Figure 5-14. - Types of drawer guides (view A) and faces (view B).

Usually drawer fronts are made of 3/4-inch plywood or solid wood. The design must be in keeping with the cabinet. Sides and backs are generally l/2-inch-thick solid wood. Sides are made thicker if they are to be grooved for certain types of drawer guides. The drawer bottom is usually make of l/4-inch plywood or hardboard. Smaller drawers may have 1/8-inch hardboard bottoms.

CABINET DOORS

The four types of doors commonly used on cabinets are the flush (inset), lipped, overlay, and sliding doors.

A flush door, like the flush drawer, is the most difficult to construct. For a finished look, each type of door must be fitted in the cabinet opening within 1/16-inch clearance around all four edges. A lipped door is simpler to install than a flush door since the lip, or overlap, feature allows you a certain amount of adjustment and greater tolerances. The lip is formed by cutting a rabbet along the edge. Overlay doors are designed to cover the edges of the face frame. Several types of sliding doors are used on cabinets. One type of sliding door is rabbeted to fit into grooves at the top and bottom of the cabinet. The top groove is always made to allow the door to be removed by lifting it up and pulling the bottom out.

Door Construction

Doors are constructed as solid, flexible, folding, or paneled doors.

Solid doors are made of plywood, hardboard, particle board, or glued-up solid lumber. Designs are often grooved into the door with a router, or molding may be applied to give the door a more attractive appearance.

Flexible doors are made of thin strips glued together on a canvas back or held together with special edge joints. They are used on roll-top desks and other cabinets when the door must slide around a comer.

Paneled doors have an exterior framework of solid wood and a center containing one or more panels. The panels may be solid wood, plywood, hardboard, metal, plastic, glass, or some other material and come in many different designs. The exterior framework can be shaped in a number of ways also.

Door Installation

Cabinet doors can be installed as overlay, lipped, flush, and sliding. Overlay doors cover the opening, usually by 3/8 inch on all sides, and swing on overlay hinges. Lipped doors are rabbeted over the opening and swing on offset hinges. Flush doors fit inside the