help on making shaker stlye kitchen doors from mdf

[Anonymous]

being new to woodworking & routing i am looking for any help with the above, what type of bit would be good to remove the middle of the door leaving quite tight internal corners. What sort of quality paint finish can be achevied do the edges look ok once painted. any help from anyone who has already made doors this way would be gladly appreciated

 

[sawdustalley]

When you mean 'Remove the middle' do you mean make a panel door like this

If you do this is called a panel door. There are several ways to make these. It's usually made up of 5 parts. The bit's around the outside and the panel in the middle.


Fo a begginer you may find these pretty hard to make. You can't really make this style door with MDF either.

MDF accepts paint well and you will get a good finish. You will want to prime and seal the MDF prior to painting - because it is very pourous it will absorb alot of the paint if not sealed.

If this is not the style of door you mean please search for a picture and post it so we can help you a bit more.

 

[Anonymous]

cheers for your quick reply, the picture is similar to the style that i want to recreate. I have come across these 5 piece panel doors, but many kitchen and bathroom shops sell shaker doors that on close inspection seems to be made from a solid piece of MDF, routed to look like panel then painted, the more expensive doors i have seen are infact made up as you describe
cheers
chris

 

[Steve]

The MDF doors you're talking about are made from compression moulds - it's virtually impossible to make them any other way. You certainly couldn't do it with a router - apart from anything else, you'd blunt your cuttters in no time and end up with lifelong respitory problems!
If you have a router, there's no reason why you can't make them properly with a little care and a methodical approach.

 

[DaveL]

I have seen doors made from veneered MDF on hotel wardrobes, I think they are machined using a CNC router. Not the sort of thing you would nomaly find in most home workshops.
This would allow replaceable tip cutters to be used and the dust collection would be very well controlled.
I have routed MDF, you must use a shop vac to control the dust, I found even that allowed enough to get in to my chest to make me cough very badly.
DaveL

 

[Anonymous]

cheers for your replys, looks like its down B&Q after all
cheers
Chris

 

[Anonymous]

Hang on hang on hang on Crispy. Dont waste your money at B&Q yet
I used to make pierced laminate doors,(which gives sort of a panelled effect) the sort that Dave is on about, by the hundred, when I worked for someone else. This was done on a cnc router (about £60k worth), using standard carbide tipped cutters. All this talk of MDF blunting cutters is a load of buttocks. if you use a decent quality cutter, at the right speed, you will be fine.
As for getting around the use if a cnc, what i do now is use a plunging profile cutter, (I think its made by CMT) that has a bearing the exact diameter of the cutter attatched to the shank above the cutter. Then all you need is a template the shape of the inside panel, some double sided tape, and away you go.
Other than that. it is quite possible to create a standard frame and panel door using MDF. The ony difference being you have to use dowels or biscuits, instead of mortice and tennon joinery to construct the frame.

Hope this helps
Doughnut