Door size

[Forest]

A friend wants me to build a Oak microwave hutch for him.
He wants it basically 4' wide and around 7' tall.
Is it safe to have only 2 doors above the m/w say
22" wide and 30" tall?

Thinking 2 to 2.5" stiles with a horizontal center rail.
Or should I go 3 door across.
Blum Blumotion hinges

Thoughts

Thanks in advance,

Forest

[Pink Floyd]

Forest said:

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He wants it basically 4' wide and around 7' tall.

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That's gonna be a monster...and heavy.

I think I would consider something like bridle joints for the door frames if you only go with two doors. Remember, a door or framed panel gets it's strength from the frame, not the panel (unless you are gluing in a plywood panel).

[Stwood_]

2 doors shouldn't be a problem.

[handi]

I built a pair of pantry cabs in my last home. The doors were 96" tall and 24" wide. Made of steamed European beech for both frame and panel. Stub tenons, very typical wood doors with a mid rail.

I did use three cup hinges per door to keep them from bowing top to bottom, but in every way they were successful.

Ralph

[Forest]

It is LARGE.
I will be building it in 2 sections to stack later.
Still it's over 2 sheets of 3/4 ply and solid boards.
Plan on 2" face frame stiles to reduce door size.
Is 2.5" doors overboard?

Thanks to all inputs so far !

Forest

[zaret]

are the doors overlay or inset? will the cabinet have a face frame or will you mount the doors euro style onto the edged plywood box?

for doors that big, i'd consider doing 2 1/4" or 2 1/2" rails and stiles. are you doing cope and stick for the doors? flat panel or raised panel?

one more thing.. you could use 2 1/2" rails and stiles, but the center separating rail could be thinner. that often looks quite nice to change the proportions a bit.

[Forest]

I am doing about 1/4 " overlay to a face frame
M+T or could do bridle
1/4 " plywood panel

Forest

[JGrout]

Forest said:

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It is LARGE.
I will be building it in 2 sections to stack later. good plan
Still it's over 2 sheets of 3/4 ply and solid boards.
Plan on 2" face frame stiles to reduce door size. fairly typical
Is 2.5" doors overboard? if you account for the sticking it is not. That gives a 2 1/8" face on the stiles and rails Even if the doors are T&G that is not too much for a cabinet that large

Thanks to all inputs so far !

Forest

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[Chuck Nickerson]

I just built a locking saw till. The raised panel door is 40" tall and 30" wide (three hinges). My rails and stiles are 3" wide, and visually they look very small to me. They are plenty strong though.

[mike4244]

Your plan for rail and stile widths are fine. If you are making the doors from solid wood and want to eliminate cupping and warp, then use quartersawn lumber. I would use quartersawn or riftsawn for the frame too.
mike