substrate for veneered doors

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H

HSteier

Well-known member
I am starting a Charleston library bookcase that has veneered doors on the lower unit (page 136 "The Furniture of Charleston"). I prefer not to use plywood or MDF for the substrate for the doors. How was the original made to prevent wood movement in the veneered doors? Were these raised panels where the panels are flush with the rails and stiles? Or was quartersawn wood used? Or some other method?

Howard Steier
 
Howard,

This is how we made flat boards when I was a wood patternmaker:

- plane a, say, 8/4 board
- draw a mark (reference line) across the grain on each face
- rip it into 1" pieces
- line up the cut pieces with the reference line facing up
- rotate each cut piece 90°
- glue up the pieces so that the reference marks now touch another reference mark
- plane to your desired thickness

By rotating the cut pieces 90° you now have the grain running the thickness of the glued up board versus the width.  This will help to eliminate warping, cupping and expansion & contraction.  If you were to cut the strips, flip them (like normal) and glue them up you may eliminate cupping but not shrinking & expansion.

Dennis Bork
Antiquity Period Designs, Ltd.
 
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