# Making Raised Panels: Glued-up Strips or Single Piece?



## jonww (Oct 29, 2008)

Fellow 'jocks, I am getting ready to begin milling lumber for some kitchen cabinet doors. I have some thoughts/questions about how to make the raised panels. For panels that are wider than my planer (12.5" or more), there is some certainty that I will have to edge glue pieces together to form the larger panels. For fashioning narrower (8, 9, or 10") panels, I hate the idea of having to cut a wide, beautifully grained piece of wood into narrow strips if I don't have to. I know there are schools of thought that say you must glue up panels using narrow strips (less than 3") and alternate the direction of the growth rings to avoid cupping across the width of a panel.

If I am working with stable kiln-dried wood, should I be concerned with potential problems down the road by using a single board for these narrower raised panels? Any input is greatly appreciated.


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## kendunn (Jan 12, 2012)

You know the answer to your question already as you have already answered it, lol. It will be hard to keep wide panels from wanting to warp, even dried.


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

I love the ones that go through the planer but I rarely work with wood over 6" as my jointer is that size. So, glue up is my way of doing it.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I always use the widest pieces I have. Cutting it to glue it back together seems insane to me. If the wood is dry and stable, its not going to warp. If its not dry and stable, it will warp anyhow.


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## cabmaker (Sep 16, 2010)

I will use wide material ( 11-13 inch) if I have it. I rough cut to length and plane to thickness along with the glued up panels . I normally plane panels to 5/8, so if its going to warp it will do it fairly soon most of the time. From doors with soid panels ( no glueups) I have had problems with 2-3 tops over the years. Mind you this is out of several thousend doors. Material I buy is pretty consistant on fas quality and kiln dried and properly stored. Note: for door construction I normally buy material in surfaced and straightlined condition which is a bit more stable at pos than in the fir will be. Enjoy !


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## Martyroc (Feb 1, 2012)

I have never had a large panel warp on me, but I always use kiln dried hardwood and never have a panel wider than 5-6" larger than that is 2 or 3 panels glued. I just made some kitchen cabinets, well, just is like 6 months ago and I am pretty sure 5, 10, 20 years from now they will be fine. I don't know how I will be doing, but the cabinet doors should be just fine


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