i have always understood that when building a cabinet door with rail, stile and panel construction, you don’t glue the panel, especially if its solid wood, you let it float.
however, recently in a book on “built ins”, i saw that a woodworker glued the panel and explained that since the panel is a “plywood” product, expansion issues are irrelevant…..the panel won’t expand noticeably. and that the panel, if glued will (i think reasonably) contribute to strength.
got me thinking, i’m build such a door right now with 1/2″ birch (painted) ply, with poplar rails and stiles. the 1/2″ birch is rabbited down to a heavy 1/4″ around the perimeter were it will insert into the rail/stile dadoes.
can i glue them? i know that when some doors are made..not cabinet doors, but doors, there is a structure of real wood with ply material laminated to them.
is that the same idea?
thanks
Replies
You can glue it without worrying about the expansion and contraction of the panel because plywood does not have significant movement. On the other hand, lots of cabinet doors have been made with floating panels and they are plenty strong without needing glue. The strength of the door comes from well executed mortise and tenon joints, not from gluing the panel into the groove. Entry doors are often exposed to extreme differences in temperatures and weather and they can really warp unless "manufactured" wood products or some other kind of material is used.
it's all mortise and tenon.....just was confused by thatthanks
Although the plywood panel won't move, the stiles and rails will. There is a chance the movement will split the frame, right at the molded edge.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Hammer1
I agree with you that the stiles and rails are solid wood and will move, and this should be taken into account when assembly is done.
Many people believe, in error, that plywood and even particleboard, will not react to temperature and humidity. They are wrong. Particleboard and similar materials will absorb humidity and expand in the process, and shrink when permitted to dry out when exposed to forced air and heat. I have seen continuous crown mouldings made from MDF and installed in retail stores shrink 1/8 inch on each joint of 10 foot stock, once the lighting and the air conditioning kick in. That left about 1/4 inch gap between mouldings. I have also seen a 4 x 10 sheet of plastic laminate tear in two (split top to bottom) in a similar environment. It was glued to particleboard which expanded in the night time when the store shut down their AC and lighting and then shrunk in the daytime when the AC and lighting was active. The location was naturally humid in the summertime when this happened.
I read the posts that claim they had no problem in the past and I have no reason to mistrust the statements, but I would never assume that there will be no movement with these so called dead materials. JL
Go ahead and glue that plywood panel in there -------
Will actually add strength to the door.
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"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
I did the kitchen in my last house with painted doors with MDF flat panels and poplar frames. I glued every thing together and they look great after twelve years. I used 3/8” MDF with 1” (from 5/4 stock). Very massive looking, but it is a tall Victorian room and those doors have authority!
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