Fast and easy cabinet door...Opinion

[beckman609]

Just finished building a new shop. 24X24 One wall will have a large section= of shop built cabinets. I'd like to put doors on the cabinets to keep the = dust out of my stuff (well at least try). I want fast cheap and dimensional= ly stable. I could cut up a bunch of 3/4 MDF for the doors but that stuff i= s heavy and the hinges may rip out with shop use. I could make real rail an= d stile doors with a ply panel but that is a lot of work for a shop door. P= lywood warps unless you use the expensive baltic birch stuff.

Then I had an idea. I'd like your comments. What if I took a sheet of 1/4 l= uan and laid it on the concrete floor. Using liquid nails I glued a series = of 1x4 clear pine in the shape of the desired door sizes. Then I glue anoth= er sheet of luan to the top. Compress the whole thing with concrete blocks.= After a couple of days, cut out the doors by ripping them such that each d= oor has 1/2 the width of the 1x4. I'd end up with a light, strong and dimen= sionally stable, door. A 4x8 sheet of doors at a time. Would they be as goo= d as I think?

John

[Leon]

shop built cabinets. I'd like to put doors on the cabinets to keep the dust out of my stuff (well at least try). I want fast cheap and dimensionally stable. I could cut up a bunch of 3/4 MDF for the doors but that stuff is heavy and the hinges may rip out with shop use. I could make real rail and stile doors with a ply panel but that is a lot of work for a shop door. Plywood warps unless you use the expensive baltic birch stuff.

and laid it on the concrete floor. Using liquid nails I glued a series of 1x4 clear pine in the shape of the desired door sizes. Then I glue another sheet of luan to the top. Compress the whole thing with concrete blocks. After a couple of days, cut out the doors by ripping them such that each door has 1/2 the width of the 1x4. I'd end up with a light, strong and dimensionally stable, door. A

4x8 sheet of doors at a time. Would they be as good as I think?

I would go with the MDF, cheap and fast and the green stuff is water resistant, almost water proof.

You have a valid concern about the hinges. If you are putting face frames on your cabinets these Blum face frame Euro hinges are up to the challenge and are very very reasonably priced especially in multiples of 50.

use the 1/2" overlay, screw in, by the hundreds.

[G. Ross]

of shop built cabinets. I'd like to put doors on the cabinets to keep the dust out of my stuff (well at least try). I want fast cheap and dimensionally stable. I could cut up a bunch of 3/4 MDF for the doors but that stuff is heavy and the hinges may rip out with shop use. I could make real rail and stile doors with a ply panel but that is a lot of work for a shop door. Plywood warps unless you use the expensive baltic birch stuff.

luan and laid it on the concrete floor. Using liquid nails I glued a series of

1x4 clear pine in the shape of the desired door sizes. Then I glue another sheet of luan to the top. Compress the whole thing with concrete blocks. After a couple of days, cut out the doors by ripping them such that each door has 1/2 the width of the 1x4. I'd end up with a light, strong and dimensionally stable, door. A 4x8 sheet of doors at a time. Would they be as good as I think?

Thanks for the link. I ordered a few to play with. Have never used Euro hinges before. Do I need a special forstner bit for the one you mentioned?

[dadiOH]

You are making hollow doors, should be fine. The only problem you may encounter is with hinges and that depends on the type. Your doors are going to wind up about 1 1/4 thick so you need hinges for that.

When I make hollow doors (or panels) I rip the rails/stiles a 2x4 so that they are 1/2 or 5/8" thick. I butt glue the rails to the stiles and run 2 -

1/4" dowels through each corner of the stile into the rails.

For skins, I use luaun door skins which are 1/8" thick. They are glued on with yellow glue. Concrete blocks might work, don't know as I use home made clamps along each edge which is where you want the pressure, not in the middle. The clamps are rings about 3/4" wide cut off a 2" PVC pipe and then split on one side. One doesn't put on much pressure but when thay are spaced 6" or so apart it is plenty.

[Unquestionably Confused]

Go back and check out that link. The specifications say the hinge pockets are 35mm. If you happen to have a Forstner in that size you're good to go, otherwise dig out that wallet again

Note also that they list a .pdf file (without a link) containing instructions. DAGS and you'll probably find all that you need.

One other suggestion that I'm thinking of incorporating in some wall hung tool cabinets I hope to build this winter.

After installing new doors throughout the house this past year, I have a load of door hinges that I refused to toss in the garbage. I'm going to make some wall cabinets framed out in quality 2x lumber, "milled down" to avoid the rounded edges.

The wall cabinet itself will be 2X with appropriately sized cross pieces along the back to give it strength, provide for hanging and to support the interior back wall which will be perforated hardboard or maybe slatwall (not sure on that yet)

I'm envisioning the cabinet being either 4' or 5' wide with double doors (2' or 2½') hinged on either side the framework (rails & stiles) will be similarly "milled" out of 2x lumber and depth is to be determined. I'll "skin" the face with 1/4" ply but otherwise the door will be pretty much a mirror image of the cabinet itself with plenty of storage on the inside. 3 door hinges to either side should provide all the strength needed to keep them hanging straight.

