I was just getting into one of the first pieces of furniture I ever made. and thus the lesson learned.

 

If you are ever doing a cabinet with side-by-side frame and panel doors, do this:   Make the center stiles ripped from the same board and keep the orientation.   That way, you not only get good grain match, but if there is any bowing to the wood, they will bow together and there won't be any visible difference.   The stiles on the outside are kept in more or less position by the hinges.  And look for a piece of wood that doesn't have a twist or bow to it to begin with.

 

Notice how the grain aligns on the center stiles in this photo.

 

Excellent tip!

i did 6 doors in a row this way for our sideboard.  each pair of stiles was from the same piece of wood, and all the rails were also from the same piece, so the grain flows across the entire piece (8 feet long).

 

lots of blue tape and notes to keep things straight.

Wonderful tip Keith!

Pic:

Great tip Keith, beautiful sideboard Dab!

Cal

Great tip...thanks...

On 6/23/2017 at 7:10 PM, DAB said:

Pic:

 

DAB, that is a beautiful cabinet!! What finishes did you use for the coloration? Excellent work!!!

hat

wood is red oak.  stain was a mix of two stains to get close to the dining table.  then 3 coats of polyurethane.  sorry, i don't recall what the stain colors were, but it was a 50/50 mix of two.

Great tip, Keith.

 

I always try and cut rails, styles, and panels so that the grain flows and matches as best as possible. Not always easy but it sure looks better in the end. (I even try to do this with my shop cabinets/stands).

Just catching up on posts, looks like Steven did the same thing with solid doors that he posted earlier today

The reason I noted this was that I have a corner cabinet where I was not smart/experienced enough to do this and one side bowed a little and the other did not.   If they'd both bowed together, it would not be as noticeable.