I’m making four closet doors. They’ll be 90″x 18″, hinged. Cherry. My stock is all flat sawn 1″ thick by 5″ to 9″ wide by 8′ ). Plan was to edge glue them to width and hang them (euro hinge). I’ve got enough stock to double the door thickness to 2″.
Warping is my concern. I’m looking for construction techniques that will minimize this. Cleating or X bracing the inside is acceptable. Also laminating boards to 2″ is an option. Or maybe there’s other ways.
Tom
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Do they really need to be this thick? They will be very heavy for a closet door.
I would use a thinner stock and since you say cleats are OK on the inside, I would use dovetailed battens. Or better yet doors like Andrew Hunter describes in FWW in his article "Lighter, Stronger Frame-and-Panels".
One option might be invisible breadboard at the top and bottom of each panel. I'm planning to do that with a set of three cabinet doors that are shorter than your doors but, at 20", about the same width.
Visible breadboard ends work nicely on tabletops and really seem to keep wide panels with multiple edge-glued boards flat and stable. The "invisible" version is basically a long floating tenon inserted into a deep mortise at either end (top and bottom) of the doors. I'm not a joinery expert but I think it could work, even on pieces as large as yours.
2" thick, huh? Remember that when you wake up groggy and have to pull on it. Regardless, 2" won't warp unless it's soaked in water.
Ted's idea of invisible breadboards is a good one. On doors that size they're a good test of anyone's ability and patience.
Have fun,
Mikaol
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