Shaker door question

[will_joiner]

Got some shaker doors to make for a kitchen will be 22mm tulip frames with a 9mm mr mdf panel. What do people find the best way to fit panels? Is it best to fit them tight and glue or leave them dry? Or leave dry and expansion gap?
Will be painted.

Cheers

Will

 

[Peter Sefton]

I have made a few kitchens with doors like these including our own. I have grooved 15-18mm deep grooves 9mm wide and made the tenons the same depth (no mortices). Then cut the panels the to .5mm short of the overall tenoned rail length and glues them in all the way around.

This makes a quick but very strong construction, I have not had any movement issues.

Cheers Peter

 

[will_joiner]

That's great thanks Peter

 

[Stocksy27]

as above, I've always used adjustable groovers as the mdf varies so much, so get it that panel slips in nice, too tight and be hard to square up, then little glue, always MDF styles and rails were possible, Tulip styles and hinge side if its taking a butt hinge.

 

[MickCheese]

I found I needed to slightly taper the edges of the panel to fit standard grooves. As 6mm mdf was a little over 6mm.

Was easier than trying to match the grooves.

Mick

 

[RogerS]

After reading somewhere that you were supposed to let the panels move - ie not glued - I've got fed up of the stiles going out of true.
So now I glue.

 

[will_joiner]

yeah will be grooving with adjustable groover. Will go with glued panels, thanks for the advice chaps.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I'm making some myself at the mo for the sink corner of my workshop. I'll post some pics in due course. I'm using a combo rail-and-stile cutter in my RT, when the bottom half of the cutter does the sticking and the top section does the coping. I've only done a test cut so far, but the result is excellent.

All MRMDF, 22mm for the rails and stiles (which is the absolute max the cutter will do, there is no spare) and 6mm MRMDF panel. I shall glue the lot.

 

[doctor Bob]

I'm making some myself at the mo for the sink corner of my workshop. I'll post some pics in due course. I'm using a combo rail-and-stile cutter in my RT, when the bottom half of the cutter does the sticking and the top section does the coping. I've only done a test cut so far, but the result is excellent.

All MRMDF, 22mm for the rails and stiles (which is the absolute max the cutter will do, there is no spare) and 6mm MRMDF panel. I shall glue the lot.

If you buy the components seperately, 2 x 9mm cutters and an arbor from wealden you can do 25mm doors and a 9mm panel.

 

[SteveF]

I'm making some myself at the mo for the sink corner of my workshop. I'll post some pics in due course. I'm using a combo rail-and-stile cutter in my RT, when the bottom half of the cutter does the sticking and the top section does the coping. I've only done a test cut so far, but the result is excellent.

All MRMDF, 22mm for the rails and stiles (which is the absolute max the cutter will do, there is no spare) and 6mm MRMDF panel. I shall glue the lot.

If you buy the components seperately, 2 x 9mm cutters and an arbor from wealden you can do 25mm doors and a 9mm panel.

Sorry to bring up an old thread
why the need for 2 cutters if you are only cutting the 9mm groove?

Steve

 

[RobinBHM]

to form the tenon.........

 

[SteveF]

to form the tenon.........

of course..brain now engaged
or could you use a loose tenon?

Steve

 

[rafezetter]

to form the tenon.........

of course..brain now engaged
or could you use a loose tenon?

Steve

You could.... but why? Running the stile through the machine end to end you get the mortice for that tenon alongside the groove for the panel, otherwise you'd have to do a stopped groove for the panel (faff and introduces an error point) and then mess about making a loose tenon (more faff). More work than it's worth if it's being painted, or even if it's not as evidenced by the solid ash kitchen doors I've been working on recently (but not made by me).

 

[SteveF]

good point i guess

just need to get my router table built
make a sled and order some cutters

Steve