Whatchamacallit - cabinet door anti warp or twist hardware

[Wakahisa Shinta]

Hello,

I have a cabinet project where the client wants cabinet doors made from solid wood panel. The wood species is in committee discussions. I am going to have to glue together a few 6-inch wide planks to fulfill this requirement for the doors. Undoubtedly, wood movement is going to be a problem for these doors. I thought about breadboard end trims, but that defeats the aesthetic appearance of a seamless panel. That was shot down...quickly. Frame and panel option...downed. So, back to the solid wood panel. Another option that I remember reading is a metal brace, mortised into the door back and screwed down to prevent warping or twisting with the seasons. For the life of me, I can't remember what it is called. Whatchamacallit??? Where to buy them?

Thanks.
WS

[Jerry Miner]

You may be thinking of the "Planofit" system from Hafele:

Planofit Hafele 8-2-19.jpg

[Charlie Velasquez]

I know you said solid wood, but I’ll assume veneer over a stable substrate was also a no-go...

[Jamie Buxton]

Letting the customer do your structural design is a mistake. They don't know anything about how wood behaves, but you do. In fact, they are depending on your expertise, which they lack. They get to tell you what they want the door to look like. You get to tell them how you're going to build it so that it is beautiful and trouble-free for years to come.

Me, I'd go with a man-made core covered with veneer. That's way more stable than solid lumber.

[Don Jarvie]

Is plywood an option? You can get a plywood in most native woods.

[johnny means]

Educate your customer. It's part of your job. Also, when they fail, you'll be on the hook.

[Lee Schierer]

I had a similar concern on some solid wood panel doors I was making recently. I did not want breadboard ends nor did I want frames, in order to match the other two pieces of furniture I made for the same room. My solution was to add horizontal battens crosswise on the inside of the doors, where they are not seen unless you open the cabinet. Here are some photos. There are eight screws in each batten to hold the panel flat. The second pair of screws out from the hinges are in the center of the widest board in the panel and have just round clearance holes. All of the other six screws in each batten have slotted hoes in the battens so the panels can move seasonally. The battens are not glued to the panels. So far the doors have remained flat.

[J.R. Rutter]

No warranty for solid wood panels. For architectural work, you want MDF core veneer panels edgebanded with either 3mm solid strips or regular roll fed veneer tape.

[Ellen Benkin]

If they insist on solid wood, make sure your contract absolves you of responsibility if/when they warp. I'd agree that veneer over a man made substrate is the way to go.