Kitchen cabinet doors

**Midnight Man** · 26th February 2017, 11:11 PM

Hi folks, and thank you to anyone who might be able to lend some advice or thoughts here!

I'm looking to redo a kitchen, and pretty much have the cabinet side of things sorted out - what is giving me cause for thought is the cabinet doors. Given that there might be some custom size cabinetry involved, I don't want to purchase pre made doors, I'd rather make them from scratch. We are keen on Tasmanian Oak to compliment some other furniture that will be near to the kitchen, and I can easily find supplies of 235x19mm DAR Tasmanian Oak - if I then take two lengths, and join them together, I can end up with a door 470mm wide, which is plenty wide enough for any cabinet I'm planning on making (and in fact, most of them would require some degree of cutting down to more suitable width). Additionally, given that I don't want the doors 19mm in thickness, I am planning on ripping them down to 16mm.

There are two things I am not 100% sure on - the first of these is the method best used to join these timbers - I am guessing a biscuit join won't be strong enough. I am thus leaning toward a dowel join, but again am not sure if this will be strong enough. Could anyone shed some light on this and share their experience or thoughts please?

The second of these is the best finish for these doors - we want the natural timber colour to come through, so a clear finish would be best, and we'd preferably like a satin type finish as opposed to high gloss. Would anyone be able to share thoughts or experience on a suitable finish for these please?

Many thanks to all for thoughts, suggestions and advice!

**chambezio** · 26th February 2017, 11:34 PM

Mate....to make doors out of flat solid timber will be asking for trouble. Being solid timber 19mm would be the more appropriate thickness for durability alone than 16mm. To make the doors as you have described is inviting a lot of trouble. The timber will want to cup and will be exaggerated when gluing 2/ 235mm pieces together(forming a 470mm door). The tried and tested method to making cabinet doors is to make a frame and put a solid timber panel inside the frame. If you are wanting a "flat look" to the doors that can be done using the frame and panel method.

**Chief Tiff** · 26th February 2017, 11:39 PM

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news; but if you construct your doors the way you are suggesting they will twist and warp.

You can reduce this with careful timber selection and constructing them with with breadboard ends.

As for joining the planks a simple rubbed joint is sufficient; it's not like they're load bearing. Biscuits or dowels are unnecessary; just make the two edges to be joined flat and smooth

**derekcohen** · 26th February 2017, 11:52 PM

Hi MM

I am in the process of building kitchen doors ... actually, I have just completed them all (about 20), and am currently building the drawer fronts - some of them are like mini doors, which are all frame-and-panel.

Solid wood panels will warp, unless you use breadboard ends on each door. The more traditional way is a frame-and-panel, in which the panel floats - that is, is not glued in - which is to control for expansion. It is the expansion, due to moisture or heat, that causes warping. If you used veneered plywood or veneered MDF, the panels could be glued as they will not expand and contract.

The link to my build is here: Kitchen doors

I am replacing 20-year old raised panel doors in Tasmanian Oak with simple Shaker styled doors in Hard Maple ...

The doors are all finished in a water-based poly, which is very durable and leaves the wood with a natural look ... that is, it does not add colour. My write up is here: Hand finishing water-based poly.

Regards from Perth

Derek

**Midnight Man** · 27th February 2017, 11:06 PM

Thank you for all the replies and very helpful advice all

It seems I need to rethink my design, and I'm very glad to have found this out now! I'm also going to have to rethink my equipment list (and again, very good to know ahead of time)

It'll be a while now with this new information, but I'll try come back here and update with news and information (and likely questions) when I get under way!

Off to find a nice, non-flat design now (we didn't really want fully flat anyway, but my design plan will need to change a little now!)

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