Making Pine Inset Panels

I like natural wood especially pine, with knots, for furniture.   For most of the furniture I make I use SYP (Southern Yellow Pine).   It's difficult to find large panels except pine (not southern yellow) plywood for cabinet sides and drawer fronts (doesn't take paint & stain same as SYP).   In the past I resawed pine (to about 5/16" thick) and edge joined them to get a wide panel.  

SYP (Southern Yellow Pine) is the strongest pine, but has the problem that it tends to warp and crack with age.   So I have been making laminated panels for cabinet sides and drawer fronts.   I saw thin (usually 1/8") pine slabs from a 2x8, edge join several untill I have a suffuciently wide panel then laminate it to a thin plywood backing (3/16").   As I resaw thin panels from the side of a 2x8 SYP, I plane the 2x8 remnant before resawing again.   This keeps it from cracking (so far) and looks nice.    

Bandsaw resawing.  



Closer look at 2x8 being resawn.  



Resawing the last two 3/16" slabs from a 2x8.   Note the two resaw guides, the blue one on the left is a Kreg, the right one is homemade.



Planing off the bandsaw marks on the planer sled.  



Stack of 1/8" thick pine slabs, after passing through the jointer, for inset panel faces.



Glue bead on edge of 1/8" thick panel slab for edge joining.  



Edge joining a pine face.   It doesn't take much pressure to edge join 1/8" thick panels.   The bricks help prevent the panel from buckling under the pressure.



Sanding the edge joined pine face before laminating.  



Plywood (3/16") ready to laminate the face to it.   You can just see the face in the lower left corner.



Note the Rockler Quick Disconnect 5 point star knobs and the 'bondo' glue spreadder from Walmart.  



Close up of the 'bondo' spreadder.  



Bead of glue (Titebond II) on the backing.  



After using the 'bondo' glue spreadder.  



All the pressure bars are in place and under pressure.   The small pressure bars are ripped off sides of 2x8, so they are all 1-1/2" wide.   After tightening, I try to wiggle each bar and if one does, I drive a wedge above it until it won't wiggle anymore.  



Sure enough one did wiggle and you can see the wedge.   It doesn't wiggle any more.



Edge of a laminated panel insert.   This should be 5/16" thick.   You can see the plywood on top and the pine face below.



Large laminated panel, you can see the slight overlap of the face to the back panel.   The overlap will be sawn off for final fit into the frame.



Two panels being glued into a footboard for one of our storage beds.  



A foot board with laminated inset panels glued in and ready to paint.