Making Shaker Style Doors

[MickCheese]

Hi, what do I

Mike

Are you OK?

Mick

 

[Charlie Woody]

John

Many thanks for your kind offer, but I think the profile won't give the effect that I want.

 

[Benchwayze]

John

Many thanks for your kind offer, but I think the profile won't give the effect that I want.

No problem Charlie.
Hope the job goes well.
Bester luck

John

 

[Lord Kitchener]

I think the veneered both sides MDF comes out at 7mm,

Veneered both sides 6mm mdf comes out at 6mm. I've been buying it and using it for years.


You can get it from Meyer Timber (used to be WT Edens) in Liskeard
http://www.meyertimber.com/locations.asp

 

[Alex]

Cut the groove with cutter you have, under size 4-6mm, then you just field the back of the panel to fit the groove. Rebate cutter or even a biscuit slot cutter works great.

 

[Chems]

You don't want to be rebating the edges of a veneered panel thou?

 

[xy mosian]

Hi XY
What make & part no cutter will you be using?

Hi Charley,
Sorry for the tardy response. I cannot remember where I bought my grooving cutter but it is very similar to Wealdon part T5618. The method is not mine but found on here. It relies on the fact that the mdf panel is not likely to move, hence it can be used as a structural piece of the door. The groover, used with a bearing, can either be used freehand or, as in this case, in a table. Of course any decoration of the rails will have to be a different operation, but for my domestic use, small number, this will not be a problem.

xy

 

[Alex]

Yip Chems no problem. If your veneer is prone to splintering/feathering score with cutting gauge first. Say you have a 12mm deep slot then rebate the back 10mm so pulls up to stile and disappears. Make sure the in fill panel is 100% square and you'll have square door. Simples. :wink: no 20 biscuit slot cutter in router table works great, with good hold down on fence.

 

[Chems]

I think you missed my point. I'm more getting at the fact that if the panel or the frame moves at all your going to be able to see the core MDF.

 

[Charlie Woody]

Hi Lord Kitchener

Just spoke to a helpful lady in Meyer Timber, Liskeard ..... she says that the veneered mdf can vary in thickness from batch to batch and even within batches! Sounds like I will have to buy the mdf and then order a router cutter to match.

 

[Lord Kitchener]

Hi Lord Kitchener

Just spoke to a helpful lady in Meyer Timber, Liskeard ..... she says that the veneered mdf can vary in thickness from batch to batch and even within batches! Sounds like I will have to buy the mdf and then order a router cutter to match.

I'd go ahead and get a 6mm slotter if I were you, that's what I use. Every now and then I've had to sand the edge to get the panel to enter the slot easily, but that's about it, and I've been buying it from them (and before them, WT Edens as they were before takeover). Keeping it dry will help it fit easier too, it does expand a bit when damp. I've never had any noticeably below 6.0mm, sometimes as much as 6.1, 6.2 even, but's that within sanding tolerance.

 

[Charlie Woody]

How do you joint the rail to the stile if you are using the slotter please? Do you form a "tenon" on the rail?

 

[Lord Kitchener]

How do you joint the rail to the stile if you are using the slotter please? Do you form a "tenon" on the rail?

I used to use the Wealden tongue and groove set, and use the tongue cutter to cut a tongue on the rail, and on the style just run the slot through to the end. Another time I used to slot the end of the rail too, and use a loose tongue cout from the panel material. Now I do a stopped slot in the style and use a Festool Domino to join the rail and style.

 

[Mark A]

I've just finished making a pair of shaker style doors for a built-in wardrobe which have been 4 months in the making :roll: (not my fault. Honest )

I used a cheap 6mm slot cutter I bought from Screwfix (this one) freehand in my router. I cut the stiles over-length and the rails the exact length (taking in account the width of the stiles), then cut grooves along the inside edges of both stiles and rails to accept the panel, and grooves in the ends of the rails as well. Then when it was dry assembled I cut splines made from the panel material which fit into the gap where the rails and stiles meet. Here's a quick sketch up diagram because I'm useless at explaining things

Hope this helps

Mark

EDIT: Herbert got there first!

 

[Charlie Woody]

I will be using oak veneered mdf for my panels. Not sure this would look right as the spline material as I think the mdf would be visible. What material did you use for the panels Mark?

That drawing and explanation is very helpful though.

Did that Screwfix cutter do a good job ..... nice clean cuts etc?

 

[Mark A]

I used regular 9mm MDF, so had to make 2 passes with the router. The cutter worked exceptionally well, considering that it was so cheap. I was going to buy a cutter from Wealdens but the cost would have been doubled as I would have had to buy the arbour separately. It has nice big chunks of tungsten carbide on it and cuts very clean in MDF. I haven't tried it in anything else yet though so I can't comment.

Hope this helps,

Mark

 

[Charlie Woody]

Hi Mark

So your rail & stiles were mdf, so the spline material would not have been an issue for you. Mind you thinking about it the tops and bottoms of the doors probably won't be seen so I could probably use your methodology for my oak stiles & rails with oak veneered mdf panels.

Hopefully the cutter will work in the oak.

 

[xy mosian]

Why not use Oak as the loose tongue?
Or stopped grooves at each side of the joint?
xy

 

[Charlie Woody]

Two good suggestions XY ...... I will have a play with each when I start this job. Thanks