bookmatch veneering

There’s no reason that you can’t bookmatch thick panels. Just start with stock more than
twice as think as you want your panels.

With solid wood panels you just let the panels float. Any substrate would work.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

You don’t really say how large your EC doors will be. Obviously the larger the door, the more flimsy the 1/4” panel will seem and this could have a bearing on your decision.

You have a couple of options. As Gary said, you could use solid wood, resaw, and bookmatch the panels without veneering. If you have some special material that you wish to saw into veneers, slice them to sand out at 1/16” thick and veneer both sides of 1/8” plywood, or hardboard, and you will have a 1/4” thick, veneered flat panel.

There is no “need” to go 1/8” thick for veneering, in fact I usually saw at 3/32” and sand to 1/16” for my shop sawn veneers. That still gives you plenty of meat and you can cut, joint, edge glue, and handle it, just like solid wood

If you are making any very large doors and you feel the 1/4” panel does not have enough “substance” to it, you could go back to the bookmatched, solid wood approach. You would make the finished thickness 1/2” thick and use a panel raiser, or back cutter router bit to undercut the backside of the panel to leave a 1/4” edge that fits into your 1/4” rail and stile grooves. This results in a more substantial panel that maintains the “flat panel” look from the front and yet is still very attractive from the inside while maintaining the bookmatched appearance from both inside and out.

-- John, Chisel and Bit Custom Crafted Furniture, www.chiselandbit.com

Thanks for you help. I believe I will go with the solid wood approach and use the back cutter as suggested. Thanks again, pkennedy

-- P Kennedy Crossville, TN

To add to what GaryK mentioned about solid wood panels and “floating”. Take a look at Rockler’s website (or Woodcraft’s) for Space Balls.
These are soft rubber balls 1/4” in diameter that are used in the grooves that the door panels fit into. They hold the panel firmly, so it doesn’t rattle when the door is opened, but compress when the wood in the panel swells so you avoid cracking the panel.
Handy little “gizmos” that cabinet makers use all the time.

-- Gerry