# Maximum Glued Panel for Shaker Fridge Panel



## andr0id (Jan 11, 2018)

I'm building shaker cabinet doors and drawer fronts for my kitchen, but I'm not sure what to do for my large refrigerator panel. 



The doors are 3/4" thick stiles and rails with 1/2" thick panels. The panels are glued up hardwood slats because they will be stained and need to match the stiles and rails. The maple veneer plywood doesn't really match very well.


My upper refrigerator door is 35-3/4" wide and 51-3/8" tall. I'm using 3-3/8" stiles and rails, so that leaves me having to make a panel that is 29" wide and about 45" tall. 



I'm worried that a single panel glued up from 1/2" maple may not hold up well. I'd have to edge glue about 6 x 5" sections to get a piece that big. 



Has anybody made a center panel this big or should I section it up into quarters to be sturdier?


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

I've done many 12" wide glue ups in oak (1/4) and sugar maple (3/8) - that width because my lunchbox planer will only take 13"....
glue up, plane flat&pretty... 

I did once do a 30" wide maple @ 3/8 thick - did a glued half-lap long seam joint and hand sanded 3 pcs together.  it worked out fine but I was ultra super picky about selecting the pcs. took a lot of stock to get the required "perfect" pieces of the length required....



in my experience the trick to any wide glue up is slat selection. it must be straight / even / "perfect" grain.
curls, knots, 'figuring', etc is pretty - but in terms of expansion stress on thinly glued 'edges' it often fails. the glue line is fine, the wood splits....


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## andr0id (Jan 11, 2018)

Thanks Tom, it seems like there might be hope.
Austin Fine Lumber usually has enough material I can hunt through and find nice, clear, even grained boards. I'm not in a hurry, so I can let them sit in my house for a few weeks for stress relief.



My other thought was to laminate 1/4" strips onto a 6mm sheet of Baltic birch. What would you think of that approach?


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

never tried the lamination idea. 

you will need a good depth on the stiles for expansion at 30+" - do you have the cute little donut grommets for spacing?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

It would be like a cabinet door. You glue the frame together but allow the panel to float loose. The larger the panel the more wood movement issues you can expect.


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## Terry Q (Jul 28, 2016)

I’d be tempted to dividing the door into four panels by adding another style and rail. 


In woodworking there is always more then one way to accomplish something.


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## NoThankyou (Mar 21, 2018)

Terry Q said:


> I’d be tempted to dividing the door into four panels by adding another style and rail.
> 
> 
> In woodworking there is always more then one way to accomplish something.


That was going to be my suggestion.

Also a general rule of thumb, when starting with KD wood, 1/8" per foot approximates wood movement from humidity in Florida to the lack there of in Arizona.

It is possible to reduce the apparent need for space for wood movement to about half that. When working with raised panels use a bit of glue to secure the center of the panel and perhaps shoot a pin nail through the rail and panel at the center. This helps to stop panels from rattling and puts the allowance needed to half in each stile.


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## andr0id (Jan 11, 2018)

Thanks for all the advice.


I'm leaning toward dividing it up. That will let me treat it like a couple of 18" panels which will be much less trouble.



Will post some pictures when it's done.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

that would be a very large panel regardless. if it were me, and I had to have it, I would keep looking for a veneered ply. more stable...


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## DrRobert (Apr 27, 2015)

Since its maple, personally I would use maple ply for all the panels and drawer fronts.


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## andr0id (Jan 11, 2018)

DrRobert said:


> Since its maple, personally I would use maple ply for all the panels and drawer fronts.



I built some samples like that, but the maple veneer on the panels and the rails never stained the same.


Maybe we're being too picky, but the wife and I didn't like the result.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

andr0id said:


> I built some samples like that, but the maple veneer on the panels and the rails never stained the same.
> 
> 
> Maybe we're being too picky, but the wife and I didn't like the result.


being there is probably a dozen or more species of maple, that is not surprising. not to mention the ply you tested could have been imported...


I would try a higher end supplier. it will be worth it.


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