using sapele for cabinet doors

[jackl young]

I am planning on using wide sapele-14 to 18 inch- flat boards for cabinet doors, do I need to worry about warpage if I use them without ripping and regluing alternating end to end or are they stable enough on their own? the boards are 5 to 10 years in storage .they will be 30 to 34 inches long.

[Jim Dwight]

It matters how you will use them. If you inset the doors, for instance, the movement from humidity may affect the ability to open and close the doors. Sealing them up with poly could help with that. If they are overlay, you can allow generous clearances to deal with it.

In general you do not see nice old cabinets with wide single board doors because that is not a strong or stable arrangement for the material. Wood is weak across the grain so slamming a door built this way, or closing it on something, could split the door. Warping is not the only risk. Using the wide boards for a panel in a frame and panel construction is traditionally what is done and it helps with both issues.

Because the boards are old it might work. But the movement that looks OK for a board in a pile of boards is different from the amount of acceptable movement in a cabinet door. They may look stable, in other words, and look differently once incorporated in a cabinet.

[J.R. Rutter]

Good answer, Jim.

[Joe Jensen]

I have used Sapele quite a bit. When quarter sawn its very stable. But it's unlikely that you will see boards with the grain perpendicular to the face across the entire width. With boards that wide you will almost certainly have grain that goes parallel to the face and that will warp over the seasonal changes.

I did a project where we wanted the look the Sapele grain running across the entire panel. I carefully choose only boards where the grain was very perpendicular to the face and glued up panels. I then veneered them with Sapale. Lots of work. If I were doing that project and had to have that look I'd start by taking Baltic Birch Plywood in 1/2 the thickness you need for the door. Make base panels of the Baltic Birch with double layers veneer pressed together. I'd make sure to double them so the same face is glued to minimize any potential warp. I'd then edge band with solid wood and veneer. You can still get nice veneer from Certainly Wood. You could also slice veneers that are thicker, say 1/8th inch.

[Bradley Gray]

I have made doors with wide boards in the 4 piece style of George Nakashima:

https://www.google.com/search?q=George+nakashima+3+piece+door&tbm=isch&imgil=BVgF2Xs-H7ZlCM%253A%253BksUo5nVRr-1hnM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.1stdibs.com %25252Ffurniture%25252Fstorage-case-pieces%25252Fbuffets%25252Funique-george-nakashima-sliding-door-cabinet-w-top-piece-1969%25252Fid-f_203454%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=BVgF2Xs-H7ZlCM%253A%252CksUo5nVRr-1hnM%252C_&usg=__RaiFIIRcMdXjtOeEbtwbEcBhgt4%3D&biw=1204&bih=819&ved=0CDMQyjc&ei=YjYCVfC3Lo-QyQSMsoKQCQ#imgdii=_&imgrc=godg8LfVR8ITYM%253A%3BKof6sPu1Eio4qM%3Bhttp% 253A%252F%252Fwww.nakashimawoodworker.com%252Fdire ctus%252Fmedia%252Fthumbnails%252F7f1be82f240bfc56 e875e277796c4a7b-jpg-750-410-true.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.nakashimawoodwor ker.com%252Ffurniture%252F7%3B750%3B410

the doors are made of a top and bottom rail and 2 wide boards that also function as stiles. the gap between allows for movement. In a cabinet with multiple doors this displays wide boards effectively. The top and bottom rails keep things flat.

[J.R. Rutter]

Bradley, how did your doors hold up over time? I am considering adding this style to my portfolio, but don't want to hit warranty issues on down the road. This is a prototype I made last week in QS sapele, which seems like a perfect choice for this style. The center is splined with 1/4" sapele ply and 1/8" extra space in the groove, and only the outer edges got glue to force movement to the inside.