Cabinet Doors - Stretch Planes?

**Bduerr** · 10-26-2005, 06:19 AM

I am making my own custom cabinet doors with polyline solids. I am making a plain framed door where the left and right rails and the top stile is 2 3/8" wide. The bottom stile will be 4" wide. There will be a flat panel in the middle. Making the door is a snap with p-line solids and using symbol wizard.

The rub comes when I try to size the doors for their respective openings they must fill. I get stretching of the stiles and rails in all the wrong places. I am getting great results with making a custom sized door for each opening. I wonder if this is too much work and if I can use stretch planes to make the doors fit? I tried all manner of stretch planes, but I did not get satisfactory results. Which stretch plane box(s) need to be checked to get just the middle of the door to stretch and leave the right and left sides alone? Is this even possible?

**jglanton** · 10-26-2005, 07:25 AM

Ive created my own custom cabinet doors and ran into the same problem. I tried all sorts of things using the stretch planes with no luck. I would also like to learn how to handle the situation. If you really need the door get Anders to make it. This is what i did for a mitered corner door i needed. Hes very reasonable priced. A simple door like that would probly be quite simple for him.
However
I would still like to know how to do it myself.
Joel

**Bduerr** · 10-26-2005, 07:36 AM

Making the door is a snap. Just use P-line solids in a fresh plan andmake the door on the floor. Then save it as the right kind of file and use symbol wizard to make a door symbol out of it. I have done it so many times with so many things I cannot remember the steps, but you want me to post them I can.

For getting the doors to be "just right." I have found that I need to take a elevation view of the cabinets and then measure exactly what size door I need. Then I go to fresh plan and make a door that has that size. If it is off by a little that is not a problem. Then once I have the door I bring it over using symbol wizard and I get exactly a door that fits. But the rub is that I need to make each door individually.

If I had just gone and make these doors I could have probably made all the ones I needed in the time it took me to post this and wait for answers. I literally can make a simple door like these in less than 4 minutes. I was just hoping to get better at stretch planes because I do not use them very well or very much.

**jglanton** · 10-26-2005, 08:06 AM

I understand exactly what you are saying. Making a simple door with plines is easy and only takes a few moments. Making a door that will resize properly is the problem. Cabinet doors are one of the few things that need to resize often. Getting them to do that is the trick.

**slatta** · 10-26-2005, 08:24 AM

bduerr, can you clarify something for me design wise, i have been putting the micro above the range because all micro's have a thru vent on them then you don't have to buy a range hood, i have been putting in a 12" cab. above the micro for more room below

just curious about how others have been doing things, i am no kithcen designer by any means, do you have to have a vent for a micro???

**jglanton** · 10-26-2005, 08:28 AM

A 15'' with space saver standard. 18'' with vent hood standard.
This is with stock cabinet sizes and does not always apply, its just a standard.
Hope this helps.

**Tim O'Donnell** · 10-26-2005, 08:42 AM

first you need to understand origin points for cabinet doors...

width...x origin (x=0)is the CENTER of the door vertically

height...z origin (z=0) is the BOTTOM of the door

to stretch a door width exactly in its center , open the symbol spec dbx >sizing tab..

check the top box for yz plane at x=

enter 0

this setting will stretch the door width only at its center axis

to stretch a door's height exactly at its center axis, check the top box for xy plane at z

enter one-half the door symbol's height

this will stretch a door vertically from its center axis...

check both and set the values correctly and it will stretch only in its middle

there are many variable available using stretch planes, stretch zones, on all symbols...but you need to read up on where the origins for different types of symbols areto be located for this to work for you...for example if you wanted the width to be stetched in a zone across it's width you would enter a negative value and a positve value of the same amount, then check the stretch zone box for width 1-2

**Adrean** · 10-26-2005, 08:45 AM

Bduerr--

If I understand your question, I think you should be able to set the stretch planes to make 1 door work properly for all of your cabinets.

