Replies

1. 
   superfly | Dec 18, 2007 08:43pm | #1

   Im sure your shop might be dry but the moisture may be different in the house where the cabinets are,so it is acclimating to that temp and moisture.If you glue panels into place They don't have the chance to contract and expand freely and will pull the rails and stiles with them.I have been using quite a bit of birch finish plywood for cabinet carcases and found that it warps up just like nominal lumber(sometimes worse).You can use MDF and it will not contract and expand,and also routs,shapes and takes paint nicely.Everyone has an idea or the way they like to do it,so you should get lots of ideas.Good luck

   
   

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   Edited 12/18/2007 12:49 pm ET by superfly

2. 
   JohnWW | Dec 19, 2007 12:11am | #2

   There is probably no way to fix the existing doors.

   Poplar, as sold in lumber yards, can be a number of species and some of them are prone to considerable warpage as they gain and lose moisture. If you used a random mix of flat sawn and quarter sawn stock, possibly with some reaction wood mixed into it, then some of the frames will warp when they dry out from the heat being on in the winter which can drastically drop the relative humidity.

   The best solution is prevention. For frames, only use straight grained quarter sawn wood, from boards that have stayed flat while stickered in your shop for awhile, ideally using a wood species that isn't prone to prominent warpage with changes in moisture content. This requires extra attention and possibly extra material expense up front, but it sure beats the problem you, and your customer, have now.

   John W.

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   Edited 12/18/2007 4:33 pm ET by JohnWW

   
   

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   Edited 12/19/2007 12:24 pm ET by JohnWW

3. 
   oldusty | Dec 19, 2007 12:43am | #3

   kandrewk ,

              To answer your question ,,  replace the several badly twisted doors and take care of your customer , asap . That was from a business standpoint .You can try to fix them or analyze what caused this or take care of it , for $100 and your time all will be well .

        As your volume increases your handling many more units and pieces and the opportunity for error and such are more common and rightfully so .

     Gluing panels in is not universally agreed as THE way . Some of us like me may say that could have contributed to your door problem , maybe .

             dusty

1. 
   Archibald | Dec 19, 2007 07:30pm | #4

   I used to manage a lumberyard and millworks in VT. We milled a lot of stairway rails but would not warranty them if done in poplar. We would suggest Soft Maple, which was an upcharge, but one that the customer understood.

4. 
   mrbird90 | Dec 20, 2007 04:50am | #5

   Several years ago I made a frame for a poster which was 24" wide by 42" high. The frame was made from 13/16" x 1-3/4" poplar. The client had it here in Ohio for several years and it was dead flat. He moved to New Orleans and within a year it had twisted over 1" from corner to corner. He brought it back when he came on a business trip and wanted me to repair it. I made him a new one out of soft maple (at no charge) and the last time I talked to him it was still flat. The original frame was stained and finished with 3 coats of polyurethane on all sides. Guess you never know with wood.

   
   

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   Edited 12/19/2007 8:52 pm ET by mrbird90

1. 
   ChipTam | Dec 20, 2007 04:52pm | #6

   I've had this happen twice in two separate kitchens.  In both cases, the doors which warped were especially tall doors on pantry units (like mrbird90's).  One was a mahogany door and the other was soft maple.  I thought I was avoiding any bowing in the stile pieces.  I used floating solid stock panels.  It's possible that the panels cupped and forced the whole door to cup.  Not sure, anyway, sometimes things happen despite the best of intentions and the best practices.

   Chip Tam

5. 
   Dave45 | Dec 20, 2007 05:01pm | #7

   Check the local environment of the warped doors.  In my experience, countertop appliances (coffee makers, electric skillets, crock pots, etc) can play havoc with the cabinets directly above them.

   Boxed in heating/cooling registers can cause problems with lower cabs.