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I need to glue up some panels and wish some input on technique. I will be resawing 8/4 stock which is about 10” wide and currently surfaced on 3 sides to make the 18” by 18” panels that I need for the raised panel inserts for a cabinet’s doors. I will try to book-match the two sides for each panel. I am wondering about how I should glue the two pieces up. Initially, I figured on just using a simple butt joint, but I am thinking that perhaps I should use my biscuit jointer, or even trying to use some type of gluing joint cutter in my shaper. Oops, I sound like Norm A. referring my tools like this, sorry. Back to the point, I have not tried either alternative and I am wondering whether I would be creating a mess for myself. I figure if either the biscuits or the shaper don’t match up perfectly on both pieces, I wouldn’t get a smooth surface on the panel. However, I am worried that by just using a butt joint, the joint in the panel may not be very secure and could split over time (although it wouldn’t be bearing any weight anyway). In short, are the potential hassles with using biscuits or shaped joint of some sort worth the risks involved, or am I okay with a butt joint on this sized panel?
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Replies
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Dave,
Why wouldn't a butt joint be strong enough? You're putting long grain to long grain. It's a raised panel so nothing will be acting on the joint. A glue joint cutter will make it stronger, no doubt. But why? When you raise the panels, you'll end up seeing that funky glue joint. Biscuits make be helpful to align the pieces during glue-up. But cauls would do as that as well. It's a panel. No need to over-engineer it, IMHO.
Scott
*Go with the butt joint. The panel can never, ever split because you are NOT going to glue it in to the frame.
*I think you might have some mistaken ideas about the strength of a long grain butt joint. It's plenty strong, even on a giant panel. Glue it up, and don't give it another thought - wood will do some unpredictable things, but some things are pretty reliable. A long grain glue joint between two pieces of the same board is one of them.SB
*Dave how thick is the door panel going to be. I glued up two doors last night that were only 1/2" thick. This mourning when I trimmed the ends off the ends where next to impossible to break on the glue joint.Scott
*Scott,I'll be making them up at 3/4" thick, and eventually trimming the edges down to 1/4" to make the raised panels. From your comment, it sounds like I should not worry. Just simply use the butt joint. Am I right?
*Scott,Great point on the weird glue joint line when I raise the panels. That escaped me totally. Thanks, I've always had a problem with "over-engineering."
*don't know if those were for the two scotts, or both for SF, but I'll answer the first one - yeah, just glue it up. there are always so many things to "engineer" and figure out, but a long grain butt joint on a floating panel isn't one of them. use battens in your glue up to maintain flatness and alignment.good luckSB
*Shoud we start a "scott only" thread?Scott Murray
*Dave, I've made a couple of hundred panels with butt joint only. No problems ever.
*Scott Murray --Don't even think it. Otherwise, we Daves and Davids would request our own thread, which would take up significantly more server space than yours, thereby slowing down the system altogether. David (Moore)
*Dave Grant,As Scott's said just glue it up. The glue is more than strong enough to do what you want to do. Splines and biscuits will do little more than help in lining up the panels while adding a little extra strength to a all ready very strong door panel.ScottBy the way we Scott's can be a powerful force to reckon with.
*Scott Franklin,Right on. You don't see any toilet tissue called "Davie", do you? :)Scott Murray
*Scott Murray --If I could count better on my fingers I'd use Dano's acronym for "rolling on the floor laughing my [blank] off!" Thanks for starting my day off with some humor!David Moore
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