Fitting cabinet doors

[Zeddedhed]

I've almost completed a Shaker Style Hi Fi cabinet for SWIMBO (Shaker style HiFi cabinet - hows that for an Oxymoron!!) and have just done a trial fit on the doors. Whilst I'm not too displeased with the fit in general it would seem that the meeting edges need to have a leading edge planed onto them both.
Now, not being in any way trained or qualified as a cabinet maker (more a carpenter pretending to be a joiner posing as a cabinet maker at weekends) and mainly being used to MDF joinery, fitting kitchens and second fix work on sites, I have come to the limits of my experience here.

Is it usual to plane on a leading edge?
I want to use a hand plane to do this although I can think of many ways to do it without hand tools it would 'feel wrong' and make me deeply ashamed of myself!!
Every time I try and use a hand plane on a thin edge (the doors are only 23mm thick) I end up going all over the place and planing at weird angles.

Any tricks that might help? (apart from loads of practice which I'm already doing)

 

[chippy1970]

Have you got a rail saw ? I'd put a rail flush with the edge then run the saw along at 3 degrees to put a chamfer on them. Or just plane as you say

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

 

[Zeddedhed]

Chippy1970, I have got a rail saw and I did consider doing it this way. I guess it's a quick way of getting the job done.

To be honest most of my more 'traditional' projects start out with me being all enthusiastic about doing it 'properly' and then either stall due to lack of skills or end up being more or less entirely done with power tools and machines - I don't have the ability to filter out SWIMBO's pleading to get the job done!!

Maybe you're right - get it finished and silence the wife and then spend some time practicing on some scrap wood to brush up my planing skills.

 

[deema]

Clamp a sacrificial bit of softwood into the side to pack on the thin edge to something you feel comfortable with. Once you have done one the softwood is then a very nice template for the other, just clamp it on the ither sued reversed around.

 

[mahomo59]

+1 on rail saw, i shoot all my doors in and then put a leading edge on the three closing sides. Hifi cab looks good, what are you finishing it with?

 

[Zeddedhed]

+1 on rail saw, i shoot all my doors in and then put a leading edge on the three closing sides. Hifi cab looks good, what are you finishing it with?

Thanks for that Mahomo.

The finishing plan was Tung oil and then wax, although I'm thinking it's time I tried some Oslo stuff having heard so much positive noise about it. Not quite sure yet which of their products is best suited to work like this.

 

[Flynnwood]

+1 on rail saw, i shoot all my doors in and then put a leading edge on the three closing sides. Hifi cab looks good, what are you finishing it with?

Thanks for that Mahomo.

The finishing plan was Tung oil and then wax, although I'm thinking it's time I tried some Oslo stuff having heard so much positive noise about it. Not quite sure yet which of their products is best suited to work like this.

I'm pretty sure there is technical advice available from them in Aylesbury. Worth a call - 01296 481 220

http://www.osmouk.com/retail/contacts.cfm

Nice job btw.