"Leon" wrote in message
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"dondone" wrote in message
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So do you not make raised panel doors any more?
If you do, do you still cut slots in the rails and styles for the raised
panel to fit into?
If you do, do you make stopped slots on the rails so the slot does not
show on the top or bottom of the door?
If you don't how do you deal with the hole on both sides of the door at
the top and bottom?

I have made new cabinet doors and face frames for at least 10
kitchens/bathrooms and use the rail and style bits for the doors and
pocket hole screws for the face frames. I cannot imagine pocket hole
screws saving any time on doors when you consider the extra work to plug
the holes and the fact that you still have to some how apply a contoured
edge on the inside edges of the rail and styles on the doors?

I do, indeed, cut one long edge of each of the rails and stiles with a stile
bit so the (raised) panels fit in these slots. The ends of the rails are
cut with a rail bit and these ends fit into the slotted edges of the stiles
(see
http://store.woodline.com/v2/pc-1772...ercutter.aspx).
The top and bottom edges of the doors do not have any holes in them since
the rail and stile bits are a mating pair and the "tennons" on the ends of
the rails, fit nicely into the "mortises" of the stiles. I.e., I make the
doors just like I always did, except I put a pocket screw in each frame
corner with the pockets for the screws drilled on the back side of the rails
(not the front, and not the edges, but into the back that is not seen when
the door is closed). The pocket screw goes in these pockets into the
stiles. A plug goes into the slot and is ultimately surfaced flush with the
back of the rail. The doors look like they always did on the edges and
front, but the backs of the rails have four, oblong filled slots. If the
doors are painted, these filled pockets are hidden. If the doors are
stained/varnished, they show an oblong wooden insert in the back of the
frames. I have been spraying tinted, water borne lacquer so these oblong
wooden inserts blend nicely into the rest of the door frame back. I don't
have any concerns about the door frame coming apart at the joints,
regardless of how much I compress the Space balls between the frame and the
panel or how rough the door is treated in use. As I mentioned before, the
most common cause of call-backs for cabinet makers is the door frame coming
apart. I can put some pictures on the web if you would like.