Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

We are wondering if you folks have photos of the interior cabinets doors you have made? Id love to get some instructions and Ideas as to how to go about making some. Since I dont have much experience in this.

Photos are welcome also.

Classic Finn

I didn't have that kind of patients bought mine at a building salvage supply store.



$2.50 a door I couldn't buy the finish for that !

bobhenry wrote:I didn't have that kind of patients bought mine at a building salvage supply store.



$2.50 a door I couldn't buy the finish for that !

Here them same doors will run between 40 - 80 Euro per door. So that made me to think. As well as the wife. She wont let money go for them at that cost. And shipping is a killer.

So the only alternative is to try to make our own. My son made 2 in school but he had all the fancy tools and eclectrical saws and routers to make some. So this will have to be doors made by and with basic tools
only.

Classic Finn

Our doors are very simple and very light.
They are made from 2x1, with a 6mm(1/4") rebate cut along one edge. Theres 6mm (1/4") ply glued in place.
I had to put some celtic dogs on the front of them to take your eye off the dodgy carpentry.





Dave.

Heikki, My door frames are 3/4" x 2" with a 1/2" bead mitered and applied on the outside to make them 2 1/2" wide, common for raised panel doors. You would need at least a router table (shaper is best) with the proper cope and stick bits/knives and a heavy duty router.

You could dowel the frames together after you machine your 1/4" groove for your interior panel.

The raised panel can be done on the table saw if you follow safety procedures or make them on a 3 hp shaper like I do. I have a panel raising router bit and one look at it from out of the box I said no way. Router bits can and will helicopter out of a worn or inadequately tightened collet. I have a shaper panel raising knife (3 wing)that is on a 3/4" threaded shaft with a large nut.

A flat floating panel out of 1/4" plywood could also be used instead of a raised panel.

Also you could simply make some overlay panel back doors 1" wider and taller than your opening with 3/4" x 2" stiles and rails. After you build the frames and route your desired interior profile you glue and staple a 1/4" plywood panel on the flat back. An effective and lightweight door.

If you make overlay doors you'll need space between doors as each one overlays the opening 1/2" all the way around.

My doors are flush doors that require a 3/32" gap all the way around but they look the best in my opinion.

Another option is to glue several boards together and apply a 3/4" x 2" stiffener flat on the back side to keep it from warping.

You could also cut some plywood panel doors and simply apply hardwood edging to cover the plywood core.

There are so many door styles that one could do that I would go to a home improvement store or shop for doors online to find what you want. Look at the top and bottom of the doors and figure out how they were constructed. A rule of thumb is it takes about the same time to make the cabinets as it takes to build the doors and drawers. Doors properly built take a lot of time and attention to detail. A photo with dimensions of where you want doors would help me in figuring what would or wouldn't work for your application.
You might look for a shop in your area that makes doors from your drawings, a much simpler option. Danny

I like Danny's raised panel doors but I didn't have the bits to do that. My doors are flat panel doors. They are built to be surface mounted rather than flush. Flush does look better but my way is a bit more forgiving of mistakes. I had never built any cabinets before so if I can do it, so can you.

The frames are 3/4"x2" Red Oak and the panel is 1/4" Red Oak ply. I cut a groove into the frames for the panel with a router leaving a 1/4" reveal on the front. I then glued it together with biscuits letting the panel "float". I rounded over the edges with a router and stained and urethaned them before mounting. Like I said, I'm a novice so I know you can do it.

jackdaw wrote:Our doors are very simple and very light.
They are made from 2x1, with a 6mm(1/4") rebate cut along one edge. Theres 6mm (1/4") ply glued in place.
I had to put some celtic dogs on the front of them to take your eye off the dodgy carpentry.





Dave.

Hi Dave

I was playing with a simple handsaw mitre box today. And I came up with the same kind of frames as you have on your doors.

halfdome, Danny wrote:Heikki, My door frames are 3/4" x 2" with a 1/2" bead mitered and applied on the outside to make them 2 1/2" wide, common for raised panel doors. You would need at least a router table (shaper is best) with the proper cope and stick bits/knives and a heavy duty router.

You could dowel the frames together after you machine your 1/4" groove for your interior panel.

