cabinet door advice needed

[Steve]

I'm building garage cabinets for a client -- 21 feet wide, 5 feet tall,

16 inches deep. The client wants all-plywood construction, and that's what I'm doing, except for clear pine face frames.

Not counting non-planar and out-of-square walls and ceilings, the carcasses and face frames are great. Unfortunately, the 1/2-inch plywood doors warped, as I was afraid they would do. These are just plywood panels set flush with the face frame using T-hinges. She likes the rustic look of the silver hinges with high-gloss white paint, but she doesn't like the warp. I don't blame her; I don't like it either.

I'm looking for a fix for the doors. Here are the options I've thought of so far:

• Double up the plywood. I'll have to rip 1/2" off all the shelves, and I don't think it will work, and I don't think it will look good.

• Apply a frame around the edge of the door with a diagonal piece. It would look like a barn door. I'm leaning toward this one.

• Make new flat-panel doors. The T-hinges wouldn't work well with these, because the frame would be too narrow.

Anybody have better suggestions?

Thanks,

[cc]

How about groove and panel, using 1/2" lightweight MDF for the panels, and a lightweight wood for the rail/stiles? Or use the MDF panels and overlay with a hardwood strip that looks like rails and stiles?

[dadiOH]

I feel your pain. I recently made some 14" x 40" frame and ply panel doors for utility cabinets...1 1/2 x 3/4 rails and stiles, 1/4" ply. The damn ply warped enough to distort the frames all of which are now

1/2" proud of the face frames at one corner on each door. For the moment, I am living with it. _____________

Not likely to work. Might - if the warp in each layer was complimentary - but not likely. Fact of the matter is that plywood does NOT stay flat without being fastened to something or being well constrained. ________________

That should work IF the frame is stout and flat before applying the ply. It has to be strong enough to resist the twisting force of the ply. _________________

You mean a frame with overlaid ply/whatever? If yes, just add a couple of rails for the hinges to fasten to.

Actually, I think this is the best long-term choice for flat doors that will stay flat. Going to be more than 1/2" thick though. I made one recently, used 3/4 x 2" stock doweled together for the frame, 1/8" ply door skins glued over both sides. Light & flat but 1" thick.

[goaway]

Steve, I suspect that these cabinets are for "storage" for that area. (Not a tough guess). What I have done with this situation is to make a frame that attaches to the inside of the door. It allows peg board to be attached to the door to disguise the frame that keeps the warp down. In very large doors

4' x8', I have used this to hide turn buckles that keep the sage down. In the very large doors, I have used the so called "economy" studs to make the frame. The frame looks like this: The boards are mounted on edge. ___ | | |___|

Good Luck. Paul

[Jack Stein]

You could rip grooves about 1/4" deep down the length of the doors spaced to make it look like individual boards say 3" - 4" apart. Do the same to the back of the door with the groves off set from the front groves about a half inch or so. Then, screw 3/4" battens across the top and bottom of the doors to keep everything flat and strong.

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