Looking for advice (photos included!)

[Artie]

Hi, I am hoping that some of our very knowledgeable members here will share their bountiful wisdom with me. (Did I lay it on too thick?) A good friend of mine has a small cabinet in his bathroom that matches their medicine cabinet. It appears that the wrong hinges were used on this cabinet. For the cabinet door to lay flat against the face of the cabinet, the hinges would need to be spaced out from the face by 1/8-3/16 of an inch. My friend tried to force it shut, and well........ the door didn’t take kindly to that. So the advice part.... I believe this is what is called a raised panel door. I have a cheap raised door panel router bit set coming from MLCS. I’m planning on making the door frame out of Poplar, and was thinking that a 3/4 piece of Baltic Birch could be the raised panel. The total dimensions of the door is 13x16x3/4. Will wood movement between the Poplar, and the BB (on account of them being different woods) doom my work? I have never glued up boards to make a panel yet, and it seems cutting a piece of BB square would be fairly easy (you know, for someone like me  ). Is using a router bit ( I know to make small cuts, and sneak up onto my final dimensions) on BB worse for the bit, with the glue of BB versus glued up Poplar? This is a cheap cabinet, and I know it would be much cheaper to buy a new one, but I want to make this, and get me some new learning in. As always any thoughts, advice, opinions, are welcome. Thank you. Artie 

[lew]

the hinge pictured will cause the door to stand proud of the face frame by the thickness of the hinge. The little rubber bumper near the knob screw makes the "proud" amount equidistant around the door. To use those same hinges and get the door flat against the face frame would require the hinge leaf to be morticed into the door frame or change to a different kind of hinge like a Blum hinge.

 

As far as the wood types, I don't think there would be a problem using poplar for the door frame and plywood for the panel. I've never tried making a raised panel from plywood but it would be stable enough that expansion/contraction would not be cause for concern. Raised panels are usually made a little smaller than the dado dimensions of the door frame to allow for the humidity changes. They make something called "space balls" to act as fillers to keep the panel from rattling and allow for expansion. I use the rubber cord that holds window screens in their frames instead of the space balls.

[Artie]

Lee, the picture does not do a good job of showing it, but for some reason when the door is laid flat on my bench, the hinge is 1/8-3/16 above the table. Little bumper not withstanding. Moving forward, I’m just need to build the new door, and get a hinge that matches the ones on the medicine cabinet, mostly just on color. Space balls... It makes sense, but my only familiarity with that term is the movie. Being a lowbrow, I laughed hilariously when I watched it.

[Stick486]

1 hour ago, lew said:

I've never tried making a raised panel from plywood

@lew

It works really well...

if you need to hide the plys that will show rub them down w/ spackeling compound before sanding...

BB or AA/AB fir mega ply is your better bet for this..

low ply count and in a BC grade are an exercise in futility...

 

@Artie

mortise the hinges..

 

[Gene Howe]

Don't worry about the BB hurting the bit. If you want to put the SS through it's paces, make the raised panel on the saw. 

Lew's suggestion for the screen cord is a good one. And, like Stick said...mortise them hinges.

[Cal]

Does the door on the medicine cabinet stand proud or lay flat?

[Stick486]

7 hours ago, lew said:

I use the rubber cord that holds window screens in their frames instead of the space balls.

just pieces of it...

[lew]

8 hours ago, Artie said:

Being a lowbrow, I laughed hilariously when I watched it.

Lowbrow!!??!! I thought John Candy's performance was Academy Award quality!!

 

Here's a site that might have the hinges you need-

https://www.cshardware.com/kitchen-and-bath/hinges-and-doors/decorative-hinges 

[lew]

1 hour ago, Stick486 said:

just pieces of it...

Yes, sorry, I should have been more clear about that.

[PeteM]

Poplar:  very soft wood.  When routing, take very light/thin cuts because I found the poplar tends to just chip off in hunks if you rout too deep.  Buy extra; it's cheap.

[Artie]

6 hours ago, Cal said:

Does the door on the medicine cabinet stand proud or lay flat?

When the door was on the cabinet, it would not shut completely. The door on the hinge side would hit the cabinet and not allow the door to close completely because the hinge part that mounts to the cabinet is short of the cabinet. I knew I would have a hard time putting this in words. The best way I can put this is if I used 3/16 washers (as spacers) between the hinge and the cabinet, it would close flat (not withstanding rubber bumper on knob side.

[Artie]

So if I’m following this correctly (cuz it’s certainly possible I’m not LOL) the raised panel floats between the frame, it is not glued in place, and the door rubber holds it in place, while allowing for minute wood movements?

[Stick486]

1 hour ago, Artie said:

and the door rubber holds it in place,

it acts as a control joint for when the wood moves and stops any rattle...

a few pieces of the screen spline is dropped into the groove cut in both rails and stiles...

[Grandpadave52]

1 hour ago, Artie said:

So if I’m following this correctly (cuz it’s certainly possible I’m not LOL) the raised panel floats between the frame,YES it is not glued in placeCORRECT, and the door rubber holds it in place, while allowing for minute wood movements? It actually doesn't hold it in place but either the "space balls" or small strips of screen spline lay in the frame grooves then the panel butts against them.

Sorry I'm late to the party Artie...answering your above questions (in red); also check your PM's

 

For your first door, you might consider making a simple one like below with just a flat panel VS a raised panel. This type construction is likely far superior to the one removed having the mitered corners and much easier than a stile & rail. If you choose, you can use a raised panel instead of a flat panel. 

[Artie]

37 minutes ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Sorry I'm late to the party Artie...answering your above questions (in red); also check your PM's

 

For your first door, you might consider making a simple one like below with just a flat panel VS a raised panel. This type construction is likely far superior to the one removed having the mitered corners and much easier than a stile & rail. If you choose, you can use a raised panel instead of a flat panel. 

The issue for me is that they want this door to match the one they have on their medicine cabinet, about 2 feet away LOL.

[Grandpadave52]

2 minutes ago, Artie said:

The issue for me is that they want this door to match the one they have on their medicine cabinet, about 2 feet away LOL.

Easy solution...make a new door for it too...then they'll match exactly.

[Artie]

I really should make a complete set of cabinet, and medicine cabinet, for them. The ones they have are low grade, I mean low grade enough that I’m not worried about turning out a higher quality product. In the last 6 months I have replaced their electrical service, and done all the work necessary for them to get their home vinyl sided, so they feel guilty and won’t let me make this into a bigger project.

[Gene Howe]

Surprise them.

[Artie]

41 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

Surprise them.

They know me too well LOL. I don’t think they’d let me into their house right now. I have the door because Keith and Jackie (Jaqueline) came up for a visit yesterday. It’s about a 2 hour round trip. I’m hoping when they see how much better my door is, they’ll reconsider. 

[HandyDan]

Artie, those are flush hinges on the door you are showing and should be fine for that door.  Take the hinge off and lay it flat on the bench to be sure.  I have a feeling something else is going on with the cabinet itself.