Hey All,
I have been commissioned to build an entertainment center that is to have two doors that will slide back into the unit ala pockets. The doors will be approximately 24″ wide x 60″ tall and be flat slabs. The owner is adamant about NOT using MDF which in my mind leaves me at birch ply edged with hardwood. This is to be paint grade so final appearance & longevity is all that matters. I am not opposed to Birch ply, but was wondering if I am over looking something. I would appreciate all opinions.
Thanks,
John
Replies
J,
The customer may not always be right, but they are still the customer.
Regards,
Bill Arnold - Custom Woodcrafting
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
WOW!!! Thank you for all of your input. I agree with Bill that the customer is the customer. I never considered hollow core doors, that is an interesting idea. I shall ponder it and I'll post my results.
Thanks Again!
John
Would your client object to birch ply with a fiber core (MDF)?
I would say the doors (especially if they are large) will tend to stay flatter over time than doors made from ply with a veneer core.
1/4" birch ply in a 3/4" or 1" frame is a lot lighter than an mdf door and would work well.
At 5', use straight grain lumber, and 7/8" or 1" frame size would help.
JMartinsky ,
I would tend to agree with Jack Plane , my first choice would be a frame and panel door . With a frame and panel door you can select the stock for being flat and straight , these type of doors are very stable and generally will not warp or change from when you glue them up. A plywood door that size never seems to be as flat as you would like. If design dictates a slab type door then I would as Nikkiwood suggests use Birch ply with an mdf core under the skin , then do your edge banding.
good luck dusty
Hollow core doors? I believe these would stay more true over time than plywood slab doors. Decorative still makes a few styles.
Dear Craig,
I like the ida of hollow core doors, but who is "Decorative"?
John
Decorative Specialties. http://www.decore.com
John, why not offer them chipboard or particle-board doors as a 'possible' superior alternative.
You never know, they might just fall for it, ha, ha--- ha, ha, ha. Slainte.RJFurniture
A couple a' pints too many this eve, huh, RJ???
:-')
Bill Arnold - Custom Woodcrafting
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
Not at all Bill. Just classic British irony. Don't ya just love it, ha, ha?
In fact a pint before I hit the hay sounds a darned good idea! Thanks for the reminder. Slainte.RJFurniture
Could you make torsion box skinned with Aircraft ply?
Ian
Dear Ian,
Forgive my ignorance, but could you expand on your idea?
Thanks,
John
sure
the usual application for a Torsion box is to create a large light weight table top or shelf.I know of no structural reason why a door couldn't be built as a torsion box. I suggested aircraft ply as the skin because the stuff I've seen is essentially veneer in various thicknesses between 3/64" and 1/8" thick.
Forgive me if you already know how to build a torsion box. But basicly a torsion box is an unjointed frame held together by its external skin. The strength is in the external skin and the applied edge band. The most important tool required to build a torsion box is a flat surface on which to build it.
Ian
Those are going to be pretty heavy no matter what they're made of - and I really doubt if solid plywood will stay flat for very long.
Personally, I would try to talk the customer into some kind of flat panel door - maybe with a couple of panels. The rails/stiles would be birch or poplar and the panel(s) would be 1/4" birch ply.
If they won't consider panels, I would make hollow core doors.
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