Interior Pantry Doors ?

[Bob G.]

My son in law asked me to make a "set" of pantry doors for him...

Normal HEIGHT but only 15 inches wide.. and the standard thickness of an interior door...

Just a simple question as I have never made a door such as this before

Wood stability ..(.twist etc) . how much should I expect... and what steps should I take to minimize that.. I will be gluing up the door...and they will have glass in the top section...

Hate ot make the doors and have them deform in 5 months...

Since this is on my nickel and the doors will be painted I planned on using Poplar...

Bob Griffiths

[Swingman]

While not an accomplished door maker by any means, the one thing I have learned in the ones I've made is to start with absolutely FLAT, square stock and pay particular attention to straight grain throughout. Take great pains in this regard.

Unless you're extremely lucky in your selections where you buy your wood, this usually means milling it yourself, following all the usual guidelines for moisture content, acclimation to shop temp/humidity, etc.

Poplar will work. So will quarter sawn red oak, and it will likely be more stable over the years. I am always surprised at the amount of quarter sawn red oak stock that is in the bins at the BORG's ... you just have to look for it.

In a nutshell, FLAT stock, and SQUARE cuts, are the foundations of a good door of any type... everything else should fall into place.

... then you have to worry that the pantry is square and the FF, or end panels and floors, are flat ... but you can't control everything.

Good luck.

[woodworker88]

Make sure any wood you use is completely dried and to the recommended moisture content before it is machined smooth, flat, and square. Otherwise you will make it square and flat and it will continue to change shape (warp).

[Wilson Lamb]

[no(SPAM)vasys]

I've made raised panel bi-fold doors for two bedroom closets and one walk-in linen closest off our bathroom, two were oak and one white pine. All were finished with dewaxed shellac. The door openings were all standard height and 30" wide (15" wide panels)and made from 3/4" stock. I started with kiln dried lumber and let it acclimatize to the house before milling the lumber. The newest is the bathroom door and it's about two years old. None have twisted or bowed, even in the humid bathroom environment.

[Mike]

You could remove the hinges from a 2/6 bifold. There are several styles available that could be painted. You might even be able to find a pine set with glass in the top.

Mike O.