This DIY tutorial outlines the process of making cabinet doors, covering steps from measuring the cabinet opening, selecting wood and material, determining door design, cutting door components, shaping door panels, assembling the door, sanding and smoothing the door, and filling any imperfections. The tutorial covers various skill levels, including beginner, intermediate, and professional. Outdoor cabinets require selecting weather-resistant materials, constructing a sturdy frame, adding doors and drawers, and installing the cabinets with precision. Slim shaker cabinet doors can be built cheaply and easily using only plywood and dowels. Simple pocket hole joinery can be used for cabinet doors, while routers can be used for doors with no visible joinery. A two-panel shaker style solid core door can also be built using off-the-shelf materials from the home store.
To build cabinets for an outdoor kitchen, measure the cabinet opening and use it as a reference for door size. Cut plywood panels to match the box’s dimensions, use a jigsaw to cut out spaces, apply a bead of paint, and attach a stop block to the doors. Drill pilot holes and add screws to hold the drawer front in place. The ACRE panel with a painted finish can be built as if it were a plywood box.
📹 3 Ways To Build Cabinet Doors
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What kind of wood should I use for outdoor cabinets?
Marine-grade lumber like teak, cypress, and bamboo is ideal for outdoor cabinets due to its durability and versatility. These cabinets can add color, complement the landscape, and provide additional storage space. After choosing a layout and design scheme, consider the type of outdoor kitchen cabinetry that will best serve your outdoor living area. Choose from authentic teak, brick, or powder-coated stainless steel to create your own private sanctuary.
The pros and cons of each material for outdoor kitchens and cabinets include their organic and rustic beauty, traditional charm, and sophistication. By considering these factors, you can create a unique and functional outdoor living space.
What is the cheapest wood to make cabinets out of?
Pine, a natural wood indigenous to the United States, is more cost-effective than other wood species, including oak, maple, and birch. Plywood, a material with a wide range of applications in the cabinet manufacturing industry, is utilized in the construction of cabinet boxes, cabinet doors, and drawer fronts. Additionally, plywood is a prevalent material utilized in the construction of cabinet boxes. Plywood cabinets are less expensive than those constructed from oak, maple, or birch.
Is pine ok for cabinet doors?
Pine wood cabinets are a popular choice for carpenters and custom cabinet makers due to their soft texture, smooth grain, and gentle color. With over 100 different varieties, pine wood is moisture-resistant, making it suitable for humid environments like bathrooms and busy kitchens. Its softness makes it easy to work and carve into custom-made cabinets. However, pine wood can easily become dented or scratched unless properly cared for, making it a potential weakness in humid environments. Overall, pine wood is a versatile and classic choice for both traditional and modern designs.
What is the best wood to make an external door?
Four popular wood choices for a front door are Douglas Fir, Knotty Alder, Sapele Mahogany, and White Oak. These woods offer charm, strength, and exceptional stain or paint possibilities, ranging from classic to modern to rustic. Each wood type has its own distinctive texture, warmth, and personality, with varying grain patterns and rich colors. The first step in selecting a door is to examine the unique aesthetic and performance qualities of different wood species.
It’s also essential to consider the door’s compatibility with your home’s interior elements, such as flooring, cabinetry, trim, and millwork. Matching your exterior door to your interior style maintains a cohesive design flow, making a great first impression on guests and boosting your home’s curb appeal. By considering these wood choices, you can create a resilient, personalized entrance for your home, enhancing both the exterior and interior aesthetics.
Can I just purchase cabinet doors?
Kitchen cabinet door replacements are a budget-friendly option for those who prefer a clean and well-maintained kitchen layout. The cost of these replacements depends on factors like kitchen size, door style, wood type, and shipping distance. While you don’t need to replace your drawer fronts when replacing cabinet doors, it may be beneficial to ensure consistency and a cohesive look. The average cost of cabinet door replacements without professional installation varies depending on factors like size, door style, wood type, and shipping distance.
