Making shaker doors with hand tools

[morfa]

I'm planning on making some shaker doors to go on a kitchen cabinet that I'm in the middle of making. However I'm not really sure exactly how to do it using hand tools. Obviously this is how they would have been done, so I assume there must be a fairly 'standard' way of doing the grooves for the panel. However google & the search on here just brings up lots of methods for doing them with table saws or routers.

I do have a (very) cheap router from Aldi's and while I know the principles of using the router to cut the grooves for the panel to fit in, it seem like it'd be easier with a router table, which I don't have. I don't have the space to knock up a home made one out of MDF either. So I'd like to do this with hand tools. Also I prefer the hand tools.

I'm not sure about dimensions (thicknesses) of the frame and panels either. What's standard? I know that it's normal to M&T the frame together and then float the inner panel inside the frame correct?

It rather looks like one of these would do the job:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/veritas-veri ... rod868111/

Or would I need a bigger router plane (hope not they're expensive!) ? Or one of these (seems a bit too wide tho):

http://www.workshopheaven.com/tools/Cli ... Plane.html

 

[Racers]

Hi, Morfa

You need to watch some of Roy Underhill's videos.

http://video.unctv.org/program/woodwrights-shop/

This one will help you a lot.

http://video.unctv.org/video/2172600554

Pete

 

[marcros]

for grooving, first decide on what size groove you need to make. Then have a look on ebay for a Record 043, or its bigger brother, depending on the thickness of the cutter you need. Stanley and others will do an equivalent. My 043 was under 20 quid IIRC with a box, which you dont need, so not huge money to spend. If you never do another project, sell it afterwards for much the same as you paid.

 

[Fromey]

A Lewin universal plane will also do the job, although not as common and so may be more expensive that the Stanleys.

http://www.cornishworkshop.co.uk/lewinplane.html

 

[Jelly]

I prefer wooden grooving planes, if you want to use ⅛" or 3/16" grooves I'll happily lend you one for the duration of the job, all it will cost is the postage on a jiffy bag to return it when you've finished.

 

[Jacob]

I'm planning on making some shaker doors to go on a kitchen cabinet that I'm in the middle of making. However I'm not really sure exactly how to do it using hand tools. Obviously this is how they would have been done, so I assume there must be a fairly 'standard' way of doing the grooves for the panel. However google & the search on here just brings up lots of methods for doing them with table saws or routers.

I do have a (very) cheap router from Aldi's and while I know the principles of using the router to cut the grooves for the panel to fit in, it seem like it'd be easier with a router table, which I don't have. I don't have the space to knock up a home made one out of MDF either. So I'd like to do this with hand tools. Also I prefer the hand tools.

I'm not sure about dimensions (thicknesses) of the frame and panels either. What's standard? I know that it's normal to M&T the frame together and then float the inner panel inside the frame correct?

It rather looks like one of these would do the job:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/veritas-veri ... rod868111/

Or would I need a bigger router plane (hope not they're expensive!) ? Or one of these (seems a bit too wide tho):

http://www.workshopheaven.com/tools/Cli ... Plane.html

Neither of those.
The router plane is for blind holes such as hinge housings and the clifton is a shoulder/rebate plane for odd little jobs but not slots.

Yes to groovers or record 43 and similar. You want a 'plough' planes designed for slots (and mouldings if they take the cutters).

Or a combi such as the Stanley 13 050 - cheap cos its not very nice but it can be very useful

Sizes - ex 1" for frames is very common. There are no rules but you could look at 3"x1" for stiles and head, 4"x1" for bottom rail

http://woodlooking.blogspot.co.uk/2010/ ... plane.html

 

[ac445ab]

Hi,
Some time ago I did such a kind of job.
I used a Record 044 plane, but any plough plane could work well.
Here pics and description hoping can help you (sorry for some mistakes in English writing)

http://woodworkingbyhand2.blogspot.it/2 ... panel.html


Regards
Giuliano

 

[morfa]

Giuliano - that's a very useful post thanks.

Jelly - thanks for the offer, I may well take you up on that (will be buying the wood in a couple of weeks, so I'll PM you closer to the time).

Fromey - The lewin looks nice, but they're quite expensive on ebay.

Pete - should have known to look at Roy Underhill's videos! That looks great.

Jacob - thanks for the advice on the dimensions.

 

[jimi43]

I second the Record 043 for the grooves......

This is a pic of three test grooves using various width cutters which can be used with this plane:

Hope this helps.

Jim

 

[morfa]

Fromey - Well I hope the Lewin is good as I just bought one of fleabay for £20, which is a similar price to the Record 043s (in fact it's cheaper then quite a few of them) so I'm hopeful it'll be decent.

 

[Fromey]

I'm hoping that also. I bought mine for £20 from mahking51 on these forums. Unfortunately it arrived just at a time of bad health for me so it sat in my shed for near on 12 months. But now I have power in my shed (proper lighting!) and renewed health, I'll be breaking it out soon, fettling away and mangling some wood.

Fromey - Well I hope the Lewin is good as I just bought one of fleabay for £20, which is a similar price to the Record 043s (in fact it's cheaper then quite a few of them) so I'm hopeful it'll be decent.

 

[AndyT]

I don't think the Lewin overlaps with the little Record 043, which is a tiddly little thing. It's more an equivalent to the 050 but adds a quirkiness of its own with its aluminium body and its cams for tightening everything which are fine when they work but frustrating when they don't. Two tips you might need if you find the cutting irons slipping - which were offered to me when I asked about this on here - are to not smooth away the grinding marks on the backs and to use a bit of violinist's rosin on the irons where they bed on the plane.

 

[ac445ab]

....and to use a bit of violinist's rosin on the irons where they bed on the plane.

I learned another tip, thanks :wink:

 

[dunbarhamlin]

One thought - for a single cabinet's worth, using a scratch stock wouldn't be too onerous, and wouldn't cost anything.

Oh, and flippantly, don't mix up Stanley and Record 43s - they're opposite ends of the metal plough spectrum in both cost and size.

 

[morfa]

AndyT - thanks for the tips. I'll wait for it to turn up before buying any more tools. To be honest I mainly bought it cause it was cheaper than a lot of the records on ebay and most of the other Lewin's are going for over £100 on ebay. If they're quite different, then that's good. I hate having duplicate tools, rather have one really nice example than 3 crap versions of the same thing. Even if the Lewin enads up being naff, I might be able to sell it on for a profit!

dunbarhamlin - What's a 'scratch stock'? While this is just two doors for this cabinet, I've got a bunch more to make in the new year.

 

[dunbarhamlin]

John Lloyd has a PDF on scratches http://www.johnlloydfinefurniture.co.uk ... d%20JB.pdf

 

[GazPal]

Fromey - Well I hope the Lewin is good as I just bought one of fleabay for £20, which is a similar price to the Record 043s (in fact it's cheaper then quite a few of them) so I'm hopeful it'll be decent.

Lewin's are very good combination planes, but aren't fashionable - in spite of them being easy to set up and use - and that's much of the reason they sell cheaply. The normal price they go for is around £20-£30 and you seldom see them sell for more than £50. They have to be mint and the fitted box needs to be in excellent condition for them to achieve much more...... Unless bidders get carried away in a bidding war.