Linen Cupboard Doors

[Mark J]

Would one ever drill the Forstner holes in the frame piece before glue up?  That way you could use a drill press.

[gee-dub]

On 12/2/2023 at 5:58 AM, Mark J said:

Would one ever drill the Forstner holes in the frame piece before glue up?  That way you could use a drill press.

Definitely no expert on this type of hardware but I'm sure you could.  The distance from the edge is in millimeters and dependent on the hinge.  My Blum 38N series cups leave only 3mm between cup and door edge so the profile of this edge would have to be pretty well complete before you measured for your holes pre-assembly.  Using a support it is not generally a problem to drill the completed door at the drill press.  These just happen to be 44-1/2" long and bringing the tool to the work seemed easier.

[gee-dub]

Going to be a little boring for the next few days. The panels are about 1/8" shy of the frame surfaces in front, about 1/4" in the rear.  I find the minute it takes me to put some tape on the pre-finished panels is a lot faster than the 15 minutes it takes me to fix an errant touch of the sander should one occur.

All surfaces prepared for finishing.

Base sealer coat applied to the backs.

I'll be back in a bit to apply a second coat. then I will close down the shop and hope that watching TV is more exciting than watching finish cure

[gee-dub]

Things to do while watching finish cure . . .

If you've seen some of my other stuff you know I like to make my own pulls. It is not always appropriate but often I like to use free form organic-like shapes. I make a few prototypes out of poplar and get approval from SWMBO for one of them. I make some blanks and head to the bandsaw.

I use the large roller on the edge sander for the more open curves.

Here they are getting close.

I think this 1 x 30 sander from Harbor Freight was about $30 with a coupon. There are videos online about how to dial them in and make them pretty usable.

I remove the platen completely and use the unsupported belt as a sort of forming tool. When it is not in use it hides out of the way behind one of the bandsaws and waits patiently.

With some follow up fine file work and hand sanding they get a coat of finish.

Once the finish cures I will hit them with 2-3 coats of rattle can lacquer since they will get handled a lot.

P.s. that piece of cardboard is my template for the original blanks.

[Coop]

How did you/are you applying the finish coat and what are you using? Sorry if that was previously mentioned.

[gee-dub]

On 12/7/2023 at 3:58 PM, Coop said:

How did you/are you applying the finish coat and what are you using? Sorry if that was previously mentioned.

It is a variation on an oil varnish blend.  McCloskey gloss spar : mineral spirits : BLO.  To get the color LOML likes I added a bit of Transtint Medium Brown.  Sometimes, like this time, to deal with the inclement weather I add some Japan Drier.  I use a wipe on / wipe off method that turns the gloss to a semi-gloss.  Usually 3 coats and then a judgement call.  This time I added one last thin coat without wiping off to up the gloss just a bit. 

[Mark J]

How will you attach the pulls?  Will you be drilling through holes?  Getting the holes in the pulls and doors just right so that the pulls are square and line up with each other seems like it would take a trick or two.

[gee-dub]

For most pulls I prefer to use threaded inserts.

Some shapes (like the current ones) do not have enough meat to accept an insert so I just use a pilot hole.  Either way the through hole in the door or drawer is a bit oversized to allow a small amount of fine tuning.  I'll try to snap some pics of the layout method when I get to that step. 

It usually involves tape on the door face to mark on, positioning the pull in a pretty-close position and marking its position, drilling the through holes, repositioning the pull via the previous layout marks, and using a drill or a transfer punch to mark the base of the pull through the through holes.

An advantage on these door (or additional challenge; it remains to be seen) is that the pulls will form a sort of oval pattern where the four door corners meet.  This means they will not be directly in line with the vertical and horizontal visual elements of the doors.  The trick is to get the look I'm after without it looking like I just tossed them on there .

[gee-dub]

Gonna give the pulls one more day to cure before I top coat them. They are cured enough to handle so I grab my bundle of known-thickness-strips. These let me space things like bead board, doors, back slats, etc.

I lay some tape in the general area where the pulls will go and add some layout lines.

Position the pulls and trace around the areas that will make flat contact with the doors.

 

I drill 3/16" holes that allow a bit of wiggle room for the #8 screws.

I use a transfer punch to mark the pull.

I use a drill stop to make sure I go deep enough but not too deep when drilling the pull. Screwed on it looks like so:

[gee-dub]

1986 . . .

2023 . . .

Pulls . . .

I need to add the bumpers and clean up a bit but the wife is happy so I am happy

[pkinneb]

Spectacular sir!! 

[Chet]

That, for sure is a classy upgrade.  Very well done.

[Mark J]

Excellent! 

[Ronn W]

NIcely done. I like it.

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

What beautiful work! Thank you and congratulations! They look PERFECT! 

[curlyoak]

Looking at before and after it puts an immediate smile on my face. Living in that house will improve your attitude if you see those doors a few times a day. This work is very good for the eyes and brain!  gee-dub you continue to amaze. Thank you for this and all threads. You make it magazine quality.

[RichardA]

On 12/9/2023 at 4:09 PM, gee-dub said:

1986 . . .

2023 . . .

Pulls . . .

I need to add the bumpers and clean up a bit but the wife is happy so I am happy

Great work, and you nailed those gaps!