Warning: Forgot to account for grain direction on a set of maple cabinet doors

Last month I was building a set of 12 shaker-style doors for a kitchen remodel in a house over in Maplewood. I had all the stiles and rails cut to size and started routing the cope joints without checking the grain on each piece. About halfway through assembly I noticed one of the top rails had the grain running the wrong way across the panel. That door warped almost a quarter inch after I glued it up. I had to scrap that rail and recut a new one, which set me back a couple hours and wasted a nice piece of maple. Now I always lay out all my parts and check each piece for grain direction before I touch a router. Has anyone else had a door go bad from this?

3 comments

3 Comments

kelly63813d ago

That grain direction thing always gets me. Had a similar issue on a walnut desk top where the board cupped bad after finish because I didn't pay attention to how the grain was running. Now I snap a chalk line and mark the direction on each board before cutting anything.

wesleyb2013d ago

Saw a YouTube tip saying @kelly638's chalk line trick is the best way to avoid cupping.

sandra_bennett5912d ago

A friend of mine who builds custom cabinets for a living told me he always uses a trick he picked up from an old woodworking book. He said you can avoid a lot of cupping by stacking your boards with stickers and letting them acclimate in the shop for a few days before you even touch them with a saw. He swears it helps the wood settle and show you which way it really wants to go. The chalk line idea from Kelly is a good visual reminder, but I think a lot of folks skip that simple acclimation step. It might save you a headache down the road if you try both methods together.