A lot of the work here is slow - plenty of time at work with little to see.
The doors get some decorative strips on them. I chose to put the grooves in before I separated the doors. It’s easier and safer to work with larger pieces.
I use a 3/32" straight bit in my router table. The fence and stops allowed me to accurately locate the grooves - until I misread my tape measure.
I used a chisel and sanding to get the patch flush.
All 6 grooves are now in place (the patch is in the lower right of this picture).
Now I can split the door blank into the two individual doors.
I have a plywood filler held in place with double sided tape on the inside. This helps me keep the doors stable when I am working on them.
Now it's time to mount the hinges. I find these hinges to be a bit tricky to get installed. They are very precise and don't allow for much misalignment.
The first step was to get the hinge recesses located accurately. That was done in post #5. The hinge notches have a tight fit for the hinges. It takes some pressure to get them to seat completely.
The next step is to get the box & door set up to locate the screw holes.
I use a piece of cardboard and layers of tape until I get a spacer that sets the correct gap between the box & door.
I have a set of stub drill bits that have a very fine point. I use these to locate the screw centers.
I take my time here and adjust the point until it is as close to center as I can make it.
I start by drilling for the #2 screws first. If I am not happy with the location I can try to adjust it when I drill for the #4 screws next.
I use a steel screw to create the threads for the brass screw. I started out with too small of a pilot hole and broke the steel screw. That is never a fun thing. I had to drill an oversize hole and plug it.
The plug ended up a little off center. The pilot hole is in the correct place.
Here all four holes are drilled. (Tiny holes)
I only install 2 of the #2 screws in each hinge at this time.
All my careful work paid off. I'm happy with the alignment.
I then opened up the holes and installed the #4 screws.
That is it for this post. There is more work on the doors to come up next.
Sticking screws in lump of bee's wax first helps prevent them snapping. I've also used mini countersunk brass 'bolts' and tapped the holes - an idea from Andrew Crawford.
Thanks for the comments! Madburg- I've used the wax technique for quite some time. That's why I was surprised when I broke a steel one. I guess the really tiny screw was part of it.
Nice recovery on both the flute & hinge mishaps, correcting such things has become part of my normal routine anymore. These magnificent "recoveries" are a true sign of a great craftsman.
