In the videos below, Paul takes us through the process of making doors, in this case for a tool cabinet. The general principles can be transferred to numerous other projects. Dimensions Your door dimensions may vary depending on the specifications of your project. The doors in these videos are made to the following dimensions: Part…
There are a few things to check before hanging a door. Paul shows how he positions the door in the opening with the correct spacing, well as showing how to layout and recess the hinges into the cabinet. He shows the process of eliminating gaps caused by any movement in the wood, before moving on to fitting the second door and planing the doors to ensure they fit perfectly with a leading edge at the central meeting point.
Paul goes through the process of fitting a door into a cabinet opening. The first step is to check the door is straight and true. Once that is done, Paul shows how to create a slight taper to the inside edge to help ensure a tight fit. He fits the stile, then the head and then the foot of the door, with a slight consistent gap all around. With the door fitted, Paul fits the hinges and shows what to look out to ensure tight and square hinges. He pre drills and then fits the screws, and shows how to layout the middle hinge.
We’re ready to assemble the door with the hammer and clamp, checking the joints, to get accurate measurements for the panels. Once the panels are cut to size, Paul discussed the options for fitting them to the groove. Paul uses a marking gauge to mark his recess, then rebates the panels, introducing a few different techniques. With that done, there is the final dry run before systematically gluing up the door.
There are lots of options of how to do the panels in the door. Paul shows how to insert a central perpendicular piece in place. He shows how to layout to ensure crisp mortice and tenons, after ensuring everything is square and aligned. Then comes the fitting of the tenons to the mortises to finish the initial door frame construction.
It’s time to mark the gauge lines for the tenons of the rails. Then Paul shows a few techniques for cutting the tenons using a combination of the saw and chisel, before using the router to fit them to the mortises. He cuts the haunches and shows how to make sure to align the joints. He then assembled the whole frame to check for twist and cleans them up.
Paul discusses the elements involved in making a twist free door and checks and prepares the stock. We then move onto cutting the groove, using a gauge to help prevent tearout. With the frame grooved, Paul shows how to layout the frame in preparation for cutting the mortises.