I've built a few midcentury-style credenzas and the like, but all of them were primarily veneered plywood with portions of solid wood as needed. For my next project, I want to do a solid wood carcass with the joinery using dovetails. I'd love some feedback on my assumptions:
1. As long as all of the grain runs in complimentary directions, the carcass itself shouldn't be an issue - if all the wood is the same species and thickness, it's really no more than a big dovetailed box. Any special concerns here? Does the larger scale (28"w x 22"h) introduce additional issues?
2. Inset doors themselves shouldn't be much of an issue in relation to the carcass since all of the wood movement in the carcass will be perpendicular to the the door.
3. Inset slab doors of solid wood are likely a problem. Door dimensions would be ~13"w x ~20"h with the grain running vertically and two doors set to open outwards (like the pair of doors under a kitchen sink). I know the right answer is probably plywood with veneer and hardwood edges as needed (the solution I've used successfully in my other pieces), but I'm curious if there's a way to make solid slabs work at these dimensions.
All thoughts and advice welcome. Thanks as always!