How thick should wood be for cabinet doors?
To create a cabinet door, measure the width and height of the opening, add 1/2 inch to determine the rough cut size, and decide on the thickness of the door. For thinner doors, use 1/4-inch-thick MDF, while for thicker doors, use 3/4-inch-thick MDF. Thinner doors have a more modern look, while thicker doors have a more traditional look. MDF is an excellent choice for cabinet doors due to its density, smoothness, and resistance to warping or cracking. It can be painted or stained to match any decor and is easy to clean and maintain, making it a popular choice for high-traffic areas like kitchens and bathrooms.
What wood to use for DIY cabinet doors?
The best wood for building cabinet doors is a combination of Birch, Hickory, Maple, Quartersawn White Oak, Red Oak, and Walnut. These woods are durable, cost-effective, and can be used to enhance the appearance and longevity of your kitchen cabinets. American Wood Reface offers assistance in choosing the right wood for your cabinet doors, ensuring you find premium quality wood at an affordable price.
Choosing the right wood for cabinet doors is crucial as not all wood is created equal. It’s essential to find the wood that is durable, high-quality, and incorporates the desired design for your kitchen. Cabinet doors are often the first items people notice when looking at a kitchen, and they express your style. By choosing the right wood, you can increase the value of your home and improve its overall appearance.
What wood for outdoor cabinet doors?
Investing in weather-resistant wood materials like mahogany, teak, or ipe for outdoor kitchen cabinets is recommended, but these materials are expensive and require high maintenance. They may degrade over time, making them a future investment. Werever offers various door styles, including the Plano style, with various upgrade designs for a luxurious look. Choosing wood cabinets now requires extra maintenance and may require future investments in new cabinets.
What is the best plywood for outdoor cabinets?
Marine plywood is ideal for outdoor furniture and flooring construction due to its resistance to harsh weather conditions and long-lasting durability. Pressure-treated plywood offers numerous benefits, including increased durability, greater structural integrity, and resistance to rotting and decomposing. Its excellent dimensional stability reduces the risk of warping, twisting, or breaking over time.
It also provides significant insect resistance, protecting against termites, carpenter ants, and other pests. Its natural antibacterial properties minimize the need for regular maintenance and repairs, resulting in long-term cost and time savings.
Is 1/2 inch plywood strong enough for cabinets?
3/4 plywood is a popular choice for kitchen cabinet plywood due to its resistance to moisture and its superior quality. Unlike the 5 layers of 1/2 plywood cabinet designs, 3/4 plywood offers a more robust and flawless finish. Top brands like Delta Woodworks opt for this plywood due to its inherent benefits, ensuring the overall appeal of their woodwork. As kitchen cabinet plywood thickness trends evolve, the preference towards 3/4 plywood signals a future of increasing prominence. Its versatility, ranging from large cabinet installations to detailed furniture crafts, and its robustness make it an enduring favorite in the industry.
Is it cheaper to build your own cabinet doors?
Building your own custom kitchen cabinets is cost-effective as you can choose the materials you want firsthand and avoid paying for artistry. However, designing your cabinets can be exhausting and time-consuming, and you will need to purchase all the necessary tools and materials. If you already have the necessary tools, you can borrow them from a friend. However, having a shed full of tools will only take you so far if you don’t have top-level wood crafting skills. To avoid waste, it is crucial to evaluate your level of expertise before embarking on this arduous task.
📹 Build Shaker Cabinet Doors With Table Saw | New to Woodworking?
In today’s video I’m going to walk you through how to build a Shaker cabinet door with a table saw. If you’re new to woodworking, …
I’m an old cabinet maker. This is a great article for people to see. One observation for the middle and best doors. Use a little foam rectangle piece called a panel buddy or foam space balls the Rockler sells. It helps well with expansion and contraction and it takes that hollow sound out when you close the door because panel fits evenly a snug but allows for expansion and contraction. Used them for years and still do. They are crazy cheap for a large amt
#mrfixit Grandmother here. I love your presentations and energy. Now, here’s a tiny bit of Grandmother advice: Have your Adult ENT check you out- especially your vocal cords; then have your Upper GI Doctor check your stomach via an Endoscopy. Why? You’re straining your voice to speak normally. Reflux can affect our vocal cords… (A huge issue for teachers plus vocal cord calluses. I taught for approx 45 years). Please be well!
