# Building solid wood walnut cabinet



## Slabguy (Jul 23, 2013)

I'm planning on building something similar to the cabinet pictured below to go under my tv (hanging on the wall) to hold/hide cords, satellite box, etc… I want to build the whole thing out of solid wood because I have plenty of walnut and I don't want to buy any walnut veneer sheet when I have plenty of solid stock to use. Is there any good tutorials out there on building solid wood cabinet doors? Do you guys have any tips or recommendations on joinery for this project? I don't have much experience with cabinets or cabinet doors. This cabinet is from newwoodworks.com


----------



## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

Tongue and Groove joinery would work. Looks like you need to cut a deeper groove on the horizontal pieces to account for the curvature in them that should be cut after the groove.

Panels can be solid walnut, probably 1/4" thick. Maybe 3/8" if you wanted them a bit thicker.

I don't glue the panels in the doors with the exception of a small amount in the center of the groove to allow for expansion and contraction of the door.


----------



## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

If you have the tools for mortise and tenon joinery you can make that cabinet. It is rife with frame and panel construction. Any basic furniture book will explain it. My go to reference for such matters is Furniture and Cabinet Making by John L. Feirer. It is out of print now, but you can still get it on the used book market, in fact Amazon has several listed for $0.01, that is a bargain you'll never beat.


----------



## Slabguy (Jul 23, 2013)

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll definitely pick up that book. I don't have access to mortise and tenon tools but I can do tongue and groove.


----------



## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

Do you have a router table? What tools do you have?


----------



## Slabguy (Jul 23, 2013)

I don't have a router table. I have a table saw, bandsaw, RAS, jointer, planer, miter saw, and some hand tools. I don't plan on doing the curves like the cabinet in the picture and I'm hoping I can build something similar to the picture without purchasing any more big tools but maybe not.


----------



## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

You can do a lot with a table saw and a router. Start looking on YouTube for videos on ways to do frame and panel construction, mortise and tennon ect. There a lot of information on the net on how to do what you want with a minimum of tools.

Here's one such video.


----------



## Slabguy (Jul 23, 2013)

Thanks for the help!


----------



## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> Thanks for the help!
> 
> - Slabguy


Here's another one.


----------



## Yonak (Mar 27, 2014)

It seems like those doors (sans the curves) could be done pretty much solely with a planer, joiner and table saw using standard tongue and groove, frame and panel joinery. There are many internet sites on which you can get information, including tuitorials.


----------



## Slabguy (Jul 23, 2013)

I've been watching some videos on tongue and groove. Seems fairly simple. The main joint I'm not sure how to do would be where the bottom horizontal braces meet the legs. Obviously, you wouldn't want the groove going all the way to the floor so what would you do there?


----------



## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Obviously, you wouldn't want the groove going all the way to the floor so what would you do there?

That would be stopped groove, best done with a router.


----------



## Yonak (Mar 27, 2014)

I assume your bottom shelf will be attached to the bottom rail. Oftentimes I will attach the bottom shelf to the sides using blocks.


----------



## iminmyshop (Dec 9, 2012)

A router, at least for me, is one of the most essential tool in the shop. With a template and a router, getting the curves on the side panel would be really easy.

As others have noted above (but I think it's worth repeating because it is so important), the biggest difference in working with solid wood vs. plywood is stability. Solid wood will move as the humidity changes. Over the 20 inches or so on a cabinet side that could be in the range of 1/2" - 5/8". That is why frame and panels are so popular for solid wood cabinetry. You can hide the movement where the panel meets the frame. And if you glue the long grain of a support inside the cabinet across the grain of the cabinet side you will likely be in for a rude awakening as the seasons change so you need to watch how you put runners and bracing. It is also best to use rift sawn wood for the frame sides and legs as it is more stable and moves much less across its grain than quartersawn. It also looks better in that application.

Here is a wood movement calculator: http://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/calculators/calc.pl?calculator=shrinkage

Best of luck. It looks like a great project.


----------



## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

Very handsome cabinet,Looks like Claro walnut to me.I like the funky over size doors.Someone must of ran out of wood whats up with the funky green top.Aj


----------



## Slabguy (Jul 23, 2013)

Thanks guys. Y'all have been a huge help.


----------



## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

You may want to look here for ideas on how to make this:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/woodworking-plans/

They have plans and intructions, some even have cut lists.


----------



## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

Make sure you have as close to Quartersawn as possible for the rails of the doors.

Any flatsawn stock will want to bow as the weather changes, so you would have a corner of the door sticking out in the summer and back to flat in the winter. The panels are thin and 'trapped' in the frame so will be OK. Any stock you are fighting with getting flat, use it elsewhere than the door frames, or it will drive you to drink.


----------



## GregInMaryland (Mar 11, 2010)

I would not discount Mortise and Tenon joints for the cabinet frame. The mortise could be chopped entirely by hand using a mortise chisel and a mallet, or partially drilled out with a drill press, or a hand held drill or a brace, and then cleaned up with a chisel. The tenon all can be cut on a table saw.

Only considering the cabinet, it looks like there would only be 20 mortise and tenon joints-4 each on the front and back for the rails, and 6 each on the two sides for the three rails. This means there are only two types of mortise and tenon joints to setup and eventually repeat.

Good luck and please post a project when you finish this cabinet.

Greg


----------



## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I would certainly do some trial doors or panels with some cheaper wood before going to work on walnut. This way you could try out some of the things being suggested in previous posts.


----------

