Shopbot MDF doors pics

[weslambe]

Here are a few examples of the doors that I make using the Shopbot.

You'll have to excuse the paint etc... on the doors as they are my test doors. I sell the non-test ones. Maybe I'll really give these a good painting and use them as demo doors.

Wes
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This is a closeup of a square corner on a customer's door.

[weslambe]

Here's a cathederal or roman arched door.
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[weslambe]

here's an arched top door
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[weslambe]

here are a couple of doors that I made for a customer. Out of 80 doors, these were the only two that I had to re-make.


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[stickman]

Wes,

Here is a question that I've got to ask after seeing these doors: How do you get the square corners to work like you've got shown?

What software are you using to draw up the doors?

Nice job on them, I think they look great.

Jay

[weslambe]

I am using excel. It's simple. You just make the v-bit move up and out of your work at a 45 degree angle when using a 90 degree bit.

to get that corner you would do something like this;

j2,1,1
m3,12,1,-.5
m3,12.25,.75,0 depending on bit size

or something close to that.

[Scott Smith (Unregistered Guest)]

I get the part about the square corners but this is my little pick at your brain:

Are you using 3 router bits for each door (straight, V, round over)?
If so, how do you set up your bit changes?
And wouldn’t the radius of the clear out straight bit still leave a chunk in the corner when you go back with the V bit?

That many bit changes or clearing with a V bit both seem they would take a long time to run.

[kevin (Unregistered Guest)]

Scott
Let me throw my two cents in. I make profile doors with 4 bits. I lay out the doors for a 4x8 sheet of mdf. I use a wide profile, so I run a hog pass with a 1/2 spiral bit, then change to the inside profile and run, then the outside profile.I use mdf door bits from Whiteside, no vee cause my cust. likes the round corner look. Then I cut the whole sheet with a 1/2 spiral leaving about .02 clearance off of the table so the panels wont slide around. I just rezero the bits between the cuts with the c2 command. This sometimes leaves a small spot to sand between the bits, but a quick swipe with 120 grit takes it right out. I have drawn doors in PW but now use Artcam Insignia.
Kevin

[weslambe]

There is almost always something left in the corners after you cut the door. First pass is the 1/2 inch endmill, then the vbit. You can usually take your fingernail and scrape it off. I have seen brochures from the multi-million dollar companies locally where you can see the little piece of material in the corner!

I use Corel Draw to layout an entire sheet of doors. I dimension the page size to the size of the sheet of MDF then I make sure that there is at least .75" between each door/drawer. I have found that you don't need to do any hold-downs except on the outside 1" of the sheet because the MDF dust fills the channel behind the cutter to the point where it doesn't move even with a 4" dust collection system hooked up directly to the bot. My dust collector boot doesn't move up and down with the router because I want to keep the suction right there at the worktop.

[Scott Smith (Unregistered Guest)]

Thank you, both
The doors do look great!

[matthew351@yahoo.com]

Wes,
I am impressed with your doors! Having once been a cabinet maker, and now a design engineer (who really, really wants to buy a shopbot), I was wondering what the market is for MDF doors these days. 10-15 years ago when I was in the cabinet trade, it was only about 10% of our jobs. I am looking to get into a shopbot business, and have making MDF doors for cabinet shops be one of my lines of work. Any info you could provide would be helpful.

Thanks

Matt

[signman8]

Wes, I too would like to get a little more info on these type of doors. I am in the deep south, almost in the Gulf of Mexico and the building industry is in a boom. I am just starting out but have been a kitchen cabinet designer for years.
Thanks,
Wayland

[kgomez]

Wes, the doors look great. I am also looking to get a shopbot to make mdf doors. My question is at what rate can you make the doors? And is it something you have to keep watch over?
Thanks,
Karlo