AboutGreg Scholl Expertise Questions on Woodworking, wood finishing and refinishing of all kinds, repairing furniture and wooden objects, Architectural details, Woodturning, carving, tool usage, product usage, some chemistry as it applies to woodworking and related interests,cabinet making and furniture construction/design, etc. I have experience with all manners of colorants, finishes, paints, stains, dyes, glazes, and coatings, wood species recognition and usage,tool recommendations, blade types and recommendation,techniques and methods for many Woodworking related issues, etc.
Experience Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. Consulting for area Painting/Decorating and Building contractors on non painting issues..(staining, wood prep.,clear finishing, floor restoration and architectural detail restoration and repair, etc.) Sold, built, serviced, setup Home, Industrial, and Commercial stationary woodworking tools for a major tool retailer in CT. for three years, sold hand and power tools , provided knowledge, parts replacement, service, and on site service, Trade show Demo, and training as well.
Publications Published in Fine Woodworking Magazine (12/97), included on Fine Woodworkings first "Best of Fine Woodworking" CD-ROM (2002) ...("27 year compilation of expert know-how")
Education/Credentials Art School at Silvermine Guild in Norwalk, CT., 9 year apprenticeship in a European run Cabinet and Restoration shop in CT., various classes on subjects having to do with the field. Seminars from major Tool manufacturers, Skil/Bosch, Delta, Powermatic, Ritter, Porter cable, Milwaukee, Dewalt/B&Decker, Performax.
Past/Present Clients Many varied clients including work on Martha Stewarts' Westport, CT. show house, many fine Antique dealers and private collectors in and around Fairfield County and in Woodbury, CT. (the Antiques capital of CT.), Golden Age of Trucking Museum, Wilton Historical Society.
QUESTION: Hello Greg, We are doing a large kitchen in Greenwich Ct. $190k The cabinet builder made cabinet doors from American walnut veneered (mdf). He adhered 3/8" thick x 4" wide pieces of solid American walnut horizontally across the door fronts and tight together with a v-groove. The doors were fine for awhile with no signs of movement until the humidity one day was up in the 70% range inside as we are working inside and out with doors and windows open. The doors warped severely across the width and height. I never saw anything this drastic and I figured the mdf would have been stiff enough to keep from warping. Is it because the (solid wood) adhered to the face of the mdf doors should have been thinner or thicker? Or should he have counted on warpage because of the difference in materials being adhered to each other? I feel he should have known this, as the clients do want to be able to open windows and doors in the summer and humidity (will) be a problem. I think he should have dadoed the edges of the doors prior to solid edge banding and installed a strip of metal say 1/2"x3/8" say stainless steel around the entire door and then applied the edge banding to hide the metal re-enforcement. What would you say? Thanks, Mike
ANSWER: Hey Mike, 190k huh??? WOW.....for this kind of $ they should've been using solid walnut....one of the first rules in veneering a solid core (be it MDF or Lumber) is, that whatever you do two one side, you must do to the other to equalize the forces. Also, 3/8" is way too heavy to apply to only one side of a panel....I'm assuming he use 1/2" MDF for a total door thickness of around 3/4". From your description, it also sounds like he didn't use any kind of frame around the panels, which makes a panel like this prone to distortion.....There are also different types of MDF, some better than others, and some designed for high moisture areas, and HDF, or high density Fiberboard, that would be more suitable for this application. Finishing would also play a part, meaning that the entire panel would need to be finished with a durable, film type finish (pre Cat. lacquer- or a Cat. Urethane type product), completely sealing it from moisture changes. I'm also surprised they moved this much, and while your metal rail idea may have initially helped to keep the panels flat, somethings gotta give somewhere, meaning the walnut might have delaminated, cracked, warped, the MDF twisted, etc., as this is not proper construction technique. It would also likely pose an issue when mounting the hardware... The main problem is this guy did not follow established rules in panel construction, and suitable materials, and in a harsh environment like a kitchen or bathroom, this is paramount. Sounds like he's got a little learning to do, and a lot of doors to remake, probably at his expense....hope that helps- post back if need be- regards- Greg
