Cabinet door advice needed

[plin321]

I'm the guy who's building a stereo/tv cabinet. I've posted a couple of questions before and you guys have been very helpful.

Here is the cabinet I'm trying to replicate:

is done, except building the doors. Has anyone built doors like the ones used on this cabinet? They look like they were cut out of a single piece of wood, rather than using the usual door frame built from solid wood strips joined by lap joints. The glass inserts they use look like they're flush with the front of the doors and are not inset into the frame by much.

I was thinking about using a solid piece of 3/4" birch for each door and routing out a hole for each glass insert. I could either route it from the back, fairly deeply (like 1/2"), so the glass is close to being flush with the door front, or route the hole from the front and use some kind of glue to mount the glass. Veneer tape would be used around the door edges.

Another option would be to build the door frames the usual way, then use veneer sheeting on the door front to give the appearance of a continuous piece of wood.

If anyone has other suggestions, I'd appreciate it.

Also, I was originally going to make a drawer for the bottom center compartment (below the center speaker area), but I've decided to just put a hinged door (with glass insert) on it instead, which will give me the option of using this space for an additional component. For the time being, however, it'll just be used for storage (dvd's etc). What I'd like to do is have the door open and inside of it would be a box that could slide out and be removed and set aside, without having to use any drawer slides on the sides of the cabinet. Does anyone know of some low profile "rollers" that I could use on the bottom of this box so it'll slide back and forth easily without marring the surface of the cabinet interior? If not, I'll just install a drawer slide and remove it later if need be.

Thanks again!

[dpb]

[e-mail] wrote: ...

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I'd wager the doors (as well as the whole cabinet) are MDF w/ veneer w/ not a piece of solid wood anywhere in the whole thing. That's probably what I'd do as well, but depending on what you've used for the carcase, would make sense to match whatever that was. No sense in making them from solid wood, however, as you'll either have vertical grain on the end pieces or short-grain pieces if try to join them edgewise to maintain the grain continuity.

The glass may well be lexan rather than smoked glass, but either is possible. Looks like probably was inset from the rear and that would be the easier to make a neat-looking front as the edge would be hidden. Not enough detail in photos to tell whether there was a strip or what used for mounting but would want to make the mounting so that there is a way to replace one if it were to get broken.

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A piece of UHMW or solid nylon would work well on the bottom of the box as glides.

[bent]

Important I think is the thickness of the glass, how smoked, and if the edge with be straight, or rounded, and if polished. I think from the back, but depending on the edge of the glass itself you may cam it into the face from the rear, if wanted?

[bent]

or cam/pin from the bottom side, possibly with a drilled pin on the top, or a minor groove. Oh, and the post before.

[bent]

set screws come with a variety of head types/shapes sizes including a tiny point for positioning/grabbing the thing they come in contact with to a degree of pressures. You could install it into a pressed in thread or heli-coil. Some of these are HD borg stock. Otherwise see a fastener company. Just grind a > into the edge of the glass.

[bent]

the obvious choice of head would probably allow you to drill at an angle from the bottom if rq'd. Again standards of these fasteners apply for research.

[bent]

while I'm on stds. rounded is one I'm sure, so a ( is as good as any an impression.

[bent]

black is a common colour

[plin321]

I think I'll inset the glass from the back, so that it's 1/4" from the front of the door, then rout the front of the hole so it's rounded - rounded both in the corners as well as the edges of the hole being tapered in. If I use 3/4" plywood, however, the tapered edges would expose the plywood grain. I guess I could fill in the exposed grain with putty and sand it smooth before staining, hoping it blends in fairly well (it's going to be a dark walnut/espresso color). Veneer tape probably wouldn't work here. Another option would be to use 2 layers for the door, e.g. 1/2" plywood plus 1/4" solid birch glued to the front, but I'm not sure anyone sells 1/4" hardwood in sheets though...all I've seen in that thickness are strips. If someone sells quarter round molding in birch that's only 1/4" thick, that would be another option.

bent wrote:

[bent]

booze/christmas/computer/question waht I meant by groove was cove router bit I'll be gone soon enough for your sake

[plin321]

I think I'll inset the glass from the back, so that it's 1/4" from the front of the door, then rout the front of the hole so it's rounded - rounded both in the corners as well as the edges of the hole being tapered in. If I use 3/4" plywood, however, the tapered edges would expose the plywood grain. I guess I could fill in the exposed grain with putty and sand it smooth before staining, hoping it blends in fairly well (it's going to be a dark walnut/espresso color). Veneer tape probably wouldn't work here. Another option would be to use 2 layers for the door, e.g. 1/2" plywood plus 1/4" solid birch glued to the front, but I'm not sure anyone sells 1/4" hardwood in sheets though...all I've seen in that thickness are strips. If someone sells quarter round molding in birch that's only 1/4" thick, that would be another option.

bent wrote:

[bent]

I had that

[bent]

you could set up a jig/fixture to use with a dremel

[bent]

you could drill a hole in the side just smaller than the dia of a (black) ball bearing, then pack in a compression spring behind a dowel plug, like a ball detent pin (usu in a silver metal shroud)

[plin321]

Wow, I guess there are many ways to skin this cat ;)

I came up with what I think is the best solution. I'll rout out a hole the exact size of the glass insert from the rear. Then I'll rout out a second, larger area 1/4" shallower than the first hole, about 1" around the perimiter of the glass hole. I'll then glue a thin plywood "backing piece" to the glass. This backing piece will fit into the larger routed area and will have a hole for the "window". It'll be the size of the larger routed area. The glass/backing piece assembly will then be inserted into the hole, making the glass perfectly flush with the door front, and will be anchored to the door with glass retaining clips.

If the glass company can cut the glass with rounded corners, that would look pretty nice.