So I have a client that is insisting on SOLID wood slab doors for a mid century modern liquor cabinet. I did my best to explain wood shrinkage and why Using a high quality veneered plywood is Necessary and actually consistent with the period etc. She then surprised me by showing me a picture of a cabinet she liked on Etsy which was made of walnut and Indeed appears to have solid wood slab doors! The seller also says they are solid wood So… I don’t want to link to the actual image but there are a ton Of different versions on there. The doors would be roughly 30” h x 16-20”W. On some pieces they meet in the middle.
What gives? These sellers ship their pieces all over the US so I would image that the doors will develop enormous gaps in some climates and push past each other in others…and seasonally in an un-air conditioned home. Am I missing something here?
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One thing a seller on Etsy has is a degree of anonymity and separation from the buyer that isolates them from many of the complaints a local craftsman deals with.
That said walnut is a fairly stable wood and if you can find it quartersawn even better, if the client accepts the grain pattern, so it could be possible to use a solid wood door with a little planning. It starts with knowing the humidity in your shop relative to the clients home and sizing the doors accordingly. If your shop is not climate controlled and your building in the summer in a high humidity area and know the cabinet will reside in an air-conditioned home plan on making the doors a little tighter than usual and visa versa if your shop is dryer. It's not a perfect solution but can work with a little planning. Be sure to thoroughly acclimate your lumber both before milling and after rough milling to insure the wood is as stable as possible. Also European adjustable hinges are almost a must and I would be sure to explain to the client how to adjust them and why it might be necessary to allow for seasonal movement.
Do you know for a fact your client's home is not air conditioned? With air conditioning being almost taken for granted in most areas in the US today it's a little easier to work with solid wood and experience manageable wood movement.
Last but not least I would have the client sign off on a waiver that states they opted for solid wood doors over the recommended plywood doors and that they will be subject to seasonal movement and that this is normal and not a defect
What @esch5995 said.
I would add that this may not be the client for you. I only make for friends and family, but the projects that go wrong are always the ones that jar with my personal sense of How Things Work. They cause me stress and though usually there is a coo of pleasure, it is overwhelmed by my knowledge of all the faults hidden within.
In my professional life, if a client wants something done in a way I am not skilled, I refer them to someone who is better at doing it that way.
I totally agree with you.
I would pick a wood least likely to move but definitely get her to sign a disclaimer! Personally I wouldn’t do it, disclaimer or not, it’s got your name on it and you’ll get bad PR if it cups.
That said one approach would be an inlaid dovetail batten.
It’s ridiculous these people who see a pic on Anna White or Pinterest and you can clearly see its made like a POJ.
My SIL just recently asked about a side table with granite inlay top, full of small drawers. The pic she sent me — no apron?? I explained this, but no, she doesn’t want ‘that strip across the top’. Oh, and she wants it out of pine and ‘stained like that one’.
I told her it would be around $3K to build it, haven’t heard back. But they’re still coming for Thanksgiving, and I’m sure my brother will thank me LOL.
Without a picture, it's hard to say. There's no way I would make a full inset door from solid wood. But a lipped door might be ok, if designed right. There are lots of ifs.
I agree with John, no insert doors, overlay would be fine. If you really want to get fancy, try sliding dovetails on the back side to keep things kind of flat. But to me this is unnecessary.
BTW, I have been trying to get a good sliding dovetail fit over about 16" for a different project. I'm 0-4 so far, glad the wood was cheap.
If these are slab doors that meet in the middle (or somewhere in the middle), you could create a shiplap that overlaps ~3/8 inch when closed (adjust initial gap and overlap as necessary for season). Again explain why a slight gap in the winter is necessary, but a properly done shiplap will keep you from being able to see inside when closed. If not a shiplap, then just a piece of wood on one slab's edge that extends behind.
If that's not satisfactory, then they're not a reasonable client.
A half-inset door with an overwide rabbet on the stop side could work. Those will be some heavy-ass doors though, maybe to the point of 3 hinges.
Remind the client that one day she WILL hit her head on one and wish they were lighter!
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