Does anyone know of any instructional websites to walk throught the steps to make raised panel cabinet doors? I recently got a shaper with stile, rail and panel cutters and would like to make a cabinet door.
snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com (Mark) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:
Here's one:
I know you are not asking for advice here....
But don't feel you need to raise the panel in one pass. Trust me.
John
Mark wrote:
Pick up the Sommerfeld catalog. Instructions are right in the catalog. sommerfeldtools.com. great folks.
David
Mark wrote:
Try the CMT website!....That's what I used
I dunno of any videos, but i can offer some pointers. If you have set up and used a router table, you should have little problems setting up a shaper. Very similiar concept. Although, you may be a little intimidated with it at first, (mine sounds like a b-29 taking off with the raised panel cutter running in it! WAY different than my little router table! )
First, you should really consider a shaper jig, (i use the delta 43-186) for doing the endgrains of your stiles and rails. It eleminates much causes for error. And, as a bonus, helps keep your fingers away from the cutter. If you have problems with snipe on your panels, you can screw a longer 1x3 or something to the back of it and use it to ride against the fence to help keep things true to the cutter while you are feeding it through. Always cut your endgrain first, as it will almost always chip out at the end. (the cut with the grain will take care of this)
If you get hooked on making raised panels and decide to make kitchen cabintes for everyone you know, invest in a feeder, they are wonderful time savers. -Dave
Check out this MLCS video:
Lou
If you get instructions on using router bits to make a raised panel door, setting up the cutter for the profile (stick) cut is generally a little different with a shaper cutter. The cutter joints off a little part of the edge as it sticks the profile. You need an offset fence for this operation. With a router bit, the stile runs against a bearing. For shaper work, I feel the stock feeder is pretty much a necessity. One, you get a better quality of cut; and two, it keeps your fingers away from the cutter.
I also consider the shaper as one of the more dangerous tools in the shop. I would try to get someone to show you the proper use of the tool. For myself, I couldn't find anyone so I did the next best thing, I got a good book on using the shaper. At the very least, please do that; and better, do both. A six inch heavyweight cutter twirling around on the shaper can really do some damage. That isn't to frighten you, just to prompt you toward safety.
When you run the panel, always run the edge grain first. Then rotate 90° counter-clockwise so the next pass removes any tearout from the edgegrain pass. If you have 5+ horsepower, you can cut the panel in one pass. For 3 hp (which I have), I do the panel in two passes with a light second pass. You will need more passes for lesser horsepower. You need to keep a proper feed rate to lessen chances of burning and heating and resin buildup on the cutter.
For stiles and rails, always cut the rail first (cope cut), then the profile on stiles and rails (stick cut). Make the rail a little wide. That way, the stick cut takes care of any blowout on one side of the rail, and trimming to width takes care of any blowout on the other side of rail. The fence is set to where the rail just barely touches the rub collar/bearing on the cutter. If you have a rub collar, a slight discoloration of the end will show the fence is set properly. To hold the rail, I made a simple jig out of a square of 1/2" baltic birch ply. I put a fence on the ply that is square to the shaper fence. Two toggle clamps on the jig fence holds the rail in place. Once I have the height adjusted, I replace a small strip of wood that mounts to the jig's fence between the rail and the fence to make it zero clearance. Then I can cut the rails.
For the shaper fence for the stick operation, I made a straight fence with a boxed opening around the cutter to which I can attach a 4" dust collector hose (Same for the cope and panel raising). To the outfeed side of the fence, I attached a piece of plastic laminate. That makes about a 1/16" offset fence. You set the cutter so that the widest part of the cutter is even with the plastic laminate. That way, you shave off (or joint) about
1/16" of the stock as it passes across the cutter. This further straightens the stock and makes sure you have a full profile. Not always true when running across the bearing of a router bit.Another step with using shaper cutters is that you have to shim the cope cutter and possibly the panel raiser for a proper fit. To do this, first stick a profile to a piece of stock. Then mount the cope (rail or stub tenon) cutter and do test cuts and shim for a proper fit. The fit shouldn't be tight, just slightly snug. A trick I read about (Delta website) and now use is to buy extra spindles. When changing cutters, change the entire spindle and cutter as a unit. That way, you don't have to worry about re-shimming the cutters after they have been set up. Although it doesn't seem like it would be, it seems every time I remove and replace a cutter, the shimming changes and take quite a bit of time to reset it up. Also, I place a mark on each cutter near the end of a wing with a black felt marker. When the cutter is properly shimmed and set to the proper height, I measure the distance from the mark to the table with a dial indicator on a sliding base. If for some reason, after a long run of doors, you find you need to run another rail or stile, setting up another cutter is easy. Of course, if you have three shapers, it is a moot point.
For the stock, I usually buy 15/16" or full 4/4 lumber. I sticker it in the shop for at least a few days. I then rough mill it to about 1/8" above the final 3/4" thickness and about 5/16" greater in width. I then sticker it again and let it set a couple of days more. If you have a wide enough planer, you can then joint a 1/32" and plane a 1/32" of the stock thickness for the door panels and glue them up. Of course, mill properly for edge grain gluing. Then next day, you can rerun the panels through the planer taking off 1/32" off each side, cut to size and raise the panels on the shaper. Alternately, you can joint and plane to 3/4", glue up, sand smooth the next day (wait a couple of days if you can), size the panels and raise them. After the panels are sanded and perhaps finished, joint and plane the stile and rail stock to final thickness and run them. Glue up the doors as soon as you can on a very flat surface. The key is to try to get the doors glued up as soon as you can after milling so they don't have as great a chance to move on you. Proper milling and gluing the doors up square and on a flat surface is needed to insure a square, flat door.
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