IMPOSSIBLE? Make a classic raised panel with a simple, straight router bit

hi I'm James Hamilton from stumping absurd working Journal and every woodworker needs to know how to make a raised panel when you surround one of these with the frame you have one of the most fundamental technologies of the craft making it possible to build doors chest cabinets and all sorts of casework where wide panels might otherwise cup or Bowl over time we can make an entire video about the importance of frame and panel construction and we just might hum the road but today we're gonna concentrate on how to make a raised panel without expensive specialty tools one way is to use a router table and a simple straight bit and a jig that you can make yourself I made a set of plans for this jig which you'll find on our website at stuffing dubs calm I'll also put a link to the plans in the description below this video just click on the little arrow if you're using an app or on show more if you're watching this on YouTube now this jig is not difficult to build with the information in those plans so in this video we'll concentrate on how to use it to create precise and repeatable raised panels quickly and easily first you have to know a little bit about how raised panels are constructed the panel sits in a groove in a frame around it since the frame is typically 3/4 of an inch thick the raised panel would protrude far proud of the frame if it were also made from 3/4 inch thick stock the common solution is to use 9/16 inch thick stock for your panel or to cut a rabbet around the back so the panel can sit back inside the frame for this jig to work properly you have to choose one of those two options and for me the simplest option is to cut a rabbet that reduces the thickness of the panel to 9/16 of an inch around the edge to do this I first have to know how thick my panel actually is just because I think my panels 3/4 of an inch thick doesn't mean it's exactly 3/4 of an inch so I like to get a precise measurement with a caliper just in case and sure enough my stock measures a bit less than 3/4 of an inch at point 6 4 7 I need to take that down to 9/16 an inch which according to the scale on the back of my caliper is 0.56 - so subtract that from the point six four seven thickness of my panel stock and I get point zero eight five that's how much I have to take off so that's the height to which I set my router bit this jig is designed to leave a half-inch tongue around the edge of my panel to fit in the grooves in the frame so I set my fence back to expose just a half inch of the bit and I'm ready to back up my panel I always cut the end grain first where tear-out is most likely to occur then I clean up that taro when I make the rest of my cuts along the grain these rabbits created the back cut I needed to reduce the panel's thickness to 9/16 of an inch around the edges but the tongue itself that will fit inside the grooves in the frame has to be further reduced to a quarter inch thick so I have to take some material off the front of the panel as well 9/16 of an inch minus 1/4 equals five sixteenths of an inch or 0.3 1/2 I set my bit to that new height without moving the fence and then I can cut another set of rabbits this time on the front of the panel creating a quarter inch thick tongue all the way around what remains is a thick raised center or a raised panel but to make it more attractive we have to bevel those edges that we raised in the center and we can do that with the same straight router bit and our new jig I install my jig against the fence so the router bit just barely brushes against the rim of the hole in the center I don't want to cut into the jig I just wanted as close as possible I lay up the panel on top of the jig with the front side downward and now I have to use some trial and error to set the bit height I want the corner of the bit to just scrape against the tongue on the edge of the panel unfortunately the adjustment mechanism for my lift is beneath the jig so I have to keep moving the jig out of the way to change the bits height I consider cutting another hole through the base of the jig so I can stick my wrench down in there and access the control through it but really once I got this dialed in I just measured the bits final height wrote it down and I don't have to do this trial in there next time with the bit height set I clamp the jig to the fence and I put a little wax on the jig parts that the panel will slide against for smoother operation then I make my first cut being sure to keep the panel flat on top of the dig as I pass it over the bed if you end up with a little shelf on the edge of the bevel you need to raise your bid a little bit more it properly set bit should create a bevel that meets the tongue as perfectly as possible mine left a very shallow line on the tongue now that should be hidden inside the groove in the frame once it's assembled but just in case you may lower your bit just the tiniest fraction so that line disappears as you cut the bevels around the perimeter of the panel remember to do the end grain first then the long grain to clear up any potential Terra if you have several raised panels to make through them all now before you adjust the jig to widen the bevel with the second pass yes depending on the width of your router bit one pass will not be enough move your router table fence and the dig attached to it away from the bit and then take another pass all the way around the panel to widen the bevel as you do the raised Center will stand out a bit less I like to leave a rise of about a sixteenth of an inch in the center once that's all dialed in finish up all your raised panels in your project before you put your jig away if your router bit with sharp there should be little to no tear oh but there might be a little bit of an angle on the edge of that rise to Center a little sanding will clean that right up for you I like to use these carbide sanding box for that purpose because other than lasting forever the grits only on one side so I can clean up and square up that little bit of a fill it without scarring the beveled surface that my block rubs against so adhesive back sandpaper on a wood scrap will do the job as well in fact you can make a custom block that's exactly as wide as the bevel for sanding those smooth - I know I threw a lot of numbers at you in this video but it's not complicated at all those same settings apply every time you use this jig no matter what size the raised panel is so why not just write them down on the bottom of the jig itself then you'll have them next time I even laid out the measurements of the bevels and tongues as they'll be on the completed panel because like I said this jig always cuts them exactly the same no matter the size the links and the width of the panel itself by the way the final bit height for cutting my bevel ended up being point seven five four above the top of the router table so that may save you most of the trial and error anyway don't forget to use the link below this video to get plans for this jig I'll also put some links to some of the other tools that you saw me using in this video like the router bit if you need one the gauges that I find really helpful all that good stuff it's just a couple of cuts yours will be fine right they would be if you had your ISO Tunes Bluetooth earbuds in because you'd already have your epa-certified hearing protection on while you're listening to your favorite music and podcasts and you'd be supporting a small family business at the same time please use the link below this video to learn more and to show them that you support what we do as well wait don't go yet if you're new here please subscribe and remember to ring the bell I would really appreciate that give us a thumbs up or better yet leave us a comment I always read them and be sure to check out the latest issue of stumpy nubs woodworking journal it's always packed with tips tricks and tutorials designed to make you a better woodworker

Channel: Stumpy Nubs

Views: 215,439

Keywords: woodworking, stumpy nubs, tips, workbench, table saw, scroll saw, drill press, quick tip, band saw, bandsaw, lumber, hack, hand plane, sharpening, tormek, worksharp, diamond stone, water stone, wood turning, bowls, lathe, frame and panel, cabinet doors, router bit, router jig

Id: a5JemMD_s-0

Length: 8min 2sec (482 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 22 2019