I've been building my kitchen cabinets and using hard maple for the face frames. And it's HARD which I'm sure is why we call it that. The cabinets are getting painted. I'll be on to making 14 doors pretty soon. The hard maple might last me through the doors, but ….. should I go get soft maple for the door frames? I'm going to be using Blum Clip Top hinges and drilling those big cups in the door stiles is going to be a b%$&@ in the hard maple I think. I was looking at poplar and soft maple. Poplar seems a little too soft for door frames, but since I've never done this I figured this is the place to ask.
Soft maple is not near as soft as poplar. I would use it with no issues. Drilling in hard maple is or should be fine. If it is that hard to drill, check your bits. I use it all the time. But soft maple will work fine. Hope this helps. bob
Bob beat me to it. He's absolutely correct. You should note however, that I used poplar on my painted bathroom cabinet frames and doors without problem (see my portfolio at www.kragerwoodworking.weebly.com/portfolio ), and have done so for years. Poplar is slightly more stable usually because it tends to be straighter, and out here the soft maple is almost the same density as poplar. Poplar is great for sliding stuff because it resists abrasion better than most other woods.
Dan
ok, I just drilled a simuated cup hole in the hard maple with a 1-3/8 forstner and it was no problem at all. I think that's pretty darn close to the 35mm hole called for and I can just use the hard maple I have and go get another couple of boards if I need more..
Poplar is used all the time and takes paint exceptionally well .
Can't see spending the good money on Maple just to paint over it , but … to each his own : )
I agree with those who say the hardness of hard maple should not be a problem if your cutters are sharp. Out on the west coast we have Big Leaf Maple, which is softer than eastern maple but not that much. I doubt the soft maple you refer to would be too soft for you.
The hard maple won't be a problem for a good sharp bit. The name "Soft" maple is a little misleading. Soft maple is not that soft. It isn't as hard as Hard maple but it is still very hard and like others have said it is much harder than pine or poplar.
We have made thousands of shaker doors in soft maple. You should not have any problems.
I don't care for poplar for a shaker door. It paints well, but is not as stable as soft maple.
There is no way I wouild waste hard maple on a painted door.
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