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Joining for extra width

4K views 23 replies 10 participants last post by  rmark 
#1 ·
I need a piece of solid oak 25” wide X 25” tall. and all I can get is 11 1/4” wide stock. What is the best way to join 3 pieces together? All I have is an electric hand planer and a sander to get it smooth once it’s glued together.

Thanks,

The In House Novice.
 
#2 ·
I’m thinking this is a relatively easy project. My thoughts are to make sure the edges are nice and square, apply glue to both edges, clamp together and let sit for a few hours.

What I don’t know would be any little details that an avg person would miss. What would be some of the tricks that only the experts know?
 
#4 ·
Mark; you should seriously consider also using 'cauls' to keep the boards in perfect alignment thickness wise.
It doesn't have to be fancy some 2x2 framing lumber top and bottom across the width...wax-paper between the panel and the cauls to stop them from accidentally getting glued...and them clamp at both ends. Maybe a minimum of two sets on at each end of your panel, but three sets would be better (one set in the middle).
https://www.finewoodworking.com/2011/03/08/clamping-cauls-the-secret-to-great-glue-ups
Shop Made Cauls
 
#5 · (Edited)
I wouldn't touch the edges unless you have to. The planer should have planed them square. Cut 3 pieces out of your stock and take the middle piece and flip it over to the other side to alternate grain direction. If the edges are slightly off square that should also compensate for the error. At 8 or 9 inches wide per piece there is still a good chance that the individual sections could warp individually. I was always told to laminate narrow boards together for this reason. Using a slot cutter on a router and grooving the edges for splines would help with alignment but so will cauls like Dan suggested.

If only one side is going to show then I would cut grooves in the back on the table saw about 1/3 the thickness deep and about 1 to 1 1/4" inches apart. That relieves the grain stress and helps keep the panel flat.
 
#7 ·
It's pretty easy to use a router with a split fence to plane material. You put a bit of thick material between the outfeed fence and line a tall bit up with the outfeed fence. Press the wood forward across the bit and it will pick up at the slightly raised side. Shift your pressure against the fence once the workpiece starts on the outfeed side.

For the middle piece, flatten one side, then run that flat side against your table saw fence and trim the second edge. If you don't have a Wixey digital angle finder, be sure you get one so your blade is exactly 90 degrees to the table. Pix below.

I agree on using a spline to attach them. But make certain all three pieces are face down when you cut the spline. That will greatly increase the likelihood the top will be flat.

If the edges are not straight once assembled, you might consider using a straight edge and a circular saw to cut one edge very straight, then flush that against your fence to cut the other side. Or you can use the circular saw on both edges if your table saw isn't wide enough.

Note that spline material should run cross grain to the long boards, so you are likely to have to piece it all together. I would buy a slot cutter the width of the thickness of 1/4 ply and use the ply for a spline.

Hope this helps. I found a video on using the router as a jointer. Pretty simple. Some people use playing cards as spacers, but you can also find 1/16 inch thick spacers used to level drywall. I use padding material backing called chip board, same stuff as on the back of tablets.

 
#8 · (Edited)
hand router method... always done from the face side...
Baltic Birch makes for a most excellent spline...
the slot cutter...
additional bearings in an array of different diameters for a wider range of cut depths are available...



the helix trim bit...these do come in in top or bottom and dual bearings
note the cutters angle...



.
 

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#11 ·
Let's start at your tools...if you really only have an electric hand planer and a sander, you're in "deep dark doodoo-cacka" :grin:

All the suggestions you've gotten call for table saw or router and splines/no splines, etc...

What other tools do you have that we could give you some ideas more suited to your inventory...?
 
#13 ·
Then what you really need from this wacky group is helping you spend some money on more tools...:lol::lol::lol:
 
#14 ·
Just gluing works best if the pieces are the same thickness and very flat on the face side. This is what hand planes were for in the old days and a mechanical planer is for today. Once you get a planer, the world opens up to more interesting and demanding projects. The Jointer is the killer machine for flattening stock, but it can bust a budget.

Don't sell those hand planes short. hand planes are actually a bit addicting after you learn to use them. All those exquisite chests and tables and desks, and even the trim displayed in museums were made with hand planes. I have several Wind River III planes. a #6 which is almost 2 feet long, for leveling broad surfaces, a #4 which is a general purpose plane (Wish I'd gotten a $4 1/2), and a number of other specialty planes. Just a heads up on some other options.

