After going at coopered doors mathematically and doing some prototypes/experiments, first in MDF and then with shorts/scraps using various blade angle/fence set ups, I learned the following:
- Algebra, trig and geometry will get you sizes and angles that work - but it gives me a headache AND I got lost in the calcs, the blade / fence set ups, and making the cuts, overlooking the continuity of the grain on the outside face of the doors
- Efficiency and aesthetics/ esthetics are often mutually exclusive. The One Blade Angle/One Fence set up was efficient, but the grain continuity was sacrificed. The rip all "staves" to initial width then set the blade angle and fence to bevel the edges takes a little longer but gives nicer looking results - if you pay attention.
- Marking the "good face" and keeping the marked good face down on the saw table, then numbering the parts as their cut, with an arrow identifying which way is "UP", is essential to keeping the grain continuity straight (unless you're a Rubic's Cube expert.)
- Making a glue up jig with holes for clamping and tape on the top edges to keep from gluing the doors to the jig sounds great - BUT - the outside of the doors, the part that would show. was "down" where I couldn't see if the joints were tight on the outside - the critical face. - tape is SLIPPERY! and the parts slid all over hell when I tried clamping them up Putting glue on two adjacent edges, rubbing them together and then using rubber bands to hold them together works and is a lot easier than making something to make something.
- A thin kerf carbide circular saw blade is a lot quieter than a 10" regular kerf Forrest WWII, doesn't eat up as much wood, is MUCH less expensive and is almost impossible to kickback
- Make the coopered doors first then build the cabinet to fit them.
Have posted shot of the honey (or is it black?) locust coopered doors with 8 or ten coats of one pound cut dewaxed garnet shellac (kids prefer its other name - bug spit) to a.b.p.w. These boards have a lot of chatoyancy (think of tiger eye or star saphires) which a photo just doesn't do justice.
Fun this woodworking thing.
charlie b