Raising Panels on the Router Table
Vertical-style panel-raising bits are the only way to go these days. They are safer than big horizontal cutters, are easy to use, and provide the home woodworker with plenty of profile options. The key to using these bits is to always support your workpiece vertically with an appropriately sized auxiliary fence.
For best results, your router should have at least a 1½ horsepower motor. The load exerted on these long cutters is substantial, especially in denser hardwood stock. That is why vertical panel-raising bits are generally not available with ¼" shanks.
Routers featuring variable-speed controls are recommended by the bit manufacturers. Variations in both the speed of the router’s motor and the rate of feed can have a strong impact on the quality of the cut. Wood that is cut too quickly across the grain will have torn fibers, and an overly slow cut can leave you with burn marks. You can improve the quality of your work and reduce strain on the router bit by taking six or seven passes on each edge of a panel, moving your fence after each pass. To minimize tearout, rout the end grain first and then the sides. Chatter and chipping are two good indicators that your cut is too deep and that you should adjust your fence.
The keys to using vertical panel-raising bits are to support them with an auxiliary fence on your router table and to take multiple light passes.
I used lap joints on the front, back, and side frames, and rabbet and dado joints on the corners, as shown in the corner detail drawing on page 10. There are two reasons for using lap joinery: It does a great job of securing the stiles to the rails, and at the same time, it creates recesses for the cherry panels. Since I’m using molding to hold the panels in place, a traditional mortise is not necessary.
To make the lap joints, insert a dado head in your table saw, and set the blade height and the fence for a ½" x ½" cut. Mill rabbets on both edges of the side stiles and on the tapered edges of the front and back stiles, as shown in the detail drawing.
This same rabbet is milled on one edge of the front, back, and side rails (pieces 5 and 6) and on both edges of the interior stiles (pieces 7). The second half of the lap joint is a ½"-wide tongue that is milled on the ends of the rails and interior stiles. To make this tongue, decrease the blade height to create a ¼"-deep cut, and use your miter gauge to maintain squareness.
With the dado head set up, you can now create the tongue, which runs around the edge of the bottom panel. Set the depth of cut to ⅜", and form the ¼"-wide tongue. There’s one more operation you can perform with the dado set installed: forming the grooves in the front and back stiles to accommodate the tongues you just milled on the side stiles. The grooves will require an adjustment in the kerf width, so remove the dado head and reset it to ¼". Now, set the height to ½", align your fence ½" away, and create the grooves (see the stile detail drawing on page 10).
Assembling the Frames
With all the initial machining done, it’s time to assemble the four frames. Gluing the lap joints can be tricky because the joint tends to buckle as the clamp applies pressure. One way to avoid this problem is by using C-clamps to hold a short length (about 8") of scrap on either side of the joint. Set the C-clamps so they’re finger tight only; that way, you can still close the joint under pressure from the pipe clamps. Slip a piece of wax paper between the scrap and frame so excess glue won’t secure the scrap to your workpiece. When the pipe clamps are snug, tighten the C-clamps fully to hold the two cheeks of the lap joint together while the glue cures. As you assemble the frames, check for squareness by measuring diagonally across the faces, and adjust your clamps accordingly.
With all four frames glued up, you can now run the grooves that hold the bottom panel. This task is best done with a router rather than a table saw because two of the four grooves are stopped before they emerge from the end of the frame.
To make the two stopped dadoes, equip your router table with a ⅜" straight bit, and set the depth of cut to 5/16". Stick some masking tape to your router table fence, and mark the location of the router bit on it. You’ll have two marks ⅜" apart showing the points where the bit enters and exits the workpiece (see Figure 2).
The top rail of each frame will run along the fence, which should be set 15½" from the bit. Using the marks on the masking tape as a guide, slowly push the piece down on the bit so the leading edge is ½" beyond the left-hand mark. Feed the piece from right to left, stopping when the right edge is just ½" to the right of the two marks. Square up the stopped dadoes with a sharp chisel.
Figure 2: Align marks on your router table fence and the stiles to locate the two stopped dadoes that will hold the bottom panel.
Quick Tip
Sawing Thin Wood
When you want to rip veneers or other thin pieces of wood on the table saw, you need a safe way to hold them down. This L-shaped hold-down does the job. To use it, lower the saw blade, and install a zero-clearance table insert. Next, position a piece of the thin stock under the hold-down, and clamp it in place, as shown. Then, remove the setup workpiece, turn on the saw, and raise the blade until you hear it just touch the hold-down. Back the blade off a hair, and you’re ready to start sawing.
If you find the thin workpieces slipping under the regular saw fence, mount a wooden auxiliary fence that you can tighten down to the saw table, closing the gap.
Assembling the Carcass
Now, it’s time to start bringing the chest together. Begin by laying the back frame flat on your workbench with the outside face down. Rotate the frame until the ends extend beyond the edges of your worktop (so you can clamp it later), and then drop the bottom panel into its groove. Don’t glue the panel in.
The two side frames do get glued in, and they’re inserted next, followed by the front frame. Then, clamp everything together. If you are a relatively new woodworker, you should be aware that many people tend to overtighten clamps, squeezing too much of the glue out of the joints. Try to resist those last two turns on the crank; simply make the joint snug while the glue cures. Be sure to check and recheck your diagonals now, adjusting as necessary to keep everything square.
Installing the Panels
With the carcass assembled and waiting for its cherry panels (pieces 8 and 9), this is an excellent time to apply paint to all the poplar areas. Doing so now eliminates the need to apply masking tape to the panels later. While you have the paint out, you should also coat the embossed moldings (pieces 10 and 11).
Your panel stock should be ready by now, so go ahead and trim the eight panels to size, lightly marking the best ones for the front and sides. The raised panel is created using a vertical panel-raising bit in the