is to use a raised panel bit with a backcutter. These are usually sold in matched sets, so aligning the bits themselves (for example, aligning the raised panel slot with the already cut rails and stiles) will align the resulting raised panel such that the front and back are flush with the rails and stiles (provided the stock is the same thickness).

Production shops use thinner panels.  You can see most kitchen cabinet doors with raised panels are flat on the back but flush with the door on the front. I don't know how they do this - you can either sand the entire door (I haven't done it, but I would imagine cross-grain scratches would be bad) or simply plane or sand down the panel once shaped to final thickness. The amount of material removed will depend on where the tenons are placed (if it's closer to the back, then the panel can be thicker). If you're using a backcutter, you would want the tenon to be roughly in the middle.

For my part, I don't mind the fronts of the panels being proud. So it's certainly acceptable (at least to me) to do that.

[rwe2156]

Typically the panel is the same thickness as the frame. Normally there is a lip or fillet on the panel, so what you're seeing is normal.

FS7 pretty much has is.

If you object to the fillet you lower the bit, you'll have to plow rabbets in the back to fit the groove.

In many commercial shops, they make the raised panel flush in order to run through a drum sander.

IMO if a raised panel isn't raised, it looks fake.

[Gregor1]

"The first is to use a raised panel bit with a backcutter."

I have never used a raised panel bit before, so I had to do some investigating. My bit does not have a back cutter. The bit I have I got from a friend. I guess I will have to cut the face of the panel, and then trim the back side to fit in the 1/4" groove, or whatever size groove I choose to make it. These are not actually doors, but rather front, back, top, and side panels for a small chest.

[Gregor1]

I think maybe this raised panel bit might be well past it's due date. Probably why my friend gave it away. I want to order a new raised panel set. I see them priced from $39 to $300. Can a $39 raised panel set really be any good? Can someone recommend a GOOD quality set for an amateur wood worker? It's not like I am in the business of making cabinets. Thanks Greg

[fredhargis]

The usual names all show here, that would be the more common you see. The best (IMHO) are the CMT Orange (not the Chinese bits), Freud, aand Whiteside. To me the Freud have an advantage with raised panels. Most of these bits have 2 cutting flutes, but the Freud bits have 2 extra "wing tips" and to me they seem to give a much smoother cut.

[BrentDH]

You don't necessarily need a backcutter.  You can accomplish the same thing with a dado blade or a rabbeting bit.  It also allows you the flexibility to raise the raised panel bit gradually for multiple passes.  Although now that I think about it I guess you could do multiple passes with a raised panel bit with a backcutter by adjusting the fence rather than the bit height.  I prefer a non-backcutter bit and use my dado blade to adjust the tongue to fit just as I want it to rather than relying on the spacing determined by the bit manufacturer between the back cutter and the raised panel cutter to determine the tongue thickness.

[Gregor1]

I ordered the  Freud 3 Piece Premier Adjustable Cabinet Bit Set (97-260), Multi, One Size.  Thank you.

Now I wish I could find a clamping style, self centering dowel jig, that actually self centers. The one I have sure doesn't.

[kurt18947]

I ordered the  Freud 3 Piece Premier Adjustable Cabinet Bit Set (97-260), Multi, One Size.  Thank you.

Now I wish I could find a clamping style, self centering dowel jig, that actually self centers. The one I have sure doesn't.

I think you'll be happy with that set. One neat trick that rail & stile cutter will do is to create tenons longer than 3/8". I've always thought that would be handy for larger doors. I couldn't understand how it worked until I saw a demo at a Woodcraft. That was pre-Youtube.Of course you still need a method to create a deeper mortise. There is a 3 part youtube video that demonstrates the use of your set. It's produced by Eagle America, I guess they sell Freud. They do skip over how to create the deeper mortise. I figured if I ever got this set I'd use a drill press and forstner bit to create the extra depth mortise. You could also use the router table with a spiral bit of the correct diameter and stops on the router table fence. It would be a blind operation but I imagine it would work.

[Gregor1]

My new raised panel bit cuts MUCH nicer than the bit that was given to me. I have the height adjusted perfectly, after a few tries, but I'm a little confused about one thing, This is an excerpt from the directions.

"Set the fence so that it is aligned with the bearing on the cutter"

My cutter has no bearing on it. The cutter I have that does not have a back cutter, does have a bearing. Without a bearing to ride on, how deep into the cutter should I cut?  The set came with an instructional dvd, but I cannot get it to play. Computers and I aren't exactly best friends.  Thanks  Greg