Wild Curves!!

The biggest problem I have with getting motivated is getting motivated. I've been working on the kitchen cabinet doors, however, and I'm down to the last two -- the doors in the small curved cabinet by the stove.

The curved section of the cabinet has an 8-5/8" radius. Building the door with MDF, I wanted the smallest possible segments for the smoothest curve. I decided to go with 1/2" segments. Laying it out on cardboard, I was able to figure on a 1.6 degree bevel; I set the saw at 2 degrees and played with the angle until it worked.



A form needed to be built to hold the segments in place as they were glued.



I used the trammel point jig for the router to cut the curves in the form; for some reason the radius that resulted was about 1/16" smaller than it should have been so I bent some shim stock to pad the form out.



Once I had all 28 of the segments cut out, and the two edge pieces (straight sections on the ends) I glued them up and clamped them with a combination of pipe and strap clamps. Wax paper strips were used to keep the segments from sticking to the form.



After it had set for a few hours, I began sanding the exterior. The interior, however, still needs work, and maybe some glue-and-sawdust filler. I went ahead and cut the hinge pockets and mounted the hinges for a test fit.



The exterior looks pretty good at this point. I know that once it is painted it will still be easy to see each individual segment, but the curve is fairly smooth. The important part is that the chief designer thinks its just fine. Suits me.