Great article! Thank you for being prepared, not stammering and stuttering, and wasting time! Fast and to the point is what I needed. I actually used this info to do an even more advanced door design, with a 1/4″ birch ply insert panel, and it turned out great. Will be perusal more vids, for more tips. Thanks.
Because the center panel on the ‘pro’ can expand and contract you should provide some relief by taking a 1/32 from all sides with the tables saw. In the article the panel is not glued but it is edge bound. This means when the panel expands it is pressing against the stiles. If the expansion is significant, it is possible to split the joinery (the corners) or the panel itself.
I used the router method when I redid my kitchen doors. Those router bits are BEASTS! I did stained glass inserts rather than wood, but you still have to allow for the cabinets to contract and expand so you have to get a little creative to keep the glass from shifting over time. That was 10 years ago and they are still good as new
Your beginner build is an epic fail. You mentioned you need mitre saw, table saw and nail gun. Lol. You gotta be kidding. That.s the tools beginners Don.t have. They have old drill and one hand saw. Your required setup is more for advanced woodworkers. Thing is building cabinet doors is not a thing for beginners. It.s like you expect beginners to know how to mill the wood and have planner and thicknesser available 😆
Don’t know where you are, but I don’t know of any cabinet shop (that’s the professional) constructing painted door by hand, nor making them out of dimensional wood. They’re pretty much always milled from sheets (like MDF) and then primed/filled, sanded and painted. Skip all the priming and painting when using a vacuum thermofoil table. So if someone wants to make cabinet doors like professional, the first tool you need is a CNC machine. The other ways are like a weekend warrior and hobbyist. 🙂 Maybe a pro from 50 years ago.
I never built the beginner door, but I’ve build the other two when making shop furniture. Do you have any idea why space balls are used, or in what applications you would use them? I just let the panel float, but guess the space balls are used to allow it to float but keep it firm so it doesn’t rattle, but the balls allow it to swell? I don’t know, but waste of money i think. What do you use for your dust collector? I noticed it seems to do a good job on your table saw and router table. I didn’t see it sitting in your shop.
You know, I appreciate your ever-developing skills. But the fact that you just flat out ignore your followers is such a slap in the face to the people who make your “job” possible. Without followers and subscribers, you are just another working man like the rest of us. Take a moment each day to thank and appreciate all of those that make it possible for you to have this social media life you have. We watch your content, buy your merchandise…at least be thankful. Have a good one.
Not only are you a skilled carpenter, but you’re a great teacher. Fantastic pace, detailed without being overwhelming, and tailoring to the beginner without being condescending. One of the best instruction articles I’ve seen and I’ve been a teacher for 20 years. Thank you for teaching me! Oh, and your shirt is cool.
I was down in my workshop, looking over all the bits for my handheld router that I’ve never used, trying to figure out how to build doors like this. I came back to the computer to get a lesson, and now that you showed me, I’ll go use the table saw. I’m already a little bit comfortable using it, and you gave me enough information to do this project. Thank you!
Not only are you a good “craftsman”, but a good teacher. A good teacher knows his stuff while relating the need to work safe. Perhaps the most important aspect of “teacher talent” is this fact. It’s okay to make mistakes. They are inevitable, they are for learning, and they can be overcome. Great job “teacher”.
Brilliant article, I’m 35 years on the tools but never made my own doors and I made a door for my electric meter cupboard but I routered the groove with my 18v makita router but it is so much easier and quicker to do it on my table saw and I did not tenon the stiles I just glued in the panels and cut 4 biscuits out of the same size panel and tapped into the groove I’d routered into the end’s of the stiles but I am now going to have a go the way you have done it. So yeah love your work mate 49 years old and still learning lol.