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QUESTION: Greg, Thanks for the quick response. The mdf he used was 3/4". I understand what you are saying about doing both sides. I myself believe that the doors would have warped if they were solid (wood) due to the humidity range. I build cabinets myself and try and learn from other peoples mistakes and ask questions of experts like yourself if I am not certain, before I build something. The doors are inset, he did use solid wood edge band approx 1/2". The style is sort of an Asian contemporary with the door faces runing horizontal. Also the 4" pieces might have been 1/4" or 5/16" thick. So if I were to make these doors, and applied the face as I explained, to 1/2" instead of 3/4" mdf or hdf and then did the backs the same as the fronts using the same solid American walnut, along with the solid edge band, do you feel this would be more stable? They used a water based clear finish as the client wanted to see the beauty of the wood not changed in tone by an oil or lacquer. The doors were completely sealed front back and sides. This was a challenge for us to figure out the exact reason and I am usually very good at problem solving, but this one had me stumped as I have never seen this drastic warping even from solid wood or any other wood doors wow. When you say high density fiberboard or hdf, what benefits would these product have that the premium veneered mdf wouldn't, and can you give me some brand names, just in case I am called on to build these doors? Thank You so much for your time and expertise! Mike
ANSWER: The HDF uses different polymer adhesives bonded under high pressure for an extremely dense fiber board product. It's mostly used for flooring materials though, and frankly I'm not even sure where you could find it, as it would likely be cost prohibitive as well when compared to a cabinet grade plywood, and that's my next question, which was why a high quality plywood wasn't used? I really think a quality MDF product, veneered on both sides should offer you pretty good stability, especially with a solid wood edging on all 4 sides, but I would've probably gone with a high ply (like Baltic Birch) plywood panel in a door construction such as this. It would far exceed MDF in dimensional stability I would think, and you could get a Walnut faced material, and then veneer the fronts with typical, standard thickness veneers horizontally,without the issues you've encountered. With this type of budget, and door panels stability issues, I would think that would be a better choice. If you're familiar with Connecticut Plywood (Milford 1-800-232-2480 - Joe), they have a dizzying array of plywood, and other 4x8 sheetgood products in stock that would work for doors such as this, even prefinished panels of different density's and material used in cabinet construction. If you aren't familiar with them, I suggest you get to know them, and go through their warehouse. I recently needed some Ash plywood for a tub surround I built with removable panels, and they had it in stock at a very reasonable price. Hope that continues to help- regards- Greg
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QUESTION: Hello Greg, Thanks for all the valuable info. I have been going to Ct. plywood for years and they do have just about everything. I also use Condon lumber in White Plains for any kind of solid stock as well. I sent you one picture as that is all it would allow. Its pretty clear. He has started making new ones already so I can't wait to see the corrections. Thanks for the kind words concerning my web site as well. I take allot of pride in my work and love what I do. I am starting to lean more towards doing kitchen cabinetry if I can start landing big ones like this house. I am taking a two week clinic in Maine in Aug. at a furniture school, "Center for Furniture Craftmanship" For brushing up on my applying finishes, especially with the gun. I like building my own stuff and applying the finish as well. Do You have a number that I can reach you at in case we need your expert services? Thanks Greg!!
Answer Thanks for the kind words, and I also use Condon's occasionally, they also have Marine grade plywoods and 12' sheetgoods. I think it's a great idea to go to the School in Maine, I just(literally) returned from there, we have a Summer house on a lake up there...there's also a supplier in Portland for M.L. Campbell, and Mohawk finishing supplies, so when you're starting to finish kitchens, you could look into them for your catalyzed products, or if you need Mohawk products, without having to place a minimum order. pondcovepaint.com. I will contact you through your website with a phone number as I don't want to post it here, and i wish you the best of luck, and hope to talk to you again soon. I would love to hear about your experience in Maine, bring a camera, Rockport is a beautiful area, so please contact me upon your return.Regards- Greg
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