Recently, Central City Millworks completed a project which involved installing an entire room full of traditional style raised paneling. The one thing I did not like about these rooms previously is that the stiles and rails holding the panels in place are full of nail holes and putty spots. I decided to come up with a way in which it could be done with hidden fasteners. To my surprise, after testing every complicated technique I could think of, I found it to be as easy as otherwise traditional methods. All you have to do is calculate for an extra inch on the stile and rail width to accommodate a ½” x ½” rabbit on either side as shown below:
This rabbit allows for fasteners to be applied into the concealed part of the stile/rail that is covered by the applied molding. This additional ½” x ½” can be added to the outside edges of the raised panel and be fastened in the same manner as shown below:
I recommend using a cdx plywood substrate so that there are no troubles when nailing, and this will afford you the opportunity to implement a construction adhesive on the rear of the panels. Lay out and install all of the stiles and rails, then take the measurements for the raised paneling. You will have to rabbit out the underside of the rails to get tight joinery, but this can easily be done on a sliding miter saw with a depth set. Once the stiles, rails, and panels are installed, simply use a 23g pin pneumatic nail gun to install the applied molding and your done.
