Build Shaker Cabinet Doors With Table Saw | New to Woodworking?

Summary

This video provides a step-by-step tutorial on how to make a shaker style cabinet door using just a table saw. It explains the difference between door styles and rails and how to properly measure and cut them. It then shows how to run a centered groove on the pieces to accept the plywood panel, and how to create well-fitted tenons on the rails. Finally, it demonstrates gluing up and clamping the door, checking for square, and ideas for installing hardware and finishing. The goal is to teach beginners how to DIY a quality cabinet door with limited tools.

Takeaways

• 🛠️ You can make a high-quality shaker cabinet door using just a table saw and a standard 10-inch blade, no need for a router table or dado set.
• 📏 Understanding the difference between door stiles and rails is crucial for proper measurement and assembly; stiles run vertically while rails run horizontally.
• 📐 The standard width for stiles and rails is around 2 to 2.5 inches, tailored to the specific size of the cabinet or drawer.
• 🔍 To estimate material needs, measure the cabinet opening's height and width, multiply each by two, and add extra for adjustments.
• ✂️ Cut stiles to the exact door height and calculate rails' length by accounting for stiles' width and tenons' additions.
• 🚀 Create grooves in stiles and rails by raising the saw blade to 3/8 of an inch and adjusting the fence for a centered cut.
• 📋 Use a scrap piece to test and adjust the groove's width to match the plywood panel's thickness, ensuring a snug fit.
• 🛠️ Mill tenons on rails' ends, using a scrap block for safety and precision, and make adjustments as necessary for a tight fit.
• 🔧 Before assembly, ensure the quarter-inch panel is measured correctly, allowing for a slight reduction in size for a perfect fit.
• 🔩 Dry fit before gluing to check for any issues, then glue and clamp the door, ensuring even pressure and checking for squareness.

Q & A

What are the two common methods used to make a shaker cabinet door?

The two common methods are using a router table and router bits specifically designed to make doors, or using a table saw with a stacked dado set.

Why can't you just cut the rails to the exact door width?

The rails need to fit in between the styles, so you have to account for the width of the styles. You also need to add extra length to the rails for the tenons.

How much wider should you make the groove compared to the plywood panel thickness?

The groove should be slightly wider, about 1/32", to allow for easy insertion of the panel while still keeping it snug.

What is the purpose of the block attached to the fence when cutting tenons?

The block acts as a stop, allowing you to precisely set the distance of the tenon shoulder cut.

Why do you recommend dry fitting everything before gluing?

Dry fitting allows you to identify any issues with the fit of the parts ahead of time. It's much easier to make adjustments before gluing.

Do you need to glue the plywood panel?

No, you do not need to glue the panel. It should float freely within the grooves in the rails and stiles.

How can you ensure the door doesn't warp as the glue dries?

Make sure the door is flat against the underside of the clamps. If one corner rises up, tap it back down gently before the glue sets.

What should you do if the door is slightly out of square?

A small amount of out-of-square, like 1/16", is acceptable and won't be noticeable once installed. No adjustments needed.

Why drill holes for hinges before finishing the door?

Drilling holes before finishing allows you to paint/stain all surfaces evenly without having to work around the hardware.

What type of bit is best for boring European hinge holes?

A 35mm Forstner bit matched to the hinge cup diameter drilling in a drill press makes clean, accurate holes.

Outlines

00:00

😊 Overview of making shaker cabinet doors without router/dado set

The first paragraph provides an overview of different methods for making shaker cabinet doors using either a router table/bits or a table saw with a stacked dado set. It mentions that without these tools, quality doors can still be built just using a tablesaw and standard blade. It explains the difference between styles and rails in door construction and how to properly measure to cut the components to size.

05:08

😀 Step-by-step process to cut styles/rails, mill grooves & tenons, and assemble door

The second paragraph walks through the detailed process for constructing the shaker door using just a tablesaw. It covers calculating rail lengths, cutting grooves, milling tenons, fine-tuning the joinery, tips for assembly & glue up, final sanding/finishing, installing hinges, and an overview of the completed door project.

Keywords

💡shaker cabinet door

A shaker cabinet door is a simple, flat panel style of cabinet door, typically consisting of a frame made up of vertical styles and horizontal rails, with a recessed panel in the middle. In this video, the narrator shows how to make this type of door using just a table saw.

💡styles

The vertical pieces of wood that make up the sides of the cabinet door frame are called styles. As explained in the video, the styles run vertically and fit on either side of the horizontal rails when assembling the door.

💡rails

The horizontal pieces that make up the top and bottom of the cabinet door frame. The rails fit in between the vertical styles when assembling the door, and are cut shorter than the overall width to account for the thickness of the styles.

💡tenons

Tenons are the reduced ends on the rails that fit into corresponding slots (mortises) in the styles. As shown in the video, creating these tenons on the table saw is a key step in assembling the rails and styles into a frame.

