pre finish or not

panels in projects, your method


  • Total voters
    35
  • Poll closed .
So far I have had good luck just applying the sealer coat (I use dewaxed shellac) prior to assembly. I apply the finish coats after assembly. I also place a drop of glue at the center of the top and bottom rails to hold the panel centered.

This works for me, but please remember I live in a high desert climate and the humidity variations here are much less than in many other parts of the world.
 
Larry you should always pre finish everything you can before assembling. Keep any over spray off. Or if you are brushing it is much easier to lay out flat work then over head or sides.
 
If I'm staining my project I'll Sand and stain the panels and the profiled edge of the stiles and rails. When I assemble them I'll use a pin nailer and put a pin in the top and bottom of the center of the panel.
 
I pre-finish panels and any hard to get to areas. I sometimes pre-finish so much the shop looks like a Ready To Assemble furniture staging area. I fix panels in place with space balls or like substance or for smaller pieces I just tack one or two areas with glue.
 
I agree with prefinishing the edges of your panels before assembly a spot of glue in the middle works or a 22 ga nail can work but I feel glue is less lightly to come loose or damage your frame.
Unless your dealing with plywood or mdf products it's never a good idea to completely glue your panel in due to wood movement problems.
 
We're talking for a five piece door right?

I never pre-finish panels. Most homes are so well controlled there isn't much issue with expansion/contraction.



Don't glue panels in either. Space balls, or one brad at the top+bottom.
Space balls are dirt cheap. A bag of 5000 is less than $80
 
I haven't built a raised panel door yet, but I plan to, and I will definately prefinish the panels. One of my pet peaves is when I see an otherwise nicely finished cabinet door panel with light unfinished edges from top to bottom where the panel has shrunk and pulled out of the stiles a little.

I have some custom cabinets in my jewelry store that were fairly expensive. The drawers are on premium slides and have dovetail joinery. The counter top was custom made. Then you look at them on a cold dry day and you see these darn unfinished edges on the panels. Drives me nuts.
 
Karl for you I'm sure that's a good purchase. For me, it would last several lifetimes. Hmm, maybe somebody wants to buy 5K and re-package them for a whole lot of us.

I'd do that.

Gotta wait till February though. Right now I'm banging away like mad to finish up a whole mess of stuff so I can get my skinny rear end to Florida for a bit. I've got a nice hole in my schedule, and I'm not wasting that hole rotting in well below freezing cold Minnesota.

I gotta get outta here before someone makes me do something else.:rofl:
 
I'd do that.

Gotta wait till February though. Right now I'm banging away like mad to finish up a whole mess of stuff so I can get my skinny rear end to Florida for a bit. I've got a nice hole in my schedule, and I'm not wasting that hole rotting in well below freezing cold Minnesota.

I gotta get outta here before someone makes me do something else.:rofl:

going fishun karl??? or just watchun the waves come in? got guy i know down that way that will take yu after sea trout or reds and is a stand up fella..
 
going fishun karl??? or just watchun the waves come in? got guy i know down that way that will take yu after sea trout or reds and is a stand up fella..

No fishin' for me. I bought a new catamaran, and it finally came in last week. So I'm going drive down to Clearwater, put it together, probably put together a few other boats, do some training with my coach, then I'm going to drive down to Islamorada in the Keys and do some more training, then a three day regatta.

Then its back to all the darkness, cold and things I hate. Why anyone ever would ever settle, or worse, stayed here after experiencing a winter in this god forsaken climate is beyond me. :crazy:

I don't like winter, can you tell?:rofl:

oh, and me boat aarrrgh (pirate voice) actually, my last one.

62715_1494447972398_1570037517_31197739_1627577_n.jpg
 
well whats this world comin too a guy in gods country where the walley can eat a large perch in one bite and practically jump in the boat for fun and yu are a fancy sailer guy:):rofl:
 
well whats this world comin too a guy in gods country where the walley can eat a large perch in one bite and practically jump in the boat for fun and yu are a fancy sailer guy:):rofl:

:dunno:

I go ice fishing once in a while, but I don't buy a license, nor do I put a line in the water. I usually show up at a buddies ice house, drink beer, solve a few of the worlds problems, and play board games. After being trapped in my house for a few months I start going stir crazy.


Man this poor thread has been hijacked hard.
 
Then its back to all the darkness, cold and things I hate. Why anyone ever would ever settle, or worse, stayed here after experiencing a winter in this god forsaken climate is beyond me. :crazy:

I don't like winter, can you tell?:rofl:

I agree with you Karl. I made 7 trips from SW Missouri to Detroit Lakes MN from 1st of Oct to end of March so glad I will never have to do that again.

But on the other side Larry I have made a trip up your way in summer (Allegan MI) and it was Fantastic but I have no desire to come up there in the winter.

Jay
 
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