Problem with Raised Panel Doors...What am I doing wrong?

most back cutter bits are made to be used with 3/4 rail and stile with a 5/8 thick panel Your panel is to thick I like uing 1/2 or 9/16 so i can sand my frame wit out hitting my panel

-- As Best I Can

I actually tested a thinner piece. The only thing that happened was the front cut but the back cutter didn’t cut any of the wood. It didn’t change the location of the front but it changed the width of the edge to less than 1/4”,which is the width of the slot.

Here’s the thinner piece. Note the back is at the same marking on the rail.

-- www.WoodWorkersWebsite.com - Helping other woodworker's

Okay let me ask ya this if you lower the bit (in the table) do you git the back cutter to engage on the thinner stock do you lose you front profile and have you took the bearing of the bit and checked to see how many shims is in it you can take them out wit the thinner stock and it will lower the back cutter toward the front cutter

-- As Best I Can

okay i see the pics now looks like that bit is going to have to lowered way down but fraid it might messs your front profile up and technically a raised panel door is supposed to have the panel proud of the frame I dont care for it cause i cant run it through my sander but some bits work better wit a 5/8 panel and the panel sittin an 1/8 proud of the frame

-- As Best I Can

Review this video from the Wood Whisperer. I believe it is your set up for the rails and styles matching the panel cutter.

-- God is great, the Beer is good and people are Crazy. http://mysite.verizon.net/vzer4znv/pauljoneswoodworks/

Thanks. Yes I tried lowering the bit and lost the profile. I didn’t check the shims on the bearings. I did see online where someone left only 1/8” of wood from the slot of the frame. That’s less than what I figured. I’ll check the video out now
Thanks

-- www.WoodWorkersWebsite.com - Helping other woodworker's

Thanks for the video but it’s rails and stiles, I’m doing miter which is different. With the rails and stiles you set the panel cutter based on the rail or stile height. With the miter you have to cut your own slot and that’s the problem I’m having is it’s location. I thought it was centered in the frame but it appears it’s not.

-- www.WoodWorkersWebsite.com - Helping other woodworker's

Angela, When I first started building residential cabinets I used this set of cutters that you describe. They are good cutters and I ran into the same trouble you are having. To compensate, I started making my rails and styles from 13/16 thick stock rather than 3/4. I used 13/16 for the panel as well but usually had to glue up panels and the sanding prior to profiling would take the panel down to 13/16. Also the set I had was a combo set that cut the face and back cut in the same operation, which at the time my router was under powered for this and I disassembled the bits and did two different set ups, one for the panel face with the raised panel, the second for the back cut. This was allot easier on my under powered router and allowed me to make a deeper back cut if necessary and the problem with the face panel being proud of the rais and styles went away.

-- Michael Mills, North Carolina, http://www.scicaskets.com

Let’s look at it a different way. If you back cut it deeper then the panel moves back which increases the distance from the back of your rail to where your rabbit for the panel needs to be on the rail.

However, then the front of the panel loses distance on the panel center relief. If there are any spacers which can be removed from between the panel cutters then remove them so as you make a deeper back cut and still get a relief for the raised part on the front of the panel otherwise you have to use thicker panel stock to get a raised part on the front

Does that make sense?

-- God is great, the Beer is good and people are Crazy. http://mysite.verizon.net/vzer4znv/pauljoneswoodworks/

I don’t think it makes much difference using rail and style or miter. Mine all used 3/4” stock and the panel is proud of the frame in front and recessed in the back. It would seem that is the only way to get at least 1/8” lip on the back, which is the minimum in my opinion.
The problem with removing spacers is that you have to compensate for a thinner edge on the panel when you go to cut the groove for it.

-- Website is finally up and running....www.woodandwrite.com

Sorry, I’m in the wrong post.

-- ...there's a fix fer dat...

I wanted to thank eveyone for their help. I wanted to update you on what I ended up doing.

Well I checked my router bit and it didn’t have any shims but it did have two bearings, one on top of the large cutter and one on top of the back cutter. I used the ¾” wood I had planned on using and the router bit as it was intended to be used. After cutting the wood, I took the router bit apart and installed the two bearings on top of the large cutter then reinstalled the back cutter. This raised the back cutter high enough so when I ran the wood through the cutter again the large cut didn’t touch the wood but the back cutter cut more of the back off. I cut enough off so I could leave 1/8” wood in the frame and cut a 3/16” slot for the center panel. Worked great and the front is flush.

This is the back after the first cut.

I attached the two bearings below the back cutter.

The back was recut and now I have enough room to cut the slot in the frame.

I didn’t cut the slot because I wanted to wait until all the sizes where set.
Thanks
Angela

-- www.WoodWorkersWebsite.com - Helping other woodworker's

as stated above, at the shops i worked at all of our 3/4” stock for doors and face frames was always 13/16” and raised panels and drawer box materials was always 5/8” . that way when the door was assembled the rail and stile was always proud of the panel on both sides, a quick run through the wide belt sander to make sure everything is flush and smooth on both sides without sanding on the raised banel