[mattsk8]

I've made alot of cabinet doors but never an interior door. I've seen the router bits at Woodcraft but was always afraid to get them and try them on my router table. Has anyone done this successfully on a router table??
I would like to practice on my own house. Thanks for any replys...

 

[Mellison]

I'm not a woodworker so I have my carpenter make all my interior doors.
He only charges me $300.00 each for a pre war style so this is the best route for me.
If you can do and make some cash go for it.

 

[mattsk8]

I would love to and probably will. I want to make 3 panel mission style doors. It seems simple enough. Probably make em out of poplar w/ 1/2" ply panels. Just was curious if anyone here did this?? I guess this style would probably be easier w/ a dado blade than to make it w/ a router table eh? How deep should I make the tenon joints for the rail and stiles?

 

[cleveman]

I made a bunch years ago. As I recall, they were 4 vertical panel construction. If I had to do it again, I would go with 5 panel horizontal construction. I was using about 1 3/4" white oak with 7/8" panels. I used a dadoe blade for the panels and used the same depth (maybe an inch) for the rails and stiles. I let the panels float of course.

I prehung them in door jacks with threshholds. I was probably stronger then and I remember I couldn't carry the doors in the jacks. Had to install the jacks, then mount the doors in them. It was quite a feat to carry the doors alone.

The mortised-in locksets were very nice. I would use these again if I had the opportunity. They were tough to install. I had a boring jig and whatever diameter bit necessary (1/2 or 5/8), then chiseled them out clean. I thought it looked good on the original pine doors I was replacing, but it was a different story in the white oak. In the original doors they must have bored them out by hand with an auger bit. As I recall, you could see the mark left by the spur on the bottom of the mortise, all the way across.

Good luck.

 

[Leo G]

Yep, make'm all the time. Not with a router though, use a shaper and standard woodworking equipment.

 

[Splinter]

Hey, that first shot looks familiar..

I do them occasionally. Other times I farm it out to Leo. :thumbup:

 

[mattsk8]

Wow! Leo G, nice work!! I wish I could work w/ you for a week or so and learn a few things. I've seen some of the other stuff you've posted and it's all amazing. I want a shaper but limited shop space means it has to be portable. Those doors are amazing :thumbsup:...

 

[lavrans]

Router table's fine for some parts. Interior doors are pretty easy. But- I don't know if I would use Poplar for a full size door. I don't use it for cabinet doors even- it's not all that stable. Good for captured items (trim, etc.). Then you also need to make sure it's all at the same MC & well acclimated to your shop f you're using dimensional lumber.

They aren't all that hard though- it's just a matter of taking your time and going through all the steps.

 

[Teetorbilt]

Very nice Leo! I've denigrated to cabinet doors and even that is falling off.

 

[mikeswoods]

Nice work all of you!!!
I've never tried to make any thing larger than cabinet doors--Fun to see such skill---

 

[katoman]

Router table's fine for some parts. Interior doors are pretty easy. But- I don't know if I would use Poplar for a full size door. I don't use it for cabinet doors even- it's not all that stable. Good for captured items (trim, etc.). Then you also need to make sure it's all at the same MC & well acclimated to your shop f you're using dimensional lumber.

They aren't all that hard though- it's just a matter of taking your time and going through all the steps.

That's a pretty wide door. Did you run threaded rod through it? I did a couple of large church doors in oak with eliptical tops. Ran threaded rods horizontal, and used hammer head joints where the verticle rail met the eliptical rail.

That was a bit of work :thumbup: Sorry, no pics. I could google and find pics of that style of door.

 

[pinwheel]

Man, those are awesome doors Leo.

I have yet to tackle full size doors, but can't imagine it will be that much more difficult than making raised panel cabinet doors on the shaper. Not something I think I would want to tackle on the router table though.

 

[jaros bros.]

In my area, I can make doors with custom styles and from wood species that are more off the beaten path and make a profit. However, for the standards, I just can't make any profit because they sell them for just few hundred dollars.

My last door was a 1 3/4 inch craftsman style white quarter sawn oak door. 3' x 8' with cherry pegs and housed tenons.

I would like to do more doors but there is no profit in it. I was just in a local supply house this last month and they were selling nice African mahogany 3'0 6'8" for $500 finished with nice jambs. I just can't compete with that. Alongside that was a set of double doors for $1200.

 

[lavrans]

That's a pretty wide door. Did you run threaded rod through it? I did a couple of large church doors in oak with eliptical tops. Ran threaded rods horizontal, and used hammer head joints where the verticle rail met the eliptical rail.

That was a bit of work :thumbup: Sorry, no pics. I could google and find pics of that style of door.

No- I thought about it, but yakked with a bunch of much more experience door guys who talked me out of it. It's 3-6x7-0 and 2 1/4 thick0 double tenons throughout. So- we'll see. It's been through heat & a freeze & everything is still tight, so it's going to be a use and age question.

 

[mattsk8]

Do you have more pics of this kitchen? Did you install the floor? That floor's beautiful. I'm putting the same in my house right now. Almost got the living room done, just have to make the stairs. I made mine out of some wood I reclaimed from an old warehouse I helped tear down.
That glaze on all the cabinets goes well w/ it all too. Nice when the HO has good taste!

 

[Leo G]

Did I install the floor, no. I was working for another company and they installed the floor. It is reclaimed flooring from another house of the same period though. Can I install flooring like that, yes, I have don it many times. It is a pain. None of it is the same thickness and you need to shim the floor everywhere to get it even. You can't sand afterwords because it will take off the patina that has developed through the centuries. I build the cabinets, island, window and trim. I didn't actually built that particular door in the kitchen. But have since built 30 or so others just like it for the house. The guy who did build the door is the guy that trained me in woodworking. He had 15 years experience when I met him in my first wood shop job. After about 3 years I learned just about everything I could from him and then started to teach him stuff. He was skilled in woodworking but not really mechanically inclined. So I was able to build all kinds of jigs and fixtures that he didn't really have the thought process to think up.

 

[mattsk8]

Router table's fine for some parts. Interior doors are pretty easy. But- I don't know if I would use Poplar for a full size door. I don't use it for cabinet doors even- it's not all that stable. Good for captured items (trim, etc.). Then you also need to make sure it's all at the same MC & well acclimated to your shop f you're using dimensional lumber.

Thanks, I almost picked up some poplar for a painted cabinet job I'm doing cuz it's cost effective but after this I guess I'll make the ff's and doors out of maple instead. Just stinks cuz poplar is quite a bit cheaper.
I did a couple cabinets w/ poplar. One turned out well, was a small vanity for a bath. The other was a book case that had fairly large doors on the bottom third of it and one of the doors was a bit warped. Out like 1/8" on the bottom of it as opposed to the door next to it. I didn't know poplar wasn't very stable wood, thanks again.

 

[ContrBob]

Real nice!

Very nice work!!!

Yep, make'm all the time. Not with a router though, use a shaper and standard woodworking equipment.

 

[Bergstrom]

Leo are my eyes failing me or are the uppers in that kitchen angled in depth? If they are I have never seen that before, does that affect the operation of the hinges much? Nice work BTW :thumbsup:

 

[Leo G]

Nope, you eyes are seeing clear. They are called slant front cabinets. They were primarily used on ships. The doors would be self closing because of the angle of the front of the cabinet. Because the door sits squarely in the angled portion of the face frame the is no difference between a plumb frame and this angled frame. The bottom and top rails are plumb. People freak when I tell them the pricing on these cabinets. It is close to double a standard set.