For your Cabinet Door Symbol:
Set the stretch plane for the 'YZ Plane at X =' to 0. Use 0 because the insertion point (origin, or 0,0,0) for the cabinet door is in the center, back, bottom of the symbol. You want the door to stretch only in the middle, so 0 is that point.

Set the stretch planes for the 'XY plane at Z =' to approximately 1/2 of the height of the door. You need the door to stretch only in the middle of the height, so you measure this distance off of 0,0,0 (which is at the bottom of the symbol for Z).

If you needed to stretch for the depth, you would measure from the back of the symbol to the point you need to stretch. This means you will use a negative number for the stretch plane value when stretching the 'XZ plane at Y ='

I hope this helps!

**mcqueenhomes** · 10-26-2005, 08:51 AM

need to read up on where the origins for different types of symbols are to be located

Is that really in the manual?

**Bduerr** · 10-26-2005, 08:58 AM

Originally posted by Tim O'Donnell
first you need to understand origin points for cabinet doors...

width...x origin (x=0)is the CENTER of the door vertically

height...z origin (z=0) is the BOTTOM of the door

to stretch a door width exactly in its center , open the symbol spec dbx >sizing tab..

check the top box for yz plane at x=

enter 0

this setting will stretch the door width only at its center axis

to stretch a door's height exactly at its center axis, check the top box for xy plane at z

Thanks, this is the sort of knowledge that I was looking for. I also will need to verify when I make the symbol that the origin is set properly. I tried several combinations but I did not get it right. I will go back and try again. Although, I am getting to be a wiz at creating things with p-line solids. I am now capable to making these cabinet doors in less than 2 minutes, start to finish in the final plan.

**louis** · 10-26-2005, 09:00 AM

Yes. Page 864.

**jglanton** · 10-26-2005, 09:00 AM

Thanks Tim & Adrian
Im going to have to give it another try with your info.
Joel

**Bduerr** · 10-26-2005, 09:04 AM

Originally posted by slatta
bduerr, can you clarify something for me design wise, i have been putting the micro above the range because all micro's have a thru vent on them then you don't have to buy a range hood, i have been putting in a 12" cab. above the micro for more room below

just curious about how others have been doing things, i am no kithcen designer by any means, do you have to have a vent for a micro???

There are all manner of microwaves out there, some with vents and some without. When I was looking at appliances for my remodel I saw a gazillion microwaves made to mount under cabinets. I think the store had like 15 models on the floor. I did not pay attention to see if they needed venting because I remember the sales guy saying that many could me hung on cabinets, or sit on the countertop or a shelf. Your mileage may vary, check with your local supplier to be sure.

I have found a lot of useful information at my appliance dealers and on the Internet. You kind of have to use a combination of sources to know and understand what is out there and how it will all work together.

Because I am doing the design, cabinet building and installation all myself I am looking at things froma much different perspective than a regular customer would. Plus *The Client* (aka my wife) has certain tastes and looks that she wants and so I need to make her happy as both the designer and builder. If Mamma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!

**Bduerr** · 10-26-2005, 09:09 AM

As a side note on the microwave topic. Our current kitchen is 3 years old and we have an Amana microwave over the stove. It has a vent but we often do not turn it on. Well, the steam from cooking has caused the handle to peel and Amana does not guarantee the handle. After 2 years it looked like crap.

So with the remodel we decided to go with a real hood above the rangetop (Miele hood) and put the microwave out of the way where it won't get all smecked up.

Plus we have kids that like to pop corn, and I do not like the idea of them climbing onto a chair to put stuff in the microwave when it is over a potentially hot stove. It was suggested to stick it down on the end of or in the island, but I want to be able to see into the microwave. Everyone that I know that has a low down microwave hates it (hard to clean, can't see stuff boiling over, hard to reach, difficult to pull hot dishes out of or put into).

**slatta** · 10-26-2005, 09:10 AM

ain't that the truth, she's the only reason i have a kithcen,

one of my clients told me that, they eat out every meal except breakfast, so he was saying don't even put a kitchen in his house, then the wife decided to say her piece, basically they got a kitchen, and there wasn't anything it did not have in it, it was really nice

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