I’m in the process of making exterior (western) cedar shutters with raised panels. I bought 3/4″ stock for the panels since I don’t have a bandsaw for resawing 2x rough stock into something closer to an inch + in thickness. I am worried that these panels will be too thin once I rout the profile.
Looking at the CAD drawings and dimensions of a major custom shutter manufacturer, they use 3/4″ for flat panels, but 15/16″ panels for raised panels. So I have 2 real questions:
1. Is 3/4 too thin for the raised panels? They will be painted, edge glued from three pieces that have vertical grain, so movement will be minimal.
2. If it is too thin, is there any way to laminate stock or laminate a thin piece of plywood to gain thickness without the risk of cracking the cedar by limiting its ability to move?
I don’t want to make these and then have to cut them apart to fix panels. BTW, the house faces west and gets quite a bit of sun in the summer and also is in a pretty humid summer environment.
thanks, Jake
Replies
I am not sure that I understand your question: you bought 3/4 stock? Was that milled or unmilled? Normally I would buy 4/4 unmilled stock and mill it myself to final thickness. This would be done in several stages: first sticker the unmilled wood for a couple of weeks (or more) on site to acclimate. Then joint an edge and a face, thickness off ~50% of the waste (e.g. 4/4 to 7/8), working from both faces. Then a week of stickering, then a final mill to desired thickness, again working from either face. Depending on the condition of the overall stock, you could leave it a bit thicker if need be. In general, starting with 4/4 stock should leave you a good thickness for a raised panel; some older (colonial) shutters are true 1"; in that case you'd start with 5/4.
I'd avoid making exterior shutters from premilled wood- there is more chance of it warping and twisting. You're expecting a lot of this wood in exposure to the elements and I think you need to mill it correctly for a good result.
Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
I am using rough milled 2x stock for the rails and stiles. The supplier here did not have 5/4 stock, so that is why I ended up with the (true) 3/4" stock for the panels. I made sure to find pieces with vertical grain and each piece has a finished face w/ the other being only slightly rough (and can face the back w/ some moderate sanding/planing w/ minimal loss of thickness.
As I noted previously, my lack of a bandsaw is what prevented me from using the thicker 2x rough stock for resawing into pieces for the panels. Maybe that will be a good excuse to use to justify (to the wife) buying a bandsaw.
On another note, how much space should I leave in the groove for expansion/contraction of the panel? The panels will be ~11"x24".
thanks again, Jake
The panels have no structural purpose they are just filling the frame so they could be 1/4 inch thick and still work just fine. Any additional thickness is only needed to accomodate the profile you want to mill into the panel.
John W.
ohcomeon,
I don't think a 3/4" panel is too thin for your application. However, be certain the 3/4" thickness is enough to accept the full profile of the raised section while leaving enough thickness for the tongue to fit snugly in the grooves of your railes and styles.
The thickness of your rails and styles will also play a role in this situation. I believe the front of the raised panel should be in the same plane as the front of the rails and styles. Any variation in thickness should be dealt with on the back of the shutter.
Bill
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