Can you make raised panels for cabinet doors on a table saw?
If so, how would each pass look?
thanks,
Joe
Can you make raised panels for cabinet doors on a table saw?
If so, how would each pass look?
thanks,
Joe
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Replies
Yes. I have not done, but did similar to make some decorative caps for some deck post.
Rather than try to describe it I will give links.
The first two links show flat raised panels. I have not read all of the detials, so they might have this. One early step is to start with the blade at 90 and the panels flat and make 4 cuts where the raised section ends (that is if the slope ends with a step). That will make the edge at 90.
http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip011116ws.html
http://www.newwoodworker.com/pnlrasjig.html
The next one are for making a cove cut.
http://home.austin.rr.com/sawduster/Raisedpanels/Raisedpanels.HTM
http://www.cabinetmaking.com/pages/raised_panel.htm
You might also look over on the FWW site and under the Online extras they might have an article reprint.
Sometimes all I need is to see an idea and it clicks. The cove articles were perfect, I'm going to try that.Thanks a lot.Joe
Bill, thanks for those two second pair of links. Lack of imagination on my part never considered anything beyond a straigh edge when making raised panels via the table saw, and even Norm on New Yankee Workshop only suggested as much. I'm going to have to try this method. While the feed might be slow, it surely saves some of us from having a dedicated router-table workstation.
Actually I had not though of those either.Google found them. I though that a couple of pictures would be better than me trying to describe it and come across those.
I do remember Norm making a full 3.5" cove molding on the table saw years ago. But it didn't kick in again to use it for raised panels until I saw the links above.
Actually, no. I missed that episode. :)
This is in the FHB 25th anniversary issue on the stands now, I believe.
Yes it's easily done. Set the fence for the distance you want from the edge of the panel ,about 1 5/8" or so. Set the blade for height,about 3/16" .First pass is against the grain.Turn 90° and cut with the grain,do all four sides. Set the blade angle ,I use 10°,set height 1/16" less than needed( 1 1/2").Now you need a way to hold the panel vertical while passing thru the blade. I use a tenon cutting jig. I noticed that Grizzly has them on sale for under $50.00.Mine is shop made.
The panel has to be dead square and flat. A good combination blade in the saw.
You have to clean up the saw marks when done. Start with 180 grit, do all four profiles.220 grit next, all four sides ,even if the long grain looks good. 320 grit, this will get most of the scratches out. Brush on mineral spirits, look for scratches. If you know how to use a cabinet scraper you can elimanate all the sanding except the 320 grit.I finish with 0000 steel wool, if you use steel wool ,make sure you get all of the dust off before finishing. The dust leaves little dots on the surface.
mike
I was actually able to follow the idea above for the cove cut. It worked great. The best part is that the panel is always flat on the table saw top. Just pressure straight down and you get a perfect cut. It's just going to take about 4-5 pass to get just what I'm looking for. I've attached a photo with two samples, one has about an inch and quarter cut and the other is about three quarters of an inch. I only had some scrap 1/2" solid stock laying around, but when I do this for the real doors, I'll probably use 5/8" solid stock.
Thanks for the recommendation to use the scraper, I'm going to give that a try. The sander breaks down the top edge too much. I was looking for a crisper break between the top and the cove.
Joe
O.K. Now for my turn. I'm trying to simulate a raised panel in a solid 3/4 mdf cabinet door. Maybe a router on an angled sled. Anyone out there have a clue?
Thanks,PT
Are you talking about taking a slab of MDF and giving it the appearance of a raised panel?
I've done it but I'd recomend buying them out, the dust is a real pain.
I made mine using jigs to hold the slab and guide the router. You can get bits that will simulate raised panels, I got mine from Whiteside.
Doug
Yes its a slab. the whole door is approx 28 x 17 and I'm trying to symulate already existing doors. My shop is the great outdoors so unless the squierrels (sic) start complaining dust is not an issue.
Thanks PaulT
Made 4 16"X49" F&P doors with 3/4" MDF panels the other day on the TS. The panels were radiused using a 1/2" core-box bit on the router table. Made the first cuts 1-1/2" on the saw fence with the blade up about 1/4." Used a clamp-on high fence to rip the excess off of all four sides. Raised the core-box bit a shade less than 1/4" and set the fence to knock off the sharp edge. A little sanding and prime and it works great. WB primer will raise the MDF on cut surfaces. Be sure and run your rails and stiles first so you can get the back rabbet cut before you finish the front.
Tom I'm actually trying to do them as a monolith. i.e. they will look like f& p but be one solid piece.. Thanks. PT
Sorry, I misunderstood the post. However, I don't like to make monolithic doors of MDF as the material has poor screw-holding power and is heavier than ply.
I cut a bunch of cove on the tablesaw a few weeks ago, and I wanted to suggest this tip- if you've got a moulding head cutter for your saw, flute cutters (round blades) will be able to remove more stock at once, and leave a cleaner surface. Mine required essentially no sanding when I was done, and I cut a 7/16" deep cove in one pass. pretty nifty.
zak
Zak,That's a cool idea.What size of cutters? (I assume 3 of them?)I also assume you used a fence on an angle as has been suggested above.Or did you stand the panels vertically?ThanksAlan
I think the cutters are an inch wide, and they have a 1" radius on the cutters that I used. So the cove radius starts out at 1" at 0 degrees, and gets up to about a 4" radius at 90 degrees, if I'm thinking straight. The fence at an angle thing is the same, panels (or crown moulding in my case) flat on the table. I was pleasantly suprised by how well it worked.
zak