3D rendering of custom side cabinet design
There are several steps required to make the curved cabinet doors required for the custom design shown on the right. What complicates this design is that the curved doors are also tapered. This makes the join line between the sides of the cabinet and the curved doors non-linear. The join line is further complicated because it needs to taper in to hide the end grain of the sides and the doors.
The first step is to make a curved panel that can be cut to the required shape. The only way to make this is to make a form that has the same radius as the door, and laminate several sheets of 3 ply together inside the form.
The glued sandwich of plywood is placed into the form and clamped in place with heavy weights until the laminate dries. When the panel is removed it is the same shape as the form.
The following photos illustrate the steps involved in making the curved cabinet doors panel.
Completed bottom form section with the required radius ready for cladding
Completed framework for upper form section ready for cladding
Form frames covered in plywood
Completed laminating form.
Applying glue to both faces of the plywood sheets with a roller prior to placing them in the form
Five glued plywood sheets clamped into the form and weighed down with 700kg of pavers
The completed laminated curved panel for the front of the side cabinet after removal from the form
Routing the radius for the curved panel support frame. This will make the curved panel easier to handle.
The completed panel support frame ready for cladding in ply
curved panel clamped to the support frame ready for cutting
The next step is to cut the two doors and drawer fronts from the tapered curved panel. This requires a special jig to be built so the elliptical curve between the sides and the door can be accurately cut. These in turn will need to be held in position for the mating of the side panels and central hinge support. The next blog post will illustrate the steps involved in this process to make the curved cabinet doors.