Large curved front cabinet

[Gene Bartholomew]

I wanted to make a cabinet that would be suited for either an entertainment center or maybe a sideboard in a dining or living room. And I wanted to stretch my skills and materials by attempting some different inlays, materials and joinery. This is the result. The frame is cherry, the door inserts and drawer fronts are maple, and the top is cork flooring. The side panels, which don't show well in this photograph (sorry all of the photos are mediocre quality) are cherry frames with a rippled plastic panel designed as a backsplash inserted like a traditional floating panel. The tiles are small bronze tiles I bought from a variety of merchants, and the gold inlay is special square wire set in a groove. The doors slide side to side and are held in grooves with plastic runners. All of the drawers have false fronts attached to drawers with modified dovetail sides (detail not shown). Also not shown is the engineered oak flooring used to make the drawer bottoms - try it sometime, they are very sturdy and well finished. Because there are so many details here, I will not explain everything so if anyone has a specific question fire away. (already posted on BT3Central).

[Lee Schierer]

How did you make the lattice for the doors?

[Sam Murdoch]

We think you've got something there. Weird and wonderful.

[Andrew Hughes]

Hi Gene,It's kinda cool very different.Im not sure about the panels they are tripping me out. Thanks for sharing Aj

[Michelle Rich]

I have made many items with the "lattice" you use here...except on a much smaller scale. At this size & amount on a large cabinet piece, it really plays with the eyes. Quite a build.

[Michael Handrinos]

How did you make the lattice for the doors?

There was a FWW article on how to do that. I can't remember the issue though

[Gene Bartholomew]

First let me say that the panels look less confusing and mind-blowing in person. The pictures seem to accentuate the moire effect and you would assume you get a headache looking at them. The technique I originally saw on Fine Woodworking sometime in 2013. I changed the method to make it easier, at least to me. I mounted a strip of pegboard to the bottom of my router with a cove cutting bit in it. Then I assembled a frame on plywood the size of the panel I was working on - the frame is the same thickness as the panel but can be any scraps, because it is there just to hold the panel in place. at the bottom of the frame I inserted a dowel, centered on the panel, that the router spins on because the pegboard hole fits down over the pin. Then you rout from side to side and move the router up to the next hole in the pegboard. When done with one side, you flip the work piece over and rotate 180 degrees, put back in the frame, and repeat routing another set of grooves.

[NICK BARBOZA]

Looks sweet!!! Great work!
I remember that article, and have wanted to try it since then.

[Lee Schierer]

First let me say that the panels look less confusing and mind-blowing in person. The pictures seem to accentuate the moire effect and you would assume you get a headache looking at them. The technique I originally saw on Fine Woodworking sometime in 2013. I changed the method to make it easier, at least to me. I mounted a strip of pegboard to the bottom of my router with a cove cutting bit in it. Then I assembled a frame on plywood the size of the panel I was working on - the frame is the same thickness as the panel but can be any scraps, because it is there just to hold the panel in place. at the bottom of the frame I inserted a dowel, centered on the panel, that the router spins on because the pegboard hole fits down over the pin. Then you rout from side to side and move the router up to the next hole in the pegboard. When done with one side, you flip the work piece over and rotate 180 degrees, put back in the frame, and repeat routing another set of grooves.

What router bit are you using and isn't there a lot of fuzz to clean up? How do you do that clean up.

[Gene Bartholomew]

I used a cove bit, 1/2-inch I think. And yes, where the bit cuts through to a gap, there is no wood to back up the edges so you end up fuzzy edges. I had to file and sand each through groove. It is not exactly hard work, just tedious. If you only rout from one side, from both ends, you also get a very interesting appearance without all of the filing. And Of course, the style of router bits are wide open - I tried a stepped bit and an ogee and got very interesting results. You can also try a V-bit.