Expansion coefficients, pine/larch versus mdf?

[Alec_t]

I'm planning on making a cupboard door by routing a groove in some pine or larch for the frame around an mdf panel made up of left-over laminate flooring planks. Are differences in expansion coefficient (either thermal or moisture-dependent) between the different materials likely to be a problem? Can I glue the panel into the grooves, or must it be a loose fit?

 

[Why Not Indeed]

Leave it a loose fit and then any differential doesn't matter.

 

[Notch7]

if the cupboard is going into a centrally heated house, expansion and contraction wont be a problem.

when I make shaker doors with tulipwood frame and 9mm moisture resistant mdf I do the groove only about 0.2mm loose

the thing to watch out for is that when the timber parts are grooved, if left for a few days the timber can move a bit and the groove can close up.

you can glue the panel in place it wont move much and you dont want the panel to be able to move around or rattle.

 

[Alec_t]

Thanks guys. I realise that a loose fit would avoid any expansion problem, but was hoping to glue the panel in place, at least into the groove in the stile which will have the hinges, so that the panel weight could be taken mainly by that stile and the frame timber could be fairly slim. The cupboard will be in a centrally heated house, so I think I'll glue the panel with silicone (to allow very slight movement), after leaving panel and frame timber to reach the same temperature/humidity conditions.