Dinette Cabinet Door for storage

A utility knife is certainly one way to cut light material. I tend to use power tools because I own them and know what works. When I cut sheathing and need a square opening, I'll sometimes use a straightedge attached/clamped to the work as a guide for the saw. If using a saw that might damage an inside corner, I'll stop the saw a fraction of an inch from the corner and use a fine blade saw to complete the cut. A guy can also use a router using the same procedures. I've started using my battery powered reciprocal saw more, as I become more familiar with how it performs.

Lots of ways to cut a good, square opening.

Great info.

Anyone have any pictures of how to frame it out?

mfifield01 wrote:
Thanks. I didn't realize that a utility knife would go all the way through.

Yup. Luan is pretty lightweight soft material. Kinda like working with balsa wood. Just don't expect it to cut through in one or two passes. Take your time, use real steady hands and hold the blade in firm contact with the plywood at all times. If the blade ever gets away on you it can make a bad scratch... Sometimes you can push on the plywood a bit to make the cut open up as you go to let the blade get in easier.

When I get to the corners, I've pushed the blade in and wiggled it back and forth to make a clean sharp "plunge" cut into the corners and so it won't cause damage beyond the cut line. Try making a light cut along each line first so for the next pass the blade will tend to stay in the cut when you press harder on the next pass.

Thanks. I didn't realize that a utility knife would go all the way through.

Definitely no to a circular saw for a number of reasons. Worse choice than a jig saw.

Just put on some painters tape and mark the cut lines exactly where you want them and cut with utility knife. Fast, easy, sharp/clean cuts and NO sawdust.

I'm mainly looking at getting a clean square (or rectangle) cut out of the dinette side. Circular type saws are good at running through boards, but this has a stop point.

mfifield01 wrote:
What type of saw did you use to cut these? Usually I would use my table saw to get a straight line. I'm thinking I'll have to use a jigsaw on these.

For cutting the luan plywood or for the frame pieces?

For luan ply, a utility knife with a fresh blade makes a very nice clean cut and is easy to do. Will need to do multiple passes. I've only ever used a utility knife except for using a hole saw for puck lights. Once you have cut the opening, you can run it through the table saw if desired/needed to clean up the cuts and/or make it 100% square.

Lay green painter's tape over the area you plan to cut to be able to mark the cut lines. Never use ordinary masking tape.

For the oak frame (or other wood species), don't use a jig saw. If you don't have one, you'll need a miter gauge for the table saw like in the photo. Good for making angle cuts or cross cuts on material like 1x2. Test fit a couple of pieces with scrap to ensure the cut is accurately to the angle you want. (Don't trust the numbers on the gauge.) A shop saw would be better. I would never use 45 degree cuts to make the frame as these can open up with seasonal moisture changes. Use square cuts to join the frame together. I think I used biscuit joinery but a plain glued joint should be okay for this if done properly (with carpenters glue and clamping) or perhaps with dowels. You could also use a screw at each corner to permanently clamp the pieces together. Recess it in with a dowel drill bit and then glue in an oak dowel, then cut and sand.

For the center panel, use the table saw to cut a dado maybe around 3/8" deep into the inner edges of the frame. Make the dado cut just wide enough so that the luan is able to free float in the frame. You might need to make more than one pass through the saw. It's important to allow the panel to float, esp. in an RV with seasonal humidity changes.

Hope this answers your question.

FWIW, you likely can buy 1x2 stock "lumber" from your dealer if a newer TT. It's usually just faux wood with a lightweight plywood core and a paper wrap. It's very hard to make clean cuts in it. BTDT. Best to use real wood and stain to match as closely as you can to the existing finish.

What type of saw did you use to cut these? Usually I would use my table saw to get a straight line. I'm thinking I'll have to use a jigsaw on these.

The photo shows what I did in a previous TT for a drawer under the bed storage. I cut out a square of the luan plywood using a sharp utility knife. Made up a frame from oak and the drawer box from cabinet type plywood (have table saw and chop saw). This way I was able to size the drawer exactly as needed to suit. Never would have been able to obtain a similar sized door (or drawer front) from the RV manufacturer anyway. Stained the oak frame to match the rest of the factory cabinetry and it looked pretty close.

You could do the same to make a door or to make a drawer front. I like the idea of drawers as the space becomes more useable and efficient. I used Nape & Voght stay-close RV drawer slides but any other ball bearing slide will work.

I've purchased drawer/door fronts for our current trailer from our dealer but they sure aren't cheap. I had some made up by a cabinet shop on our previous TT and they were even more expensive than from the dealer.

I like to make things look like they came from the factory. If not fussy, you could possibly find a stock door that will work at HD or other cabinet source. You should also be able to order cabinet handles from your dealer to match existing.

Instead of just a door I made a drawer which made access to items stored there easier.