Shaker Door & Cabinet Door Cut List Calculator

Measure the opening before choosing the door size

Measure the clear cabinet opening at the top, middle, and bottom, then measure its height at both sides. Record the smallest usable dimensions and inspect whether the cabinet is square. A tape reading across the outside of a face frame is not the opening width. Check adjacent doors, walls, appliances, and drawer fronts before choosing an overlay. Keep the measured opening, finished door size, and component cut sizes in separate columns.

Overlay, inset, and paired doors need different gaps

An overlay door extends past the opening. Add the left and right overlays to obtain its width; add the top and bottom overlays for its height. An inset door fits inside the opening, so subtract its perimeter gaps instead. Full overlay and half overlay describe hardware arrangements; neither name establishes a universal numerical overlay. Measure the face frame or cabinet side and select the matching hinge geometry. For paired doors, reserve the center gap before dividing the available width by two. That gap is additional to any inset perimeter gaps and must leave room for the chosen edge profile.

Write the finished door equations explicitly

For one overlay door, width equals opening width plus left overlay plus right overlay. For a pair, each width equals that same total, minus the center gap, divided by two. Inset width equals opening width minus twice the perimeter gap; a paired inset also subtracts the center gap before division. Heights follow the same overlay or perimeter logic, without dividing by two. All terms must use the same unit. These equations assume equal paired doors and rectangular openings. Unequal pairs, curved edges, applied moldings, and unusual hinge swings require a separate drawing and hardware check.

Worked example: one overlay door

Assume a 24 × 30 inch opening, 1/2 inch overlay on every edge, 2 1/4 inch stiles and rails, and 3/8 inch rail tongues. The finished door is 25 × 31 inches. Cut two stiles 31 inches long. Each rail is 25 − 4 1/2 + 3/4 = 21 1/4 inches long, including both tongues. With separate panel grooves 3/8 inch deep and an illustrative 1/16 inch clearance at each groove root, the panel is 21 1/8 × 27 1/8 inches. That clearance example is not a Space Balls specification.

Worked example: a paired inset opening

Use the same 24 × 30 inch opening with 1/8 inch perimeter gaps and a 1/8 inch center gap. Each door is (24 − 1/4 − 1/8) ÷ 2 = 11 13/16 inches wide and 29 3/4 inches tall. With the previous frame widths and tongue length, each rail becomes 8 1/16 inches. Check the narrow panel and hinge cup position before accepting this frame width. Dry fit both complete doors together in the actual opening; checking either leaf alone will not confirm the center reveal.

Separate rail joinery from panel groove depth

Stiles run the full finished door height. Cope and stick rails fit between them, with a tongue entering each stile, so rail length equals door width minus two stile widths plus two tongue lengths. For a butt joint, use zero tongue length. A butt joint does not automatically remove the panel groove: its depth remains an independent input. Likewise, a router profile can have a rail tongue that differs from the panel groove depth. Measure a routed test joint. If the bit geometry has shoulders or stepped profiles, use the actual seating surfaces rather than assuming every feature is 3/8 inch.

Size the floating panel from the groove roots

Panel width equals door width minus two stile widths plus two panel groove depths minus two per-side clearances. Panel height uses rail widths in the corresponding equation. The clearance is the free distance between a centered panel edge and the groove root, not an extra gap visible around the face. Groove width must also accept the actual panel edge thickness. Reject a result with a nonpositive panel dimension, insufficient groove engagement, or a clearance larger than the groove depth. Do not replace a panel thickness measurement with its nominal plywood label.

Allow movement without locking the panel

A solid wood panel changes across its grain as moisture conditions change. Species, grain orientation, panel width, and moisture range affect the needed allowance. A fixed small deduction cannot guarantee that every solid panel will remain free. Choose clearance for the material and expected conditions, then confirm engagement at the smallest panel size. Glue the frame joints; generally keep a solid floating panel free within its grooves. Plywood behaves differently, but follow the construction method rather than assuming that every panel should be glued. Avoid finish buildup that bonds a moving panel to its frame.

Match panel spacers to their own instructions

Space Balls lists 8–10 spacers per door and limits compression to one third of the ball diameter. Its 260P size is 0.26 inch. Leaving only 1/16 inch between panel edge and groove root would compress that ball by about 76 percent, exceeding the stated limit. A remaining thickness of 3/16 inch gives about 28 percent compression, but still requires a practical fit check. Spacer size, groove width, engagement, and wood movement must work together. Treat the calculator clearance as adjustable; a generic 1/16 inch example is unsuitable as an automatic 260P preset.

Calibrate on scrap before cutting the kitchen batch

Prepare scrap from the same thickness and face orientation as the project stock. Check the coping sled against the fence, use a backer board, and inspect tearout at the rail end. Join a test stile and rail; adjust bit height until their reference faces meet flush. Check groove depth independently and dry test the chosen spacers. Mark a reference face on every piece and keep it against the intended table or fence throughout machining. Assemble one complete door without glue before repeating the setup across the batch.

Use shop checks instead of treating display rounding as tolerance

The checks below are planning targets for this worksheet, not manufacturer limits. Use tighter or different requirements where the hardware, joint, finish, or cabinet needs them. A fractional display rounded to 1/16 inch is a reading format, not permission to machine every joint with that much error.

Carry one cabinet identity through cutting and assembly

Assign each opening a cabinet number and a location such as Sink Base or Upper Left. Save a batch row only after confirming its mount, door quantity, and material settings. Two doors need four stiles, four rails, and two panels. Label parts with cabinet number, door number, part role, cut size, and a face or grain arrow. Keep reference sample rows separate from your actual measurements. Print workshop sheets at 100 percent or actual size; disable fit to page. Test label alignment on plain paper before using sticker stock.

FAQ