As Stick suggested, we're always happy to help you get new tools, using your money, of course. :wink:
 
#17 ·
Joining three solid wood boards together side by side to make a door doesn't usually end well, unless the wood grain is carefully selected for grain orientation. Quarter sawn boards would be best, but even then there is usually difficulty in getting the perfectly straight grain from the front face to the back. If you fail to do this correctly, the door will warp with temperature and humidity changes. It will also change in width by 1/4 - 3/8" with variations in humidity, unless you live in the desert. That's why most doors are of a 5 piece raised panel design, or are made from veneered plywood. If the door is very small, it might work out OK for you, but 25 X 25" is a significantly large door for cabinetry. Many of the custom made doors of my kitchen cabinets are close to those dimensions and are a single flat panel, but they are veneered plywood. Most have remained flat, but over time even a couple of these plywood doors no longer close perfectly flat to the cabinet and I am considering remaking them, but at least being made of plywood, they aren't changing in width or length.

If you want your door to close evenly and remain flat against the door frame, I strongly suggest that you rethink this plan before proceeding.

Charley
 
#19 ·
So, this is my project.

1. I have two cabinet doors to make. They will be 12” x 24” (roughly) and they will be raised panel doors. These are my first doors to build but I feel confident as I’ve done lots of raised panels for walls and such.

2. I have 2 panels to build that are 8” x 24” that will fit inside an existing window framed box.

3. 1 panel 25” x 25” to fit in an existing window framed box.

The customer’s house has mixed trim details - some raised panel, some window paned boxes. They want to bring it all up to the raised panel look. Without some major demo work, I can add a raised panel inside the existing trimmed openings. This part is paint so caulk will be my friend but the openings are very close to being dead square. My issue was when the 25” x 25” raised panel needed to be stained.

Thanks for all the help!
 
#22 ·
So, this is my project.

1. I have two cabinet doors to make. They will be 12” x 24” (roughly) and they will be raised panel doors. These are my first doors to build but I feel confident as I’ve done lots of raised panels for walls and such.

2. I have 2 panels to build that are 8” x 24” that will fit inside an existing window framed box.

3. 1 panel 25” x 25” to fit in an existing window framed box.

The customer’s house has mixed trim details - some raised panel, some window paned boxes. They want to bring it all up to the raised panel look. Without some major demo work, I can add a raised panel inside the existing trimmed openings. This part is paint so caulk will be my friend but the openings are very close to being dead square. My issue was when the 25” x 25” raised panel needed to be stained.

Thanks for all the help!
I’m building my cabinet doors today and they have really turned out nice no far. My question is how do I connect my styles and rails around the raised panel? I’ve seen some little funky clips that you can hammer in the back. Is there other options? All I have available is Lowe’s. :crying:
 
#20 · (Edited)
Now you're coming around to making door that should stay flat, but remember to use the program "Shrinkulator" from the internet and consider putting "space balls" in the raised panel slots to keep the panels from rattling when they dry and shrink. Alternatively, pin nail the center of each panel at the top and bottom (end grain) to keep the panels centered. Also, if stain will be used, finish the panels before installing them in the frame, so when they shrink you won't see bare wood. You might consider this for painted panels as well.

Rail and stile bits do a great job of making the joints for the frame, and come in several styles. The only trick is getting their cuts heights to match. Take your time and adjust the second bit to match the height of the first. Oh, one cuts face down and the other face up. Sorry, I don't remember which, but just knowing this lets me figure it out again each time. I like to cut the ends of the rails first using a sled with good clamps to keep the pieces from moving, and use a backer board to reduce chipping. Multiple passes at increasing cutter depths (moving the fence) gets the best result.

Raised panel doors are a lot more work and precise cutting, but well worth the effort in appearance and service life.

Charley
 
#23 ·
Typically in a raised panel door you cut a 1/4" wide groove in both the rails and styles that the door panel slips into as you are joining it all. There should be a 1/4" of free play around any solid wood panel to allow for expansion. The panel isn't normally glued but you can glue the center 1" at top and bottom but none at the sides and if you glue you have to make sure that you have the panel centered. The rail and stile bit combos will leave a tongue (tenon) on the rails that fit in the same grooves and that is what holds it together but on a large door a small tongue like that may not be strong enough to hold it together. Freud sells some rail and stile bits that can be adjusted for tongue width for larger doors but as expected you'll pay more for those sets.
 
#24 ·
So just a tight fit? Am I reading that right? I definitely have a tight fit on the rails and styles (used a combo bit for them). And my panel is 1/4” smaller all the way around. But I did glue my seams (corners) together but the panel can still float.
 
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