There are some very good trades folks on YouTube. You are by far at the top tier. What I like about your articles are that they are no nonsense and practical. You get straight to the point without a lot of fluff. You also have a teaching spirit- you clearly are a professional and an expert YET you make the viewer feel very comfortable allowing us to ease into the lesson. Not everyone does that. I’ve learned a ton from your articles. Please keep producing!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this well done article. I spent hours yesterday with a router bit trying to do this and I finally gave because it just was not coming out right. Saw your article this morning and did it in about an hour. They came out perfect. Thank you again. Also saw your article on making stringers, that’s going to be my next project following your article. Excellent articles.
Great article and very good instruction. This is a perfectly acceptable way of making a small cabinet door, but keep in mind this is the weakest of the three commonly used methods. So if you are a beginner (as the article states) don’t hesitate to do this. You will be using what’s referred to as a stub tenon. Plenty strong enough. But if someone kneels to access a lower cabinet and then uses the door as a crutch to get up (not that uncommon,) the upper joint on the hinge side takes a lot of pressure. Often it is the hinge that gives first, though. So a cope joint, made with a router bit set, is the next strongest and the method found in most “factory” doors. Here you have the same stub tenon, but additional glue surface where the rail copes the stile. The strongest joint would be a full mortise and tenon. Here, the long grain glue joint on the mortise and tenon cheeks is virtually indestructible, if made right. An upgrade to the stub tenon would be to consider 1/2″ grooves (grooves, not dados because dados are grooves that run across the grain, usually on the face of the board) and stub tenons. That 25% extra glue surface, per joint, goes a long way. I don’t mean to be critical or disrespectful of the article. It is fine and well explained as an entry level method. Just want to give some vision to the beginners as to how their door making skills will evolve, and the theory behind it.
Good stuff, thanks for posting. I needed a couple cabinet doors in my shop and wanted something reasonably nice looking. I saw this article and went straight to work. Your explanations made something that I thought was complicated actually quite easy. Now I want to make hinges myself….any suggestions?
To start with we really appreciate your articles with options to achieve the same outcome with just different tools. also, we like your straight forward and simple explanations. Thank you and keep up the great content! When measuring for the size of the door how much of a (minimum) gap do you leave between the doors/drawers? Is the gap the same size horizontally as it is vertically? Is the gap the same for drawers compared to doors? Thank again, Gus 🙂 PS – what would your recommendation be for size and number of clamps if we would like to go with that technique. We like the Bessey K-Body style, looks like you do too!
This article is 3yrs old so I’m not sure if you still read the comments or not. I have a question. I’m going to reface my kitchen cabinets and will build the doors based on your article. I’m going to be painting my cabinets and want the finished product to be as clean and sleek as possible. What are your thoughts on using MDF?
Great tutorial. I am going to be diy building my new kitchen (and the rest of the renovation), and this is exactly what I need to do. I especially like that you didn’t use a dado stack like many other articles I’ve seen, as here in the UK, this is not something we can generally use, certainly not on cheap job site saws. perusal you cut on the table saw though was concerning me somewhat. I know it’s a ‘Saw Stop’ so will not badly injure you, but even so, no push sticks are used, reaching over the still-spinning blade. The saw-stop feature does not prevent kickback. I don’t (I know I should) use a blade guard on my job site Dewalt table saw either, but always use pushsticks, and NEVER reach for the workpiece until the saw has stopped. While I’m sure it works for you, it sets a poor example for beginner woodworkers like myself.
You might want to mention the use of a flat ground ripping blade. Saves a lot of time.. I like CMT blades from Taytools.com, but there are plenty of vendors..I also quite often use yellow pine for rental properties or houses someone is trying to turn over quick with the least amount of money involved..certainly beats the cheapo mdf doors..
