Doors for Cabinetry & Fine Furniture

Class Preview

Showcase your craftsmanship with perfectly fitted doors for cabinetry and fine furniture.

Making Doors for Furniture

Meet woodworking instructor and fine-furniture maker Robert Spiece as he gives an overview of what you’ll learn in this class. Robert begins with a comprehensive explanation of the anatomy of the door before discussing the design considerations and logistical planning that will go into your project. Finally, you’ll learn how to get the most out of your materials as you start to build a framework.

Frame & Panel Joinery

Gain an understanding of joinery terminology and start to create a frame-and-panel door. You’ll cut grooves — or plows — into your straight and curved rails with precision as you learn how to create enough room for the panel to fit comfortably within the framework. Using a table saw and Robert’s valuable tips, you’ll gain a new level of woodworking mastery as you carefully develop each groove.

Mortises & Tenons

Explore the age-old practice of mortise and tenon joinery with Robert’s tips for success. You’ll learn multiple methods for cutting mortises with accuracy and making tenons that will fit each of your mortises perfectly. Finally, hand-fit your pieces together to ensure that they are ready as you carefully fine-tune each joined area.

Panels

Learn how to better understand various ways that wood movement relates to framed panels, resulting in a panel that’s fitted exactly the way you want it to in its frame. Robert shares valuable troubleshooting and safety tips as he demonstrates wood movement, shows you how to resaw material for book-matching and demonstrates methods for cutting raised panels using a table saw.

Finishing Details & Glue Ups

You’ll love watching your door coming to completion as you employ various finishing details and learn Robert’s tips for creating a sophisticated pinned mortise and tenon design. Finally, you’ll learn insider tips for applying glue, assembling the door and clamping the pieces into place to create the finished form.

Hinging the Doors

Now that you’ve completed your door, it’s time to hinge it! Learn how to fit your finished door into its opening before cutting mortises for a traditional butt hinge that fits on the inside of the door, or a knife hinge, which fits on the top and bottom of the door and allows for a wider opening. You’ll learn about the true value of investing in fine hardware with Robert’s careful instruction.

Finishing Touches

Wrap up the class with Robert’s tips on how to fit doors, install butt or knife hinges, attach door catches and bumpers, and pin the panels to allow for contracting and expanding of the wood. Robert finishes the class with explanations of various pulls you can attach, and what design considerations you can take into account for each.