💡panel

The panel refers to the recessed middle section of the door that fits inside the frame. As instructed in the video, this panel is made of 1/4 inch plywood cut to size after assembling the frame.

💡table saw

A table saw is the primary tool used in this video to cut the wood and mill joinery for assembling the door. It has an exposed circular saw blade that protrudes up through an opening in the table surface.

💡fence

The fence on a table saw is the adjustable straight edge that runs parallel to the blade and acts as a guide for cutting wood at accurate widths. Adjusting the fence is shown as a key step in properly sizing the rails and tenons.

💡miter gauge

A miter gauge is an adjustable guide that fits into the miter slot on a table saw. It holds the wood at the desired angle as you push it through the blade. The video instructs to use the miter gauge when cutting the tenons.

💡dry fit

A dry fit means assembling pieces of a woodworking project together without any glue to test the fit. As suggested in the video, dry fitting allows you to make sure everything aligns properly before the final glue up.

💡square

Being square means having 90 degree angles at the corners. The video emphasizes checking for squareness once the door is clamped to ensure proper alignment and prevent warping as the glue dries.

Highlights

Introduction to making a shaker cabinet door using only a table saw and a standard 10-inch blade.

Explanation of two common methods to make shaker cabinet doors: using a router table and a stacked dado set.

Highlighting the possibility of building quality doors without a router table or dado set for beginners.

Understanding the difference between door styles and rails for correct measurement and assembly.

Standard size for styles and rails is about two and a quarter inches, varying based on cabinet size.

Method for estimating material needed for each door by measuring cabinet opening.

Steps for cutting styles and rails to the proper length, including the calculation for rail length.

Instructions for running a groove in all four pieces using a table saw set up.

Adjusting the fence to ensure the groove's width matches the thickness of the plywood panel.

Technique for creating a centered groove by making a second pass with the saw.

Milling tenons on the rails ends, including setting up a guide block to prevent kickback.

Making micro adjustments to the saw for a perfect tenon fit.

Preparing the quarter-inch panel by measuring and cutting to fit the door assembly.

Dry fitting the door parts before gluing to ensure a proper fit.

Final assembly, gluing, and clamping the door parts together.

Checking the squareness of the door to ensure it's perfectly aligned.

Instructions for drilling holes for European-style hinges, including the use of a Forstner bit.

Completion of a shaker-style door with encouragement for questions and interaction.

Transcripts

if you're new to woodworking let me show you  an easy way to make a shaker cabinet door just  

using a table saw and a standard 10 inch blade  there are two common methods used today to make  

a shaker cabinet door the first method utilizes  a router table and a pair of router bits that  

are specifically designed to make doors the other  method utilizes a table saw with a stacked dado  

which is a stack of blades that when added  together removes large amounts of material  

quickly and cleanly leaving a professional look  and fit but because you're just getting started  

you probably don't have a router table or dado  set and that's fine because you can still build  

a great-looking quality door without them it's  important to understand and know the difference  

between the door style and a door rail suits  you can correctly measure and assemble the  

door cabinet rails just like handrails on a  porch run horizontally while the styles run  

vertically when assembled the rails fit in between  the styles and this is important to know so that  

you can cut your styles and rails to the proper  length when it comes to the width of the styles  

and rails the standard size is about two and a  quarter inches but depending on your specific  

overall cabinet or drawer size anywhere between  two and two and a half inches is acceptable to  

get a quick estimate of the amount of material  you need for each door measure the height of the  

cabinet opening and multiply by two then measure  the width and multiply that by two measuring this  

way gives you a little extra material for mistakes  and adjustments to get started rip the material  

down if you need to to your desired width with  that done it's time to start cutting the styles  

and rails to the length the styles are easy as  they are cut to the exact door height which in  

my case is twenty three and a half inches the  rails on the other hand are not cut to the exact  

door width and require a little bit more math to  figure them out the total door width needs to be  

seventeen and a half inches but if you remember if  the rails fit in between the styles so you'll have  

to deduct for those and then add two three-eighths  Tenon's to each rail therefore the math looks like  

this the total door width seventeen and a half  inches - two styles and two and a half inches  

each giving us a total of twelve and a half inches  then we're going to add to that 3/4 of an inch for  

both Tenon's for a total rail length of the and  a quarter inches and don't worry if you didn't  

follow that exactly it'll all make sense once  I start putting the door together after cutting  

the Stiles and rails to the proper length it's  time to run a groove in all four pieces raise  

your saw blade up to 3/8 of an inch and slide  the fence over to align the blade in the center  

of the board and don't worry it doesn't have to  be exactly Center just make it close once set up  

properly run all four pieces through carefully  holding each board tight to the fence and tight  

to the table once all four pieces are done grab  a smaller scrap of the same material and run that  

