What is the best way to create custom cabinet doors?

[Nate_M 0]

Hi,

 

I'm wondering if anyone here has experience creating custom doors for cabinetry. Most of our work requires a custom door/drawer style or some special wainscot panels. What is the best way to create a custom door/drawer and use it with Chief Architect cabinets?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[solver 1578]

11 minutes ago, Nate_M said:

What is the best way

 

The best way is to just do it.

 

Have you searched the Chief website, the Chief YouTube channel, or this forum? 

 

Cabinet doors are just smaller versions of passage doors so info applies to both.

[MarkMc 532]

Attached is a more recent version of my door maker template plan than the one(s) posted previously. I've done lots and lots...

This is the fastest method I have found to date to make a series of doors for both glass and panel and drawers. This produces doors and drawers where the grain is always correct and will follow the plan default if done properly. If you like it save as a template for ease of use in the future and always save the finished plan when done for the future.

 

I used to do the panels vertically but that takes a lot of nudging. Now I use custom countertops on the floor. It makes placing moldings properly a breeze and only adds one step when converting to a symbol.

1. select counter top of the thickness you want
2. add molding profile and locate it vertically and horizontally.
3. convert that to a symbol- cabinet door, advanced options checked.
4. In symbol DBX rotate on the x axis so it is vertical, Change name for edge bead and make material use plan defaults. Change name for panel but leave material as glass. Set stretch planes so that they do not affect the molding. Give it a name with prefix to denote it's a wainscot insert.
5. Now a cabinet, framed. I have a couple placed here, the default cabinets for this plan are set to what you would want to use.
6. In face configuration, place your wainscot insert as a "side panel inset" (DO NOT use the cabinet as inset and insert it as a door panel or you will get a reveal around the door,)
7. Set your rails and stiles to your desired frame width.
8. Convert to symbol, cabinet door, advanced options-name is with Glass or similar suffix. Same as before-see that materials are set to use plan default but leave the panel glass. Change names of items if desired.
9. Now copy your door in the library. Open the copy, rename without glass and change panel material to use default.
10. Copy that symbol in the library. Open, rename with Drawer suffix and go to options tab, select "treat as drawer front" Now the grain "should" correct itself when used as a drawer front.
11. You may also want to copy the wainscot symbol and change the center panel to use default material-I keep those in a library folder of there own.

Symbols are included, open them and check all the tabs. Open cabinets and check all the faces.

Mitered doors can be made flat the same way. Applied moldings can also be done with this method.

 

1" thick doors are more of a challenge. The easiest way to deal with them is to set a stretch plan in the middle of the door depth. Place it in plan, increase depth to 1", convert to symbol, cabinet door BUT set the origin so that it is 3/4" from the face of the door.

Similarly for cabinet doors set back in a frame change the origin so that it is closer to the face.

 

Lastly doors with an outside edge profile (which are fortunately rare for me nowadays) need to be done differently. For those I make rails and stiles as cabinet door symbols; use a cabinet with 0" separations. First make the face side panel inset; split vertically, change the vertical separation to side panel inset, set width you want for your stile and use one of your vertical stile symbols (You will need one left and one right AND the symbols will look backwards in the library). Change the width of the opposite SPI to suit and specify you other vertical stile.

Now split the center SPI and repeat the procedure using your top and bottom rail symbols setting the size.

Lastly specify the center SPI to a wainscot symbol, convert to door symbol and set materials.

 

 

Door maker w double.zip

[GeneDavis 134]

I make 'em in Sketchup and import them.  Was a Sketchup user way before Chief v. 10.08 came into my purview.