Attachment 432521
Mine do not have any battens or such and I’ve had no issues whatsoever. The cabinet company is quite large and offered the doors as a stock choice so I’m sure they don’t have widespread problems.
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Attachment 432521
Mine do not have any battens or such and I’ve had no issues whatsoever. The cabinet company is quite large and offered the doors as a stock choice so I’m sure they don’t have widespread problems.
I wouldn't be overly concerned about solid doors. There isn't much difference between a raised panel mitered door and this situation in terms of chances of cupping or bowing. The mitered frame around the panel won't do much to hold the door from twisting or cupping. So the same concern would hold for raised panel doors. Our house is full of raised panel doors (walnut from Walzcraf) and all are dead flat with Zero twist or cup or bow. some are quite large actually.
I would make the slabs from multiple thin strips (say 2-3" wide) instead of one big slab to make it more stable.
Itd something that has always concerned me as well but I have seen numerous slab doors with and without battens that look fantastic years after install. Of course someone goes and tries them flush inset,... no workie.
I made this cabinet with flush inset slab doors with battens Attachment 432547Attachment 432548 These doors were air dried hickory and they are still flat after 8 months. Slamming dors can be eliminated with soft close hinges.
Im not saying with good spacing, and a life in a decently climate controlled space it couldnt work but in the world of flush inset a bank of doors with very tight reveals not in an aggressively climate (humidity) controled space, the reveals or even opening and closing, could be a serious callback issue. There are exceptions to every rule.
The Krenov school's method for resolving this problem is to take a high quality substrate like baltic birch, edge glue pieces of the selected wood species onto all four edges, mitered if you wish. Then completely veneer over both faces. Unless you cut the door apart, there would be no practical way to discern that it was anything other than solid wood throughout, unless you were on a determined mission to do so.
Plus, this method allows you to edge profile also, if desired so long as you've sized the edge pieces to be wider than the profile. If mitering, the elimination of end grain is a bonus too. Their practice was to use 3/32" shop sawn veneer, but it would still work with the thinner commercial veneer.
I agree with others that if the client/builder is asking for solid slab doors, some discussion may be in order to determine what it is they are trying to achieve, and how to accomplish the goals without the wood movement risks.
Edwin
If you cut one of those doors apart to see the core, I would bet you would be in for a surprise if you think they are made from solid lumber. The strips you are seeing are likely just the outer veneer being laid up randomly.
Now that I think about it, if you really wanted to know, just unscrew and remove one of the hinge cups and we'll then know if it's live or if it's Memorex.
DING DING lol. Other than cutting endgrain slices and gluing those top and bottom and then aligning the veneer to the joints.. but if I EVER have someone in my home, that would be that much of a butt hole, they will be shown the door with absolutely zero consideration. lol
The bottom line is, many posts here, and my own experience, have shot my worry about slab doors down in flames. They can be perfectly fine. Good material selection, hopefully a relatively decent climate conrol in the home, and allowing for the issues I wouldnt hesitate to build them if someone asked.
Okay, touché, you're right.
But as Mark indicates, the person who would actually point it out would be the same person who will point out door dings in your car that you already know are there.
Which is not to say long grain wrapping the entire door is necessarily a bad thing, especially if someone specifying a slab door is looking for a clean, quiet look.
My wife requested today I make a small cabinet for our washing room using solid wood including a single wood panel for the front doors. I will use sliding dovetails at back face to reinforce the solid wood door.
Coincidence?
Nothing wrong with solid wood panels. In the case of raised panel that’s pretty much the only way. Go the krenov way if you please but I’m the guy that will point out the couple blemishes in the paint of your new restored car.
Material selection and mill that material slow. Take the edge glue joints eaqually slow. Just oversized all your stock all the way to your last pass through the planer or sander. Let everything sit stickered between I long and gluing steps and make sure it’s all on a dead flat bench with exact thickness stickers. If your surgical about your construction and don’t use like African mahogany or something stupid you will have no issues.
I have done this for some pretty wide drawer fronts but not doors. As long as the client is not super picky I think the risk is probably limited to a door or two that need fixed, max. I think it will work OK.
Thanks everyone. Turns out a local place I use for drawer boxes, Drees Wood Products, make these doors, and told me they've been doing them for years.
So that makes this job much easier to bid than if I'm trying to figure out the cost of making them myself.
Drees don't give a warranty on these doors however. Don't blame them!
thanks, Mark