Newby cabinet question

[Bob Hardin]

Hi all,
I feel like this is a dumb question, but I’m stumped. I’m building new cabinets for my kitchen, stained. They are faceframe style. Maple (for now).

I have a lumber company in the Atlanta area and they sell 2” precut faceframe material. My problem is that almost all lumber is, at least, a little bowed. Even the dimensional maple is bowed, at least a bit. I can correct most of the bowing on the faceframes. But, I need the cabinet doors’ rails and stiles to be straight and unbowed to close correctly.

If I plane it, then the tongue and groove doesn’t really line up. Since it is exactly 3/4” thick, I like the uniformity.
So, what do most of ya’ll do to get the stiles/rails straight? Can you find un-bowed lumber (besides oak)?
Please help. ALL suggestions/ideas are appreciated.
bob

P.S. I’m also looking at a Jessum router table or a shaper for tongue/groove. Ideas?

[Jim Dwight]

I just hung some doors on a cabinet today that I built out of shelving boards from the home center. They were thus thicknessed when I bought them. One door is not flat, I think I introduced at least part of the issue by not clamping it to my assembly table during glueup. But some may have been the wood I used. This cabinet is for me and is kind of informal to fit the room so I will just leave it. It would be less visible if the doors were overlay but I like inset so that is what I made.

I usually buy rough sawed hardwood for projects and for doors, I cut the material to rough size, joint one face to get it flat, then plane to thickness. If the wood doesn't change moisture content prior to glueup and finish, and I clamp it up right, I get a door with minimal lack of flatness or other issue. But if you lack the tools to start with rough sawed lumber, I think all you can do is to pick the best (straightest) pieces for the doors. Use the warped stuff for face frames and the straightest material for the doors.

[Bob Hardin]

Thanks Jim

[glenn bradley]

I would like to hear from some of our pro cabinet shop guys on this as it is a good subject for discussion. In my one man shop I have never had long term success in forcing material into shape for doors, drawers or other critical moving parts. The wood always wins and either immediately or eventually goes out of square.

I would recommend using the bulk processed face frame material for face frames that are attached to supporting material for their full length and properly milling material for doors and drawers. It will be good to hear how the production shops do it if someone will kindly chime in.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi all,
I feel like this is a dumb question, but I’m stumped. I’m building new cabinets for my kitchen, stained. They are faceframe style. Maple (for now).

I have a lumber company in the Atlanta area and they sell 2” precut faceframe material. My problem is that almost all lumber is, at least, a little bowed. Even the dimensional maple is bowed, at least a bit. I can correct most of the bowing on the faceframes. But, I need the cabinet doors’ rails and stiles to be straight and unbowed to close correctly.

If I plane it, then the tongue and groove doesn’t really line up. Since it is exactly 3/4” thick, I like the uniformity.
So, what do most of ya’ll do to get the stiles/rails straight? Can you find un-bowed lumber (besides oak)?
Please help. ALL suggestions/ideas are appreciated.
bob

P.S. I’m also looking at a Jessum router table or a shaper for tongue/groove. Ideas?

Hi Bob

Wood moves. I am sure the frames were flat at the factory, but then ...

Here is an idea: If you can mill off 1-2mm from each side of each section, and do this for all sections, the loss is unlikely to be noticed or affect the set up with the grooves. I would do this on a table saw with a fixture ala leg tapering.

It is a lot of extra work, but it costs you time and not money.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Bob Hardin]

Good idea.

[Bruce King]

Even Kraftmaid which is built by another company to their standards can’t overcome bowing. I have installed these new cabinets in two kitchens and I always had to get warranty replacement on bowed doors. Euro hinges really help in splitting the difference on small problems to hide it. The 2001 kitchen did not use the best hinges so more doors had to be replaced.

[Bob Hardin]

Since I don’t plan on doing much, if any, raised panel doors, do you think a Jessum (or another brand) of router table/lift should be purchased? Or should I spring for a shaper like the Grizzly G1026? Mainly gonna use it for the most uniform tongue/groove. The prices are about the same ($1300+-).

[Andrew Seemann]

Soft maple is nice to work with and pretty stable, but hard maple is a bear to keep straight, almost as bad as birch or beech. Drawer fronts have the box to keep them flat, but door frames are difficult. If you have to use hard maple, search out the straightest of your face frame stock. If you mill it from rough, you still need to look for the straightest stock. Remember, it was sawed straight at the mill, if it is cupped, twisted, or warped after drying, even if you mill it straight again, when the humidity changes, it will want to go back to the shape it was originally (or more in the other direction).

[Erik Loza]

I would recommend using the bulk processed face frame material for face frames that are attached to supporting material for their full length and properly milling material for doors and drawers. It will be good to hear how the production shops do it if someone will kindly chime in.

Poplar is by far the most common faceframe material I see in shops in my area.

Erik

[Bruce King]

Many people are liking the shaker style kitchen cabinet doors so think about resale.
They are easier to build and don’t look outdated. These are Kraftmaid who have the best finish process out there for cabinets. Not saying to buy any if you have time to make your own.

[Jim Becker]

I personally wouldn't buy material like that if it's not straight and true. A tiny variation? Not really a problem, at least for face frames, but for the doors...nope. It's gotta be flat.

[Bob Hardin]

I personally wouldn't buy material like that if it's not straight and true. A tiny variation? Not really a problem, at least for face frames, but for the doors...nope. It's gotta be flat.

Jim, don’t know where to buy straight and true. Ideas?

[Rick Potter]

No pro, but I've built a couple kitchens (oak).

First, I sand all my stock the the same thickness with my drum sander, then I cut my face and door frame parts an extra quarter inch wide, and an inch or so extra long, then let them sit in my shop for a few days. Most of them bow a bit.

Then I joint one edge flat, cut the other side, and chop to length. I have not had many twisting problems. Those became firewood.

PS: About those raised panels. I built my first kitchen with oak raised panels, using a PC 690 router in a benchtop router table. Three or four passes, as I remember. They are over 25 years old, and still going strong. It can be done without a shaper, with patience.

[Lee Schierer]

There must be other suppliers in the Atlanta area. I wouldn't buy lumber for cabinet making that is warped or twisted. I rarely see a twisted, cupped, bowed or warped board at either of the two S4S hardwood suppliers I use. It sounds like your source isn't transporting/storing his wood supply correctly.