Looking for advice on an idea and on the sanding component of getting it done.

[rudy de haas]

why so much worry about weight? a large cabinet door is essentially what you are building, Millions of them exist at 3/4 or more thick and hang on 2 or 3 hinges no problem for many decades. if your image fits on a 1/2 thick panel, then why wont it fit on a 1/2 thick panel with a 3/4 frame around it?

also: belt sanding is for material removal, not finishing. if your stock is well prepared, you should be able to block sand your door in just a few min per grit. i usually start around 80 or 120 and go to 220.

The "cool factor" is important - the 118" closet is a big feature in the main bedroom.

On the other hand, reality favors 3/4" frame with 1/2"panels...

[Richard Verwoest]

Maybe try sawing your own veneers at .1" thick, then laminating 5 of them similar to plywood? The middle and outer 2 layers grain direction would run parallel while the other 2 horizontal.

Richard

[rudy de haas]

Maybe try sawing your own veneers at .1" thick, then laminating 5 of them similar to plywood? The middle and outer 2 layers grain direction would run parallel while the other 2 horizontal.

Richard

I can try that.

Any chance something like that is available as a commercial product?

[Richard Verwoest]

I doubt it, but I never looked either.

Richard

[Derek Cohen]

Rudy, there is a way to do this.

Imagine the door to be a table top. What you would then do is use breadboard ends to keep it from warping, etc.

If you plan to go with 1/2” thick boards, then I would advise that the breadboard ends are 3/4” thick for stiffness. Just keep the outside flush if you want this look.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Sam Murdoch]

With respect Derek - I don't think that an 80" + tall door will stay flat - vertically - even with bread board ends.
A table uses the base to keep warp in the length somewhat under control. Maybe hinges and catches can take
on that same role as the table base - but for a 1/2" thick door I am doubtful.

Sam

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Sam

Perhaps, perhaps not. I think that it could if the breadboard ends were at least 3/4" thick. The hinges would then have to prevent twisting - I think the 1/2" thickness is vulnerable in this regard.

I don't recall Rudy saying why he wants to reduce the 3/4" boards to 1/2", so I imagine it was to save weight. I would not do it that way. I would float a 1/2" panel in a frame. It could be made to look flush. Or Shaker-style.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Ron Selzer]

to try to answer the second question I recommend you find someone with a wide belt sander that for a price would sand all the panels for you to at least 120, then use a RO sander to step your way to whatever you want
A stroke sander (https://www.grizzly.com/products/Gri...e-Sander/G5394) would be my next choice, drum sander would not be anywhere on the list due to previous experiences with them

[John Isgren]

If the 118” door is meant to be a feature I would submit that a well constructed, traditional frame and panel door would be far superior to trying to make a faux version with CNC. I believe the frame and panel style was developed not for aesthetics but rather to manage the wood movement inherent in a door that size.

The other advantage is the component parts can be pre-sanded and then just requiring final sanding with a RO when assembled.

[Art Mann]

Just to add to what Mr. Isgren just said, building techniques didn't just evolve randomly. Things are done a certain way because countless other ways failed to work. The original poster is trying to back up and do things in a way that craftsmen determined wouldn't work decades or centuries ago. He is going to have to use alternative techniques and material(s) besides wood if he achieves the look he wants.

[rudy de haas]

Maybe try sawing your own veneers at .1" thick, then laminating 5 of them similar to plywood? The middle and outer 2 layers grain direction would run parallel while the other 2 horizontal.

Richard

Well, I like to think I'm not lazy..

If I take a 1" birch board, plane it a bit on both sides, then use the jointer to get straight, square, edges, and finally slice it using a 1/8th blade (table saw, my bandsaw is small and leaves rough sides), I can produce three slices that are a bit better than 3/16th. If I layer these as two long sets (about 84") with a cross layer (about 20") between them I get a kind of 21/32" plywood in which the glue layer is not obvious if you just carve into it. Adding breadboard style ends top and bottom after cutting to the right lengths and widths shouldn't be hard .

However, It is an astounding amount of work. A small test piece just took an hour++ and that's without breadboard ends. It will get faster with practice, but the nearly right jointer work on the full plank doesn't quite work in the 3/16th thickness - and I am guessing full length pieces will be worse.

So, before I go nuts on trying this, could I please get some more feedback on whether this is likely to work?

[John Isgren]

If you are bound and determined to use the CNC why not go with traditional frame and panel but use the CNC to raise the panels?

[rudy de haas]

If the 118” door is meant to be a feature I would submit that a well constructed, traditional frame and panel door would be far superior to trying to make a faux version with CNC. I believe the frame and panel style was developed not for aesthetics but rather to manage the wood movement inherent in a door that size.

The other advantage is the component parts can be pre-sanded and then just requiring final sanding with a RO when assembled.

The wall this is going against is about 160". Of this about 40" is going to be used for a coffee station (power and water) - the remaining 120" become a closet with either five or six doors totalling 118" - not one door that's nearly 10 feet wide. It's a feature wall of doors...

[John Isgren]

I assumed you were doing ~2ft per door not one big door. Not sure you could ever stop a 120” door from moving