Building Cabinet Doors & Drawers Review

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(More customer reviews)I eagerly awaited the arrival of this book after reading the 5 star reviews by other readers. I do not know where to begin to express my dissapointment with the book's contents. I guess I am a more advanced woodworker than I previosly thought. I am starting my own business specializing in custom made, solid wood, raised panel doors. Obviously, I already know how to make them (one would hope !). Since this is what the book's title is all about, I figured I could pick up some good tips. Well, this book is obviously for beginners only. With this in mind, I feel bad for any beginner trying to make sense out of some of Mr. Proulx's "formulas". I got to the chapter where he shows a picture of drawing an arc for an arched panel door. I thought, "Hmm, at least I can see if he as an easy formula I can adapt (there are many !) to draw an elipse/arch based on the door width". Nope, he states the radius of the arc once, with no explanation of why, how, where he arrived at this figure. To add insult, in later pages/chapters involving similar cuts to be made, he says "Refer to chapter #, or page so and so where this procedure or formula was explained/illustrated". Aggravating to say the least. Also, all door types made are with a router and router bits (no mention of shapers in here). Nothing wrong with this, but while I have always gotten by making raised panel doors on a table router all these years, I would think that a pro/author of such a book would mention that a shaper is the way to go, especially when rasing a panel !. He also mentions 3 possible thicknesses of panels to be used in conjunction with frame (rail & stile) thickness. He completely omits my favorite: a 3/4 thick panel that is "back-cut" to make the panel flush on front and back side of the door. There's a lot more, but I'll stop here. If you already know how to make a cabinet door and drawer don't waste your money on this book. If you don't already know how, you can pick up some decent general basics. However, if you're a beginning woodworker, don't even try to understand the section on european hinges (drawings and explanations). These belong in a more advanced edition.

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Here is a virtual encyclopedia of cabinet door and drawer styles and instruction for designing, constructing, and installing them. Slab, MDF, simulated and true raised panel, frame and panel, arched frame and panel, mitered panel, cope and stick, glass, and tambour: all of these types of cabinet doors—and the drawers to match—are illustrated and explained with step-by-step construction notes and measurements. In addition, all of the common methods of joinery, such as dowels, biscuits, splines, miters, dadoes, tongue and groove, and mortise and tenons are explained and illustrated.

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