I appreciate your article, but I’m wondering why you don’t explain about cleaning up the tenons before dialing in the fence location rather than after the whole section about the creating tenons. Seems like it would be most helpful to explain that at the step in the process when it’s typically done. Since it’s a critical piece of info to make everything fit, why wait until the end? Other than that, a well thought-out and straight-forward tutorial. Thanks for posting.
I tried to find the answer to my question in the comments – no success. When you put the hardware on the example door and then showed how to install and then closed it in your office, I noticed there was no face frame. How would one use the same hardware when there is a face frame? Do you need a face frame. If you have a face frame what changes to dimensions do you consider. Thank you for your time and making these amazing instructional articles.
Hello there teacher! Your article occupies position number one in my cabinet door making library. Thank you so much for being as selfless as you are whilst being so articulate in what you do. I wish Africa had super talent as this. May Heavens keeps your hands safe. Once again, thank you! Just wish I could like your tutorial 1k times.
Next step = Doors, table-tops, wall-panels, workbench, bench-top, saw-table, …, kitchen-…, camper-van…, … fit rails(electrical and non-electrical) and aluminium-extrusions to common-denominator – doors. Probably need to recess the edges of rail-extrusions for stuff to get in and push dirt out by sliding…
Hey man, I’m going to be very clear. The instructions are efficient, I couldn’t find a sequence out of place and the detail of work is perfect, not extra cutting steps or waste in material. The only thing that I would do differently. is to mention what you later said in the article maybe in the beginning, which was the tip on “you can always remove material by cutting, but not add because they were gone…” anyways, I just wanted to provide my kudos. I subbed.
As most have given positive comments about your good information and effective teaching, I would like to add that your article production, camera angles, and editing are top notch. Most people do not appreciate the time and planning it takes to set up a article like this and edit it down to such a well paced instructional article. Well done.
Just wow. I built my house, did the electrical, HVAC, plumbing, wood and tile flooring, BUT I’ve not done much ‘quality’ woodwork. Now retired so I’m building up my shop and learning how to do things (like cabinet doors). I have lots of books, but – your article just makes this process so much easier. Great JOB! Subscribed and thumbs up!
I’m making small doors (29×27) and when I make the frame, the frame does not lay flat, both ends are raised a bit, how can I fix this when I build. I’m using tounge and groove pine. I normally make oversized barn doors, and I still have the same problem with every door. I am joining with kreg holes. Thanks
Josh – a few quick questions: 1. What is the thickness of the board you are using for the stiles and rails, it looks to be 3/4 inch, but I wasn’t sure. 2. Do you have a preferred wood type for the stiles and rails and then panel? I need to make 10-12 cabinet doors and I am thinking of using Poplar and then probably 1/4 in sanded plywood for the panels. Lastly, do you have a article on how to make these doors with a router table and/or dado blades. I have both. Thanks.
Extremely well presented article. I’m open to suggestion here so fire away! My kitchen cabinets were made in the early 1980’s of knotty pine and my wife and I hate them. We want to keep the boxes because they are built like a tank, but the doors have to go. We are sanding the boxes and painting them an eggshell (sort of) white and I want to make shaker doors. I want the rails and styles to be solid with a plywood panel like you’ve made, and since we are painting everything, species of wood shouldn’t be a big deal. I just want nice and smooth shaker doors. You said between 2 and 2 1/2 inch wood rails and styles are the norm, but I didn’t hear anything about thickness. Did you happen to buy your wood from a big box store or a lumber specific place. I’m really hoping to do this as inexpensively as possible but get the best results that I can. I do have router tables and bits for the job but honestly the set up on the table saw looks just as easy without the extra set up. Love to hear thoughts! I have 14 cabinet doors to make at a variety of sizes, and I will male them the same size as the existing doors. Please help!
