Replies

1. 
   Pondfish | Dec 05, 2005 11:25pm | #1

   Neil,

   I've been very pleased with Keystone wood products located in Lancaster.  It was very cost effective to use them for one project where I just didn't want to monkey with the door fronts.  Keystone did a great job and got the doors to me faster than promised.

   The only nit I have--which will probably be true with any such supplier--is that they didn't match the wood as closely as I would have.  I usually make a series of doors from matched boards.  The doors I got from Keystone didn't.  After staining and finishing, only I knew the difference, but hey, if you want to be a perfectionist you need to be perfect at it, eh?

   http://www.keystonedoors.com

    

   Recommending the use of "Hide Signatures" option under "My Preferences" since 2005
1. 
   neilpuck | Dec 07, 2005 09:07pm | #2

   Thanks, i like the options they have and if i want, they're close enough that I can make a trip to Hershey and pick them up myself.  Thanks for the recommendation.  Any others?

2. 
   marlinwoodworking | Dec 08, 2005 10:52pm | #3

   I used Decore-Ative Specialties in Elk Grove, CA for the kitchen doors and drawer fronts for my new house. Their product selection is large and innovative.  I ordered some doors in maple from their Southwest Collection that are excellent quality, first rate material, sized just as ordered, and were delived within two weeks without a hitch.  I could not have made these doors any better or cheaper myself.  Their sales staff were good to work with also.

3. 
   seb | Dec 09, 2005 05:38am | #4

   Build the doors also...I built 3k worth of doors for about $500 and a $100 frame and panel bit set....(which I already had)

   Bud

4. 
   TTF | Dec 09, 2005 07:53am | #5

   I think that building the carcasses and drawers is no more work than building the face frames, maybe less. I use 1/2 inch baltic birch plywood for all of it - its strong, stable and light-weight. You really only need a dado blade and sander to get it done.

   Good luck.

   TTF

5. 
   DougU | Dec 09, 2005 08:21am | #6

   I build cabinets and I'd advise you to build the carcasses, hell there easier then the faceframes and doors/drawers.

   But, if you really don't want to, a guy over at Breaktime uses Scherrs http://www.scherrs.com/, and he has nothing but good to say about them.

   Take a look

   Doug

1. 
   cicero | Dec 09, 2005 12:04pm | #7

   This is how I do it.

   http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c387/brian1520/usa.jpg

   http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c387/brian1520/usa1.jpg

6. 
   Dave45 | Dec 10, 2005 05:01pm | #8

   If you go with this plan, have the shop do the faceframes too.  Then, it's their job to make sure everything is dead-on (straight, square, etc.)

   If you have the skills to make the doors and drawer fronts, go for it but remember that their appearance is 95% (or more) of the overall "look" of a set of cabinets.  Nobody ever "sees" the carcasses but one slightly out of square door shows up from across the street - lol.

   Another potential issue would be the "guarantee" by the cabinet shop.  I built a kitchen cabinet for a customer earlier this year and delivered it to their home for painting.  When they called me back for installation (three weeks later), it was a major nightmare.  The cabinet had been moved several times, dropped at least once, and had been used as a workbench during some other work.  It took all day to do a two hour installation and the homeowner and I had to have a "frank and open" discussion about the additional installation charges.