Compute rail, stile, and floating panel dimensions for cabinet doors and frames.
Frame members — cut list
Panel — cut to
Cut the groove first, then size the panel to fit with the calculated gap. Never glue the panel — it must float freely for seasonal movement. Finish the panel before assembly so unfinished wood is not exposed when it shrinks.
A frame-and-panel door consists of two vertical stiles, two or more horizontal rails, and a floating panel. A groove is cut along the inside edge of all frame members (typically ¼″ wide × ⅜″ deep). The panel floats in this groove, free to expand and contract with seasonal moisture changes.
Rail blanks are cut longer than their shoulder-to-shoulder length by twice the groove depth — these extra lengths form stub tenons that slide into the stile grooves. This is the modern groove-and-tenon method, fast and strong for painted or veneered doors.
For traditional mortise-and-tenon rails, use the Mortise & Tenon Calculator to size the tenons, then add tenon length to the rail blank length accordingly.