Recently, the Dude (Ron Dudelston) posted an image of the Curio cabinet he's making for his wife.

Pretty neat. 

But I found out his "secret."  The raised panel doors were purchased by him already made.

 

Ask me how I know..  (No, he didn't tell anyone.)  

 

Larry

You're absolutely correct Larry.  They were purchased from an Amish cabinet shop.  I was going to have to buy a new set of panel cutters and the doors were less than the cutter.  It wasn't a big secret but how'd you figger it out?

 

---

Ron Dudelston
Above and Beyond WoodWorks

Thanks for the honesty, Ron..

 

The grain patterns on solid Red Oak will change directions when the surface profile changes.  Here's an image of one of our kitchen cabinet doors that shows the grain direction change quite well.

 

 

Some time ago, the Japanese perfected a way to apply thin red oak veneer on MDF raised cabinet door faces using a vacuum process.  Although the veneer comforms ro the surfaces quite nicely, the grain patterns, going into the contour changes, remain quite straight.

Your Amish supplier had to buy the doors for resale.  I would doubt that they have the means to produce them.

There is a positive to this discussion.  Raised panel doors made this way are very stable due to the MDF cores.

 

Sorry for picken on ya, but I do like to share trivial information. 

 

Larry

Yep, I found out about that thin veneer on a raised panel entry door the hard way, I sanded through it when I was refinishing a customers door. The customer swore up and down the door was solid 100 percent, I took him at his word, lesson learned! I sanded right through the raised panel down to some MDF. Arrrggggh!!! Don't ask me how it turned out, another long story.

 

---

John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker

The good news for me is that I removed the panels from the upper doors to put glass in them.  That's when I found the MDF.  Larry, a question.   Do you like your martinis shaken, not stired?

---

Ron Dudelston
Above and Beyond WoodWorks

John1..

For future jobs like that, just look at the grain patterns on the Raised panel doors.

One of my biggest thrills was when I convinced a Builder that he had bought veneered raised panel doors.  He was totally unaware of them.  Bet he thought I was a real posterior orifce.  Get in line..  

Larry

Oh you bet I'll look at those grain patterns Larry, what a fiasco!

Larry Jenkins said:

John1..

For future jobs like that, just look at the grain patterns on the Raised panel doors.

One of my biggest thrills was when I convinced a Builder that he had bought veneered raised panel doors.  He was totally unaware of them.  Bet he thought I was a real posterior orifce.  Get in line..  

Larry

---

John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker

We've looked at a lot of new houses lately, and not ONE Agent knew about this at all.  Posterior thingy again..

Larry

Last month , Oliver Machinery had a free online seminar focused on on one of their machines , featuring this technology . Next month I expect to see at AWFS some company making the full jump to a resin -catalyst based picture printed millwork technology allowing us to get away completely from the pesky problems associated with real wood. A couple of years ago, there were company's displaying machines borderline on doing this. Hopefully, in the future, we can have virtual reality cabinets, holograms and dial-a-situation and get away completely from anything physical/real. Boy, I can't wait. Look what it did for Weiner!!

Technology is great, but I'll pass on the faux wood, and I'll bet a lot of other folks here would too.

Larry

the two are inexorably linked-