Building a panel door isn’t hard but there are a few tools and materials you’ll need to do it right. This guide will show you exactly what to use so you can cut costs and finish the job quickly. There’s nothing worse than spending money and not knowing what you’re doing, followed closely by reading blog posts that are too long—you want something quick and easy but you also want to see before and afters?
Chances are, you’ve seen a panel door. The reason chances are, is because they’re all over the place. Those wood doors you see attached as storefronts,”how to make raised panel doors without a router”, “raised panel cabinet door” giving restaurants an old-timey feel? That’s a panel door. Fireplace surrounds and extremely rustic dinning areas that have tons of character? Those are panel doors too.
How to build a panel door
In this article we are going to show you how to build a raised panel door. This type of door is very common in the olden days, however, these days it is rarely used. The reason being that it takes a lot of skill and patience to do the job. But if you have all the necessary tools at your disposal then it can be done quite easily. The best part about this particular style is that it looks great with any kind of furniture and it also adds value to your house.
In order for you to build this kind of door correctly, first you need to cut all the necessary pieces out of plywood or hardwood. Then glue them together using clamps and let them dry overnight before continuing on with our project. You can add nails or screws into the wood depending on what material you are using but be careful when drilling so as not to damage any parts of our project or yourself by accident! After everything has dried, now comes the fun part! Sanding! You will need plenty of patience here because this process can take hours depending on how smooth you want your woodwork to look like after sanding down all rough edges etcetera etcet
Make the panels
First, rip long strips of wood on the table saw to make the panels. The size of these strips will depend on the size of your door and what kind of look you want, but they should be at least as wide as the distance between your stiles.
Then rip one more piece of wood into two pieces that are slightly shorter than those two tall strips. These will be the little decorative rails between each panel (and sometimes in between each pair of panels).
Cutting out the mortises
Place one of your panels on its edge at a 45-degree angle against the fence on your table saw. Make sure that it extends past both sides of your fence so that it catches most of its profile in the blade’s kerf (the slot left when cutting). If not, adjust by moving closer or further away from the fence until it does.
With this setup, you’ll be able to cut out all four corners of your mortise before flipping over and repeating for each side. The easiest way to do this is with a straight bit and an adjustable stop block placed against
Making a raised panel door is not that difficult. It requires a bit of time and patience, but the result is worth it.
The best way to make panels without a router is with a table saw. The table saw can be used for both ripping and cross-cutting operations. For example, you can use the table saw to rip two 2x4s in half and then use the miter gauge to cut each piece into three equal parts that will form each panel.
If you don’t own or want to use a table saw, there are other options that can be used instead:
The circular saw can be used to rip 2x4s into three equal parts, but it will not provide as clean of a cut as with a table saw.
The jigsaw can be used for ripping cuts if you have one with an adjustable blade guard which will allow for cutting at any angle needed (see photo below).
Making a panel door is a great way to add style and interest to a piece of furniture. But it can be tricky if you don’t have the right tools.
Drawbore Pin Router Bit
This is the most common bit used for making raised panel doors. It’s a good choice if you’re just making one or two doors and don’t mind spending some money on a specialized bit.
Dado Blade Set
If you’re making more than two or three doors, then it’s more cost-effective to buy a dado blade set that has several different blades for different cuts. These are great for beginners and intermediate woodworkers who want to try their hand at raised panel doors but don’t want to invest in specialized bits until they know if they really like making them.
Panel Saw
A panel saw is similar to a scroll saw, but it’s designed specifically for cutting hardwoods into panels and other shapes. You’ll need one if you want to make your own panels from scratch instead of buying pre-cut ones from the store. A panel saw will also let you cut out larger pieces of plywood or MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) than most scroll saws
A raised panel door is a type of solid wood or veneer door that has recessed panels. The inside edge of each panel is raised above the surface of the door for a decorative effect. Raised panel doors can be made with a router, but it’s not necessary if you have a table saw and some know-how.
To make a raised panel door on your table saw, you’ll need:
A piece of plywood or MDF (medium density fiberboard) that’s at least 1 1/2 inches thick, plus an additional inch to make room for the panel thickness
Two screws, each at least 3 inches long
A coping saw (or jigsaw) and drill/driver with bits