Raised Panels Tips

[joa]

Any of you cabinet makers have any tips on making raised panels? I would like to simulate a multi-piece panel but it looks like in order to do so you would have to either make several cuts with different bits or make a generic V type cut with a stepped bit. The latter doesn't look all that great since the outer edge of the cut isn't perpendicular like a "real" raised panel. Any other ideas for making these look good?

Oh, what type of wood do you normally use? Do you laminate and if so how do you join?

Thanks!

[kenfox@aros.net]

I buy router cut doors from several sources in the 25.00 range. Connestoga (Pennsylvania) has some of the more interesting designs. But figuring out how to do it would be fun. Almost all manufacturers us mdf (medium density fiberboard). One I buy from uses hdf (high density ~). By the way, I have used a door with a single 45 degree V pattern instead of the traditional "raised panel look". I chamfered the outside edge to match. The tricky part is that it has a square corner. By the way, that is the tricky part (and definately a higher quality look) on all routed doors. The plus is, when painted these doors don't expand and contract and break up the paint job like regular 5 piece doors. We do a lot of high gloss work and they look fantastic all polished up!

[John Forney]

Whiteside, a router bit mfg has a panel cutter and the bit that cuts the round over on the stile and rails.
On vector cad, I simply make an offset for the second pass for the round over. If anyone is interested, I'll check at my shop for whitesides number. They have an assortment of CNC bits.


John Forney

[John Forney]

Joa
Try this site. http://www.routerbits.com/cgi-routerbits/sr.cgi?935712311_28387+95 (http://www.routerbits.com/cgi-routerbits/sr.cgi?935712311_28387%2B95)

John

[John Forney]

Joa
That didn't take me any where. Try this.
http://www.routerbits.com/ and go to the whiteside
CNC section and then MDF doors.

John

[kenfox@aros.net]

Good link John. I don't understand your reference to offsetting the second pass. Are you referring to the corner treatment or are you widening out the routed area of the door? Do you have any ideas on squaring up the corners (I know some door builders grind a chisel that matches the router profile. But some do the corners via a second v bit - Ken

[joa]

Yaa, thats a great link. For the life of me though I couldn't find the section on MDF doors, looked all over the site. I even called Whiteside and asked them if they had any examples on the web. Nice folks but they didn't know too much about the site. I did order a catalog though.

From the little I've read and the things I've cut MDF is pretty hard on blades. Heats up in a hurry seems like. Have others found this too?

[kenfox@aros.net]

It is a bit hard on bits (not as bad as corian and other solid surfaces) - take it slow and don't bite off too much at a time. Better to make an extra pass or two and save the blade! We end up resharpening our bits after each set of kitchen doors. Carbide is a must.

[john.forney@acc-net.com]

Ken
Since the center of the tool changes for the stile and rail pass I need to offset the tool path for that cut. As far as the web page you can find it in the type menu under MDF doors or go from the CNC page (check the bottom).
Ritter manufacturing has a three hand router system that cuts an mdf door and at the Woodworking show in both Atlanta and the show in Anaheim another company displayed at their booth a square cutter holder that made the corner cut. Hard to describe but simple and expensive (somewhere around $500+). Ritter was in Antioch, Ca and the Sales Manager is Jon Elvrum. Big John is my old rep from Louis and Co and writes a column in trade mags about 32mm system. He would know about the cutter.

John Forney

[kenfox@aros.net]

John,
Was the square corner attachment on the cnc unit or was it a hand operated tool? How did it work? Wouldn't the ultimate be to have the router bit in the cnc do the job, or is that just wishful thinking? Ken

[john.forney@acc-net.com]

Ken
It was a hand held tool that needed to be the same as the profile on the door. Wishfull thinking is what gets new products to market, though I can rarely afford them.

John

[hcbwood]

When I cut an individual door on my table saw and they are just a plain slab, how do i then go about setting the door on the shopbot and holding it down without moving? How do i program my square, arc, or cathedral cuts? Also, how long would it take to rout a door about the size of 15'' x 29'' with an arc or cathedral cut and how difficult would it be to program the shopbot to do this?

I am now currently doing this with a porter cable 3 1/4 hp plunge router and many jigs. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[jkforney]

Hermes
Are you talking about routing a raised panel for a 5 piece door or are you talking about using a plunge panel bit and then going back over it with a bead bit to get a raised panel look on a flat slab door?

If you want a raised panel I don't know since I use a shaper for the panel after I cut the arc on my shopbot(rectangles are quicker on the saw). If you want a raise panel look on a flat panel (like the thermofoil doors) you need two bits. I can dig out the information on buying them tomorrow (I think I got mine from Whiteside) To program the cuts in Vector is easy, just basically a rectangle and an offset. Let me know what you want and I will try and help you further.

John

[rgengrave@aol.com]

Here is the site , look under mdf and you will see the bit for the job. I use them all the time

http://www.whitesiderouterbits.com/products.htm

Ron

[cmrtom]

I have been getting my cutter bits from

http://www.thermwood.com

they offer the Whiteside bits for less than I can buy them from Whiteside. I have been using the fiberglass cutting burr extensively for a couple of months now on melamine coated particle board. They run forever...... for $11.00

[kitman]

I LIKE INFORMATION ON IF ANY ONE IS CUTTING UP MDF TO SIZE THEN ROUTERINGOUT THE PARTS IN DOORS EITHER 1 OR 2 PASS, LIKE TO KNOW HOW LONG IT TAKES TO DO A 4X8 SHEET AVG AN WILL A SHOP BOT DO THIS TASK THANKS RICK

[rgengrave@aol.com]

I have done 100s of panels in solid oak but you might want to have a 5hp router to do it.

MDF can be done in 1 pass at a speed of 1.0 and you can do a 4x8 in 26 minutes "8 to 10 panels:

I get my raised panel bits from Whiteside
http://www.whitesiderouterbits.com/products.htm

email them for info.

There are many other bits being made everyday, others might know of a link but I stick to what works for me.

Ron V

[dont@netdoor.com]

Kitman,
SHOPBOT HAS A PROGRAM FOR MDF DOORS .IT IS CALLED SBDT.IT WILL ROUTE SQUARE OR ARCH DOORS IN ONE PASS.YOU CAN ALSO USE THE OFFSET FEATURE AND A SECOND BIT.I CUT MY DOORS ON A PANEL SAW AND THEN ROUTE THEM ON MY SHOPBOT.IT IS FASTER AND SAVES YOUR BIT.

[jerryk]

Where can you get the shopbot file? I have looked in the shopbot ftp site and the shopbot support site, neither list this site. Thanks for the help
Jerry

[dont@netdoor.com]

Jerryk,
When i bought my shopbot.I also bought this program for 75.00.you can ask Ted they may still offer it.I asked him a few month's back if he was going to write a program for the catheral top.He said he wanted to if he could fine the time.I bet they are some shopbotters that could look at this program and add the catheral top file real easy.

[rgengrave@aol.com]

Jerry you can make the files simple in Coreldraw, just draw a frame and add a arch or any shape you want to it then do a weld.

To make a 3d arch you will need a 3d program like Millwizard or a program to make the tool path, there might be a way to do it in Vector?

Ron V

[rkitman50@aol.com]

Looking for help in nj shore area need someone to help with setup an running Alpha door. Looking to make MDF DOORS just bought what looks like a solid program but need to shorting the learning curb, willing to pay for the help Rick