Coopered or Paneled?

Which doors look better?

I designed this for my brother. It started out as a Stickley sideboard that got modified a wee bit.

Thoughts?

dave, not much help from me as i happen to like them both. maybe if the panels actually had a 3-d look it might make a difference, but if i strain hard enough i think i can imagine it.

which would be more feasible for you to build?

chris

I prefer the one on the right.

I prefer the one on the right also.

The panelled one would probably be a lot less work but I like the coopered one. My brother would get the panelled one.

dave, true coopered doors are movement nightmares, it`s dificult enough to fit curved frame members...if you just want a challenge then add a curved raised panel at least the movement is restrained..

Thanks guys for the advice. Unfortunately my brother is the one who gets to build this thing. I kind of like it though. Might give it a shot someday, too.

From a design/aesthetic perspective, the panel doors fit better with the side panel design.

The coopered doors could be made to work, though, if you added a fixed strip that matched that top rail on the side panels. The symmetry would work better, I think. It'd effectively shorten the doors a couple inches, of course. But I think it would match best. Even better than the panel doors since there'd only be one horizontal member on the bottom, to continue the look all the way around the piece.

Just my ramblings

Very nice design Dave I like em both...

Tod, sage advice... Would a laminated (either solid laminate, or hollow core) door have the same movement issues?

Hi Dave,
Nice job on the both of them. The one on the left is more modern and the one on the right is more traditional. You are so talented, either one would be great.

I personally like the one on the left. Looks less cluttered.

Jim Bergstrom said:

Very nice design Dave I like em both...

Tod, sage advice... Would a laminated (either solid laminate, or hollow core) door have the same movement issues?

Click to expand...

jim, i don`t understand "solid laminate"? if you`re speaking of using bending ply with wood skins to match the piece....that`s the most stable construction i`m aware of.....if a person owns a vacuum rig the entire doors could be glued up using thin laminations of solid wood for another very stable lamination. if using solid wood a person should plan on doing a core lamination first to where the core can be trued to the radius prior to laminating on the faces `cause solid lumber is more likely to exibit some springback after the initial glue up....
a hollow core or even a honeycomb core would be my last choice for furniture built in a small shop......boeing and lear have the honeycomb laminations down to a science but their materials are way outta line for a small shop!

tod evans said:

jim, i don`t understand "solid laminate"? if you`re speaking of using bending ply with wood skins to match the piece....that`s the most stable construction i`m aware of.....if a person owns a vacuum rig the entire doors could be glued up using thin laminations of solid wood for another very stable lamination. if using solid wood a person should plan on doing a core lamination first to where the core can be trued to the radius prior to laminating on the faces `cause solid lumber is more likely to exibit some springback after the initial glue up....
a hollow core or even a honeycomb core would be my last choice for furniture built in a small shop......boeing and lear have the honeycomb laminations down to a science but their materials are way outta line for a small shop!

Click to expand...

I would use a male and female form for the curve made out of mdf or ply, then I would plane and joint my stock (using 6" - 8" wide boards). Next I would resaw to somewhere around 1/8" to 3/16"... (could get some neat book matching going on...) Then I would start "laying up" the laminations on the form using something like Gougeon Brothers' WEST SYSTEM epoxy
I don't have a vacuum press (yet, unlike Stu) so I would clamp the heck out of the forms with the "veneers" sandwiched in the middle. I would rig some wedges along one edge to keep the joints tight.

After curing I would scrape and sand etc. and then use the curve on the door itself as a pattern for the top and bottom of the cabinet... I would do this however the doors are built. Make them first, then use them as a pattern.

I know what you mean about Boeing and Lear etc. Super light and beautiful stuff.

Some of the big yachts around here have some pretty fancy interiors too. A lot of my thinking comes from ship wright work and interior finishing on everything from fishing boats to sail and power boats when I was younger.

This is why I thought of some kind of hollow core... Not honey comb but some kind of grid with straight verticals and bandsawn horizontal curves all neatly half lapped with epoxy. Then a couple of 3/16" "skins" for the back and front. All the same material and it would appear solid.

Just like James Krenov Dave's design reminds me of his work.