The raised panel can be done on the table saw if you follow safety procedures or make them on a 3 hp shaper like I do. I have a panel raising router bit and one look at it from out of the box I said no way. Router bits can and will helicopter out of a worn or inadequately tightened collet. I have a shaper panel raising knife (3 wing)that is on a 3/4" threaded shaft with a large nut.

A flat floating panel out of 1/4" plywood could also be used instead of a raised panel.

Also you could simply make some overlay panel back doors 1" wider and taller than your opening with 3/4" x 2" stiles and rails. After you build the frames and route your desired interior profile you glue and staple a 1/4" plywood panel on the flat back. An effective and lightweight door.

If you make overlay doors you'll need space between doors as each one overlays the opening 1/2" all the way around.

My doors are flush doors that require a 3/32" gap all the way around but they look the best in my opinion.

Another option is to glue several boards together and apply a 3/4" x 2" stiffener flat on the back side to keep it from warping.

You could also cut some plywood panel doors and simply apply hardwood edging to cover the plywood core.

There are so many door styles that one could do that I would go to a home improvement store or shop for doors online to find what you want. Look at the top and bottom of the doors and figure out how they were constructed. A rule of thumb is it takes about the same time to make the cabinets as it takes to build the doors and drawers. Doors properly built take a lot of time and attention to detail. A photo with dimensions of where you want doors would help me in figuring what would or wouldn't work for your application.
You might look for a shop in your area that makes doors from your drawings, a much simpler option. Danny

Thank Danny

As always them are soooooooo beautiful

Danny your cabinet frame front is that 2 inches in width all the way around? Sides and Top as well as bottom?

planovet wrote:I like Danny's raised panel doors but I didn't have the bits to do that. My doors are flat panel doors. They are built to be surface mounted rather than flush. Flush does look better but my way is a bit more forgiving of mistakes. I had never built any cabinets before so if I can do it, so can you.

The frames are 3/4"x2" Red Oak and the panel is 1/4" Red Oak ply. I cut a groove into the frames for the panel with a router leaving a 1/4" reveal on the front. I then glued it together with biscuits letting the panel "float". I rounded over the edges with a router and stained and urethaned them before mounting. Like I said, I'm a novice so I know you can do it.

Boy Howdy. Them are just immaculate for a novice?

Very nice.

To the folks above and other.

How difficult is it to cut oak and mahogany being that they are so hard?

Without a table saw here can I cut that with a skilsaw?

Classic Finn

jackdaw wrote:Our doors are very simple and very light.
They are made from 2x1, with a 6mm(1/4") rebate cut along one edge. Theres 6mm (1/4") ply glued in place.
I had to put some celtic dogs on the front of them to take your eye off the dodgy carpentry.





Dave.

Hi Dave ---- Did you carve the celtic designs? They look great...how would I go about doing something similar? By the way --- I love Wiltshire...what town are you in?

Philip

Philip

I used a miter saw to cut my pieces but a skilsaw with a sharp blade should work just fine. Just take your time. Oak can burn on you if you aren't careful.

The current issue of Fine Woodworking has a great introductory article on all types of door construction. I subscribe but it's not a cheap magazine to buy off the news stand ($9 I think).

The article covers all methods of construction from using biscuits to cope and stick to full mortise and tenon. Maybe you can find it in a library and copy the article.

It would be well worth a look to see what can be done with the tools and skills available.

Another recent article in the magazine tested all types of joints for racking strength (racking being forces that want to take the door out of square and into a parallelagram - like an old sagging garden gate.) Believe it or not the half-lap joint was the strongest - even stronger than mortise and tenon. The half lap can be made on any table saw, and you could then use a 1/4 plywood panel. Therefore, the only tool needed for this construction method is a table saw.

Eric

This is the material I have left over. And its Mahogany. Even though this is real thick I also have some thats about 1/2 or 3/4 inch in thickness.

This is a photo of my countertop.





I was thinking of making the front panel out of it but also cut the door frames from the same materials?

Its got shades of light and darker mahogany in it. I can somehow visualize the doors and front panel made from this but dont know exactly where to start with it.

For the Front Panel - What width should the top crosswise board be and what width for Bottom? And Sides for the frame itself


Classic Finn

Can someone explain to me what are meant by these words?

stiles and rails