face frame and cabinet door ?

larry merlau

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Delton, Michigan
i have been asked to make a face frame that is 54" wide and 40" high with 2 flat panel doors, but here is the catch, they want to match or have them made out of western cedar.. my question is that i dont see the cedar having enough density to hold 2- 26x38-doors? i was looking at having a overlay type hinge setup. could go with the surface mount ones rather than a cup type hinge.. this frame work will be anchored to the existing studs behind the drywall.. its just hiding some electrical and music cables.. any ideas of what to use and possibly stain to match cedar? they are getting a door as well for the nearby opening to the spa.. thanks for any help in advance
 
I've never made anything of any size with Western Red Cedar, but let me throw this at you: The concern would be the ability of the wood to retain hinge screws, since it's fairly soft. One thing I'd try is a surface mount hinge with a backup on the inside of the door and face frames. Use machine screws all the way through the frame. With the backup on the inside, you don't have to worry about anything pulling out. A dab of paint or possibly chemical treatment will help match the screw to the hinge, if you can't find something to match.
 
bill i had thought of that on the hinges you have a hinge in mind that you think would work? i can deal with anchoring the frame to the wall i just want the doors to hold there:)
 
I didn't have a specific style in mind - just some suitable surface mount. I'm sure they will want something to match or blend with what they have in the house now. I saw a butterfly hinge that could lend itself to that application, if it blends with their decor.
 
Does the hinge you specified required or allow mortising into the stiles and frame? If not, I'd look for one that did. An incredible amount of strength comes from that shallow mortise. No mortise means all the racking forces are constrained by the screws only. I'd want much more than that for doors this large.
 
Larry,
use a mid sized mortise leaf hinge. 3 per door. use a longer and coarser thread screw to secure them. The cedar should hold the screws just fine. If you want to strengthen it up some more then after you drill for your screws use a syringe and put a little bit of minwax wood hardener into the hole. But do it right before you put the screws in and the wood will harden around the threads.
 
how thick are they going to be?
was thinking on using standard 3/4 to 7/8" material rich, and 1/4" flat panels. any idea if you can cedar plywood?

What about using Douglas fir? Might be a pretty close match for cedar with some clever finishing, and a lot stronger.
peter i like your idea and even thought of getting good straight grained spruce, will wait and see what the big door is made of then go from there.. i dont think he is getting a cedar door?
 
Larry I would go an inch to an inch and an eighth on those doors.
My guess if you could find 1/4 inch cedar ply it would be costly.
Instead I would opt for a reverse raised panel. Not only will that be stronger but the panel and the frames will be the same color
 
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