Of the dozens of articles I’ve watched on making cabinet doors, this has to be the best for completeness, clarity, succinctness, accuracy, editing and script. Well done! The only thing I’d add for viewers reading this is that using a flat-top grind (FTG) blade instead of an alternate tooth bevel blade will help the joinery go even more quickly and accurately. I’m sure Training Hands left this out purposely as it’s not necessary and most beginning DIYers don’t already have this blade in their shop.
Boy, I am an experienced woodworking, and just watched this article out of spare time curiosity. Not sure how much rehearsal and/or editing was performed in the preparation of this instructional article, but the result was one of the best, if not the best, I have seen in years of YT viewing. Great Presentation. I seldom subscribe to anything, but this presentation compelled me to do just that! TY.
I used this article as a guide to make my first cabinet doors. It was incredibly helpful! Question, I decided to go with a 1/2″ overlay with 1 and 1/2″ wide stiles and rails. The standard overlay hinges I got at Home Depot are too big for the frame. Any idea where I can get smaller hinges to fit for these smaller styles?
5:55 just a question about this part, if the panels fit snugly together, wouldn’t you want to leave the jagged edges in the grooves? They’d allow the glue to get a better bite, wouldn’t they? Sanding it all down seems like it would give less surface area for adhesion while simultaneously thinning out the surface and making it fit more loosely
Excellent article. I’ve made them before but I always like perusal others methods too, their’s always something new to learn. Just one question, is that poplar your using for your project. Excellent article. I haven’t looked yet, but a duplicate article using a router table would be Great too. Router table is just so fast
Wood working is my passion always has been. People that have to mass produce I understand the time saving but younger wood workers don’t get a lot of the old ways taught to them, if they had more articles like yours they could know just how important it is to have a good table saw and what can be done with it. Your a great instructor. God bless 🙏🇺🇸
This is by far the most clear article on making shaker style doors I have come across. I am planning to make new doors for my entire kitchen. Any chance you will be making a article on building shaker doors on a router table? Do you recommend a router table over a stacked dado for this project? Thank you for the lesson!
For the rails and stiles did you use quarter sawn or rift sawn lumber? I know that using that kind of lumber versus flat sawn is better because you’ll have less chance of the door warping or twisting when humidity levels fluctuate over time. But that kind of lumber is more expensive. Or are you not concerned about that aspect? What has been your experience? Let me know as I am about to purchase lumber for making shaker style doors.
Great presentation from a master carpenter! I’ m having some shaker style kitchen cabinets made and would appreciate your expertise. The carpenter who’s making them will be using soft maple for the rails and styles but wants to use MDF for the panels. He tells me that if he uses 1/4 maple plywood the doors will eventually warp from the contraction and expansion of the panel . I would mind if the doors were painted, but I want them stained and would like to see the panel wood grain along with the rails and styles. Should I insist on the maple panels? Thank you in advance.
Awesome article and you explain everything well. I tried using the table saw to make the tongue and groove but I had trouble. I had the bits used for a router table. That worked but the board wanted get pulled into the bit and create a rounded edge from the roller on the bit. How do I keep it from doing that? Thanks.
I really liked your tutorial on these doors. I’m making my own cabinet as I’m typing and googled how to make the doors and your article popped up! 😊 I want to use your method as I don’t have high- tech equipment, BUT- I can not for the life of me understand how to translate/ calculate fraction inch (like 16th of an inch etc) to mm and cm. 🙈
The tenets on each side of the Rails I could not accomplish with a new Dewalt portable table saw because it does not have a microfine blade adjustment. So when the tenet was too thick and I needed to raise the blade, it was virtually impossible to see it being raised without it jumping too much and resulted in the tenet becoming too thick and creating a loose joint. 🙁
I know this article is a little old, but hoping you’ll answer a question. I’m building doors that are 43 inches tall for an outdoor cabinet. Should I be concerned about warping, and if so should I put in a third rail, or consider alternative woods or style? By the way, I agree with many others here, you are a great teacher and I love your article content. I subscribed after perusal a few of your articles.