[Unquestionably Confused]

I'd heard of that shop tip in the past but had forgotten about it. Thanks for reminding us all of that cheap, customizable alternative to Bessey, et al

[Swingman]

for the doors but that stuff is heavy and the hinges may rip out with shop use.

Not necessarily. When I retrofitted and moved back into my old shop last year, I used 3/4" MDF (the green stuff Leon mentioned) for the cabinet doors.

's the entire retrofit:

your doors are extra large, just use three hinges on each door.

I had "Salice Silentia Soft-Close" 3/4 overlay hinges leftover from another job, and used those for the shop cabinets, but any decent Euro hinge will work.

Once painted, a good quality MDF door is as good, utility wise, as any wooden door, and a lot cheaper and easier on the budget.

[-MIKE-]

section of shop built cabinets. I'd like to put doors on the cabinets to keep the dust out of my stuff (well at least try). I want fast cheap and dimensionally stable. I could cut up a bunch of 3/4 MDF for the doors but that stuff is heavy and the hinges may rip out with shop use. I could make real rail and stile doors with a ply panel but that is a lot of work for a shop door. Plywood warps unless you use the expensive baltic birch stuff.

1/4 luan and laid it on the concrete floor. Using liquid nails I glued a series of 1x4 clear pine in the shape of the desired door sizes. Then I glue another sheet of luan to the top. Compress the whole thing with concrete blocks. After a couple of days, cut out the doors by ripping them such that each door has 1/2 the width of the 1x4. I'd end up with a light, strong and dimensionally stable, door. A 4x8 sheet of doors at a time. Would they be as good as I think?

I think the mdf would've saved you a bunch of time and effort. :-) If you've seen hinges "rip out," they were installed improperly.

[-MIKE-]

I just used a bunch of those for double refined (heavy!) mdf doors and they are very strong and sturdy.

[Lew Hodgett]

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35 mm or 1-3/8".

Freud includes one in their carbide set.

Lew

[-MIKE-]

I can't speak for Leon, but I installed dozens of those hinges in mdf and the key is to use screws designed for mdf. I've used regular square drive softwood screws from McFeeley's with not a single problem, too. But these specialty screws just seem to bite a little better.

are also screws at McFeely's or Woodcraft that are designed for mdf with the cutting/drilling tip and wide, toothed threads.

I have has great results with these specialty screws, holding tightly in very shallow holes.

[Swingman]

"OMG, you can't put screws into MDF, Verne!!"

(It's funny how long it takes for some things to get past preconceived, knee jerk notions of the past) :)

Not to mention that we're talking about EURO hinges in the DOORS _only_.

Much of the support/holding action of EURO hinges comes from the cup.

Just about any screw made for, and supplied with, the specific hinges will serve you well when mounted into high quality MDF doors.

Unless they made their cabinets out of MDF (ouch, hurts my back to think about), the clips themselves are screwed into wood end panels of the cabinets, fercrisakes. :)

[-MIKE-]

Ever since I got into pocket hole joinery, I've been in the habit of "snugging by hand." And since I've been using a driver with an adjustable torque clutch, I've also gotten into the habit of calibrating the clutch with some cut-off scraps of like material.

Sometimes, it's hard for my brain to "trust" this calibration. :-) But inevitably, when I go to double check, by hand, the screws I drove with my calibrated clutch setting, I discover the clutch had done its job and the screws are nice and snug.

The short answer to your question is, you can use a powered driver with a torque clutch. :-) I don't know what it is about those Spax threads, but they make a big difference. Even the yellow/brassy short mdf screws from HD/Lowes/Ace hold much better than sheetrock screws.

[Swingman]

As you are aware, Spax screws have a superior sheer strength, which is generally what you need when installing cabinets.

Coupled with an impact driver, in my books they're one of cabinetmaker's best friends.

I also like the FastCap cabinet-to-cabinet screws, and buy them by the pound.

[-MIKE-]

I've put a bunch of them into plywood boxes, too, using the same mdf screws. There's something about the toothed-thread design that makes they hold very well in anything *soft.

(* soft is obviously a relative term)

[-MIKE-]

I LOOOOOVE FastCap screws and use them for much more than just cabinetry.

[Swingman]

Plywood is "wood" ... ;)

[-MIKE-]

You know what I mean, foo! :-p

[dpb]

...

I'll go the other route than most of the responses I've seen (altho haven't read everything in the thread it has been a fair fraction). If you standardize the sizes and do it as a production run w/, say, a square rail/stile, you could do conventional doors in a very short time and have a much nicer product in the end...

Amana and several others makes a mission-style cutter set that I like since I have 3/4"|1" spindle shaper but you can do it all w/ just the tablesaw as well...

They square up automagically on assembly if simply make sure the ends are cut square. I use wide stock wide enough for 3 or 4 at a time then rip to width and groove. Again, pick a few standard sizes and they can be turned out en masse...I've made such for shop and other not-for-prime-time use out of just standard one-by shelving stock and fir ply or even masonite/hardboard and w/ a coat of paint they're very presentable...

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[Leon]

35mm but I used a 1-3/8", essentially the same size, for many many years. 35mm = 1.377953", 1-3/8" = 1.375 Basically .003" difference.