Raised Panel Thickness

Other Versions
Spanish Three-quarter-inch, eleven-sixteenths-inch, or five-eighths inch? May 10, 2005

Question
I'm not real happy with the profile being used on my raised panels. We use 13/16" thickness. I like what I get using 11/16". A little less reveal. Are 11/16" raised panels for cabinet doors considered sufficient or is 3/4" considered minimum? We use mostly red oak and poplar. What is minimum thickness for good raised panels?

Forum Responses
(Cabinetmaking Forum)
From contributor F:
I think 11/16" is thick enough. The only minimum involved is the raised panel profile. If someone made a raised panel knife for a half inch thick panel that looked nice, who's to say it's wrong? Panels float and are not structural.

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From contributor W:
Our standard panels are 5/8 thick. The panel is raised on the front even with the stiles and rails, so when it goes through the wide belt, it hits all the flats in one lick. The panel is flat on the back. We also make shaker style doors with a reversed raised panel that is 3/8 thick. Never yet had a callback on one of these.

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From the original questioner:
Thanks. Just wanted someone else to tell me it was okay besides myself.