Dinette Cabinet Door for storage

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.