through as well so this scrap piece so actually  be used as a test to get the exact location of  

the fence so that the groove is in the center  and sized exactly to match the thickness of the  

plywood panel the panel material that we're using  on this project is about a quarter inch thick so  

we'll have to adjust the fence slightly to make  our groove wider once the adjustments made make  

a second pass and this time slip the board in  for N and run it through again what this does  

is centers the groove creating an equal amount  of material on either side with that done it's  

time to check the fit with the plywood it  needs to be snug but not too tight as you  

can see we need to go back to the table saw and  make another micro adjustment to the fence so  

that the groove is slightly bigger they get run  one side then flip the board and run it through  

again this time around it seems to be a perfect  fit not too tight and not too loose now that we  

know that the test piece fits it's time to run  all the Stiles and rails through at this point  

the two styles are done now it's time to start  milling the Tenon's on each end of the rails to  

set up for that milling operation the first thing  you need to do is to add a scrap block of wood to  

the fence about two and a half inches back from  the blade this block can be used as a guide to  

set the proper distance to cut the 3/8 Tenon's and  to prevent kick back during the milling process to  

get started grab your test piece again and set  it next to the blade slowly lower the blade down  

until your just below the side wall of the dado  the next step is to make a three-eighths mark down  

from the end which marks the total length of the  tenon with the fence loose place the rail against  

the block and move the fence and the rail at the  same time in or out to line up the blade with  

the three-eighths mark it's a good idea to keep  the blade slightly inbound of the pencil line to  

start once you're happy with their settings lock  the fence down with the solve running slide the  

Braille over tight to the block and then advance  the rail through the blade using the miter gauge  

now that the first pass is complete flip the rail  over and repeat the same process with the Tenon's  

shoulders now cut nibble away the remaining amount  of material creating the face of the Tennant

once complete it's time to test the fit with  the styles and as expected it's a little too  

tight and that's fine remember you can always  remove more material but you can never put it  

back on so now that we know that the tenon  is too tight its back to the table saw raise  

the blade ever so slightly and repeat the same  milling process as before with a little effort  

this time the tenon goes in to the groove nicely  but another problem arises see the gap here to  

fix that it's back to the table saw to adjust the  fence away from the blade to make this tenon just  

a bit longer with those adjustments made you can  see that the tenon is now bottoming out in the  

end wall and it's fitting really well now that  the test piece works and the adjustments on the  

saw or dial then run all four ends of the rails  to create their Tenon's I do want to make you  

aware that because we're not using a stacked dado  the single saw blade can leave some jagged marks  

on the joints so if you're standing your doors  you may want to clean those up with a chisel of  

plain or even just some sandpaper wrapped around  a block just make sure you clean those up before  

you dial your saw in because this will affect  the way your Tenon's fit the last thing to do  

before assembling is to get the measurement for  the quarter inch panel to do that loosely fit the  

rails to the Stiles and make marks at each tenant  location then measure between the two lines and  

subtract an eighth of an inch to get the width  of the panel subtract an eighth of an inch from  

the total rail length which includes the tenon at  the table saw cut the plywood down to the correct  

dimensions I do strongly recommend dry fitting  everything before adding glue just to make sure  

that everything looks good once you're confident  set the door parts between two clamps and glue one  

side of the door making sure to get good coverage  on all surfaces of the tenon and there's no need  

to glue the panel so gluing goes pretty quick now  that the glue is on assemble one side by pressing  

the tenant's into the grooves then slide the  panel into place from there glue the remaining  

two Tenon's and press the whole assembly together  be sure the tighten the clamps evenly and look to  

make sure that the door is also tight to the  underside of the clamp you don't want the door  

the write up on the edge creating a warp if  you do find a high side lightly tap it down  

the very last thing to check before the glue  sets up is the squareness of the or to do that  

measure from one corner to the opposite corner  and then do the same thing on the other corners  

these numbers should be the same or close if your  door is square as long as we did a good job at  

cutting each individual piece so that they're  the same size once everything goes together I  

don't think you're gonna have any problems mine  here is about a sixteenth of an inch off and  

I'm not gonna worry about it now that everything  is flat and square let the glue dry well before  

sanding everything down now depending on what  type of hardware you're going to be using on  

the door you're going to want to do those milling  operations first before any painting or staining  

begins this door will be receiving european-style  hinges that are inset into the frame by drilling  

35 millimeter holes into the Stiles to lay out  for those hinges mark 4 inches down from the  

top and 4 inches up from the bottom then use a  jig to locate the center lines for the correct  

amount of offset from there set up a 35 millimeter  Forstner bit in the drill press and drill 2 holes  

making sure the drill to the proper depth after  paint or stain follow the hinge manufacturer's  

directions for proper installation well there  it is one complete shaker-style door if you have  

any questions leave them in the comment section  below thanks for watching see everybody next week