Best way to make this out of wood?

[Steve Wurster]

I want to build something like this bar cabinet, but with the "frame" made out of wood instead of metal, and I'm wondering what approach to take.

My current thinking is that this could be done with a frame-and-panel style construction with 1.25" or 1.5" square legs, rails, and stiles. The plywood panels could be rabbeted to make them sit flush on the outside. I don't know if the doors could still be solid, or if a frame-and-panel look would be better.

Any other suggestions / options? Thanks!

cabinet.jpg

[Maurice Mcmurry]

There is something sort of similar here at SMC...

Stereo Components and Vinyl Album Cabinets

I made a record player cabinet that has some design similarities. 2x2 legs with 1/4 inch plywood panels set in dados. Here is an image of the legs. And a blanket chest where the leg is also the frame.

IMG_0709.jpg IMG_0710.jpg

[Tom Bender]

Some things to consider;

To prevent sight lines thru the door gaps you might want to have stops on the sides of the doors.

It may be challenging to make doors that are flat and stay flat.

Cabinet door hinges will be needed, hidden or with exposed pins.

Painted maple or similar would be best for the frame. I like to finish before assembly and touch up as needed.

The wood is going to need polyurethane to resist alcohol.

Decide what is going inside and get spousal agreement. Set those items on the kitchen counter and make sketches of the shelves, drawers and racks.

[Steve Wurster]

I made a record player cabinet that has some design similarities. 2x2 legs with 1/4 inch plywood panels set in dados. Here is an image of the legs. And a blanket chest where the leg is also the frame.

IMG_0709.jpg IMG_0710.jpg

Those 2x2 legs with dados is close to what I'll be shooting for. I also made something similar to a blanket chest years ago, but with thicker legs and wider rails compared to your image. The joinery wasn't visible though; the tenons were completely trapped in the mortises. But, yeah, typical frame-and-panel style design.

[Steve Wurster]

Some things to consider;

To prevent sight lines thru the door gaps you might want to have stops on the sides of the doors.

It may be challenging to make doors that are flat and stay flat.

Cabinet door hinges will be needed, hidden or with exposed pins.

Painted maple or similar would be best for the frame. I like to finish before assembly and touch up as needed.

The wood is going to need polyurethane to resist alcohol.

Decide what is going inside and get spousal agreement. Set those items on the kitchen counter and make sketches of the shelves, drawers and racks.

• Good point about the gaps / sight lines. That middle stile will actually be a full-depth panel, meaning the interior will be divided into two sections, so there won't be any light coming through from the other door. But there's still a chance you could see in, and of course something is needed to stop the door from flexing inwards. I'll have to think of a good solution there that doesn't interfere with interior access, but I'm thinking perhaps just a little "lip" all around that covers up the gap. We'll have to see how things look.
• The doors will probably be plywood panels wrapped with edge banding, or possibly MDF. Either way, even if they are flat to begin with they might bow over time. The commercial version of this has cleats on the backs of the doors and I plan on doing that as well.
• We haven't settled on a hinge style; that is totally up to my wife, but I'm guessing we'll go with hidden cabinet style.
• The frame will almost certainly be maple, but stained instead of painted, and definitely getting stained before assembly.
• This will be more of a storage cabinet rather than one used "as a bar", so the likelihood of any alcohol container being open near it is very low. That being said, I was thinking of something like Arm-R-Seal for the top coats.
• I did a quick-and-dirty mockup of the design the other day using some short scrap pieces screwed together. The depth however was full size and my wife thought it might be too small. So the next plan is to take some poplar that I have laying around and make a full size frame out of it. From there we can take some items and see how well they would fit on the inside.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

The slim frame adds the the sleek appearance. Maple should be up to the task. I might make them 1x1 or 1 1/4 x 1 1/4 . The steel looks like 3/4 x 3/4 which might be risky in wood.

[Steve Wurster]

The slim frame adds the the sleek appearance. Maple should be up to the task. I might make them 1x1 or 1 1/4 x 1 1/4 . The steel looks like 3/4 x 3/4 which might be risky in wood.

I was shooting for 1.25" x 1.25", maybe 1.5" x 1.5" if the smaller dimension looks too "thin". The mockup I will be making out of poplar will be slightly smaller than 1.25" because it was 5/4 rough to start, so if we like that look then we'll probably go with 1.25".

[Kevin Jenness]

I would suggest veneering the panels for dimensional stability. Using solid wood will mean reveals vary with humidity changes and invite cupping in the unrestrained doors.

[Steve Wurster]

I would suggest veneering the panels for dimensional stability. Using solid wood will mean reveals vary with humidity changes and invite cupping in the unrestrained doors.

All panels will be plywood. MDF is a possibility, but then this thing will be that much heavier.

[andy bessette]

...The steel looks like 3/4 x 3/4 which might be risky in wood.

This. The proportions on this cabinet only work because of the steel tube frame.

Door warpage might be a problem to overcome unless a cored panel is used.