Building Cabinet Doors

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Building Cabinet Doors

Postby Gerdo » Mon Sep 18, 2006 4:10 pm

I need to build my cabinet doors. I want to use maple or poplar for the frames and a nice veneer plywood for the doors. (Simple and plain) My question is how thin of plywood can I get away with using and still not have them: bow, twist, be flimisy and still hold hinge/latch screws? I want to go thin for weight savings. 3/8"? 1/2"? 3/4"?
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Postby rainjer » Mon Sep 18, 2006 4:38 pm

I would go with 1/2" or 3/4".
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Postby madjack » Mon Sep 18, 2006 4:40 pm

Gerdo, if you are talking about regular panel type doors, you can use 1/8, since the frames will be acceptin' the hinges/latches and will control rigidity....
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Postby Chaotica » Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:00 pm

madjack wrote:Gerdo, if you are talking about regular panel type doors, you can use 1/8, since the frames will be acceptin' the hinges/latches and will control rigidity....
madjack 8)


Exactly. And don't glue the panel, let it float in the dado in the door frame.
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Another cabinet door question

Postby Aaron Coffee » Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:17 pm

I'm thinking of building my own cabinet doors, out of 1/2 ply. with rounded edges and a dado to inset the doors slightly, I have chrome hinges like Teardrop fix it shop sells for $12 a pair that I got for helping tear some old cabinets out of the folks house. I did have to remove about three layers of paint off of them. Back to my question what tools would I need? I have a jig saw, could borrow dads circular saw, the belt broke on the table saw and can't find a replacement. Probably time to replace the whole table saw anyway, I think it is Montgomery Wards if that tells you how old it is. Or should I just have a cabinet maker do them?
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Postby asianflava » Mon Sep 18, 2006 6:02 pm

Chaotica wrote:
madjack wrote:Gerdo, if you are talking about regular panel type doors, you can use 1/8, since the frames will be acceptin' the hinges/latches and will control rigidity....
madjack 8)


Exactly. And don't glue the panel, let it float in the dado in the door frame.


Yup, I learnt that one from Norm Abrams. I made my doors with 1/8" ply for the center panel. Was gonna do raised panels but figured that it was a lot of extra weight.
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Postby JunkMan » Mon Sep 18, 2006 7:38 pm

Chaotica wrote:Exactly. And don't glue the panel, let it float in the dado in the door frame.


I was told to put rubber spacers in the frames to keep the panels from rattling. I forget what they were called, but are availible from cabinet / woodworker supply type stores.
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Postby Ken A Hood » Mon Sep 18, 2006 7:42 pm

Just like the movie....... Space Balls
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Postby Gerdo » Mon Sep 18, 2006 7:54 pm

My doors are just going to be a panel, no frame. These may be replaced later for a shaker style door (frame/panel)
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Postby halfdome, Danny » Mon Sep 18, 2006 7:59 pm

Sorry Madjack, but after making hundreds of thousands of cabinet doors over the years 1/4" would be the minium panel thickness I would ever use on a 3/4" framed door. 1/8" skins are ok for hollow core doors and you could do that very easily with a 3/4" x 1 3/4" frame and skin both sides and shape to your desired profile. You could spray contact cement to adhere the skins to the frame. It would be nice to egg crate the interior with 3/4" cardboard eggcrate material available from Cabinet Shop suppliers. Space Balls are only needed if you use solid wood panels and I have never had the need for them since I put a drop of yellow glue in the middle of each frame member and one pin nail. A real solid and sweet door for a lightweight cabinet would be a 3/4" x 2" frame rebated ( rabbit) out in the back for the 1/4" panel that is glued in and pinned in, I've made many of those too.Danny
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Postby Chaotica » Mon Sep 18, 2006 8:45 pm

Gerdo wrote:My doors are just going to be a panel, no frame. These may be replaced later for a shaker style door (frame/panel)


Are they going to be sliders? If so use 1/4" ply.
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Postby Gerdo » Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:25 pm

The doors that I'm thinking of are just slugs of plywood, either painted or stained. Hinged on one side with latches. I do have one large door to build (22"x 38") and dont wand a twisted door that I may get with thiner plywood. Chaotica, Is your Avitar a picture of you?
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Postby bdosborn » Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:41 pm

Gerdo,

Head over to Austin Hardwoods on Mississippi and Santa Fe. They have baltic birch plywood that is much better than the stuff at Home Depot. It has 7 plys for 1/2" thickness as opposed to 5 for 3/4" from Home Depot. I used it for my drawers and it doesn't have any of the voids that the cheaper stuff has. They also have veneer plywood if you want to dress things up.

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Postby Chaotica » Mon Sep 18, 2006 10:00 pm

Gerdo wrote:Chaotica, Is your Avitar a picture of you?


Yes, it is.
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Postby JunkMan » Tue Sep 19, 2006 9:35 am

Ken A Hood wrote:Just like the movie....... Space Balls


Damm, I should have remembered that, it's one of my favorite movies! I love Mel Brooks movies.
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