Although a style name and a list of sizes technically make up a complete order, there are still details to clarify. Know what happens when a door or drawer front is too short for standard rail and stile widths, which way the grain runs, and what finish your client wants applied to the unfinished or primed doors we provide. Record these details on one component schedule for your client to approve before you order.
Cabinet doors, drawer fronts, and drawer boxes are separate components, each with its own dimensions and ordering requirements. Doors cover cabinet openings and attach with hinges. Drawer fronts attach to the front of drawer boxes and do not use hinges. If the project also requires end panels or appliance panels, include those on the component schedule as their own line.
Because a drawer front is built like a smaller door, the same appearance fields apply to both:
A style name covers a group of these choices. For example, when you order with us, a named style loads a preset configuration that you can change field by field, so two orders under the same style name can end up with different panels or rail widths. Record every field on the schedule.
Panel choices also depend on the construction. On our line, 1-piece MDF, the Monroe Slim Shaker in 2-piece MDF, and the mitered Bar Harbor take a flat center panel only, so they're out if the client wants raised panels across the set.
Work from the elevation. Mark every door and front on it, then build a component schedule in two layers: the shared specification that applies to every piece, and the line details that change from piece to piece (size, component type, rail widths on short fronts, slab lines).
Rails and stiles that look right on a 30-inch door can crowd a 5-inch front. Front height limits rail width, and front width limits stile width. Check both against the shortest and narrowest fronts in the set before you lock in the frame size.
A short front gives you three options:
Whether option 1 works depends on the panel and the construction as well as the rail width. Our step-down table shows the effect on a 6-inch-high front, wide enough for its stiles, ordered with the standard 2-1/4-inch rail:
|
Construction and panel |
Minimum front height for a 2-1/4" rail |
Result at 6" high |
|
5-piece, flat or reverse-profile MDF, or veneer panel |
5" |
Rail stays at 2-1/4" |
|
5-piece, raised MDF panel |
6-1/2" |
Rail steps down to 1-1/2" |
|
5-piece, solid-wood panel |
7-1/2" |
Rail steps down to 1-1/2" |
|
1-piece or 2-piece MDF |
5-1/8" |
Rail stays at 2-1/4" |
Switching from a flat veneer panel to a solid-wood panel raises the threshold by 2-1/2 inches. Width works the same way on the stiles, and below the bottom of the table, the front becomes a slab. On an order with us, any step-down shows up on the quote or order acknowledgement, and you can check the applicable rail and stile sizing tables for every construction and panel.
A narrower rail keeps the framed look and the inside profile on every piece. A slab front gives up the frame and uses the same material, thickness, and outside edge as the doors. Customers who order short fronts from us often choose the slab. Pick one approach for the short fronts, show it to the client, and put it on the schedule so the client knows how each short front will look.
For a painted set, record the frame material, the panel material, and the paint system the finisher will use. We recommend paint-grade maple for painted wood doors, and MDF is also a paint-grade option. On 5-piece doors specified for paint, our default center panel is MDF, because MDF doesn't move with humidity and that helps keep paint from cracking at the joints.
A stained or clear-finished set needs more detail, since stain shows what paint covers. Record:
Grain orientation is the direction the panel grain runs. The AWI casework standard leaves the grain direction for drawer fronts, vertical or horizontal, to the manufacturer and requires the choice to stay consistent across the project. Continuity is whether the grain pattern flows from one piece to the next, which is a separate specification to confirm with your supplier.
With us, center-panel grain runs vertical on doors and horizontal on drawer fronts by default, and you can request vertical grain on fronts. We don't grain-match panels to frames or fronts to doors on stain-grade product, so the client should expect natural variation in color and figure across the set.
Write down the finish state each piece arrives in (unfinished, primed, or finished; Eagle supplies unfinished or primed only) and who applies the final coat. When your shop or a subcontracted finisher handles paint or stain, that finisher owns color consistency across the doors, the fronts, and any existing cabinetry. Before the full set is ordered, have the client approve a finished sample door and front together, with the grain running as specified.
What we see most often is a run of raised-panel doors with a row of short drawer fronts under or over them, and nobody has checked whether those fronts clear the rail minimum. With our standard 2-1/4" rail, a flat or veneer panel needs 5" of height, a raised MDF panel needs 6-1/2", and a solid wood panel needs 7-1/2". Below those we narrow the rails to 1-1/2" automatically, and below a second floor the front can only be a slab. The 6" high front with a raised panel is the classic case: the doors keep their full frame and the front comes back with skinny rails that nobody drew. We flag every step-down on the quote and acknowledgement, but by then the client has a style in their head. In this case, we ask the shop to confirm a few things: which fronts fall below the limit, and whether the client wants narrow rails to keep the frame look or a slab, which most customers prefer for short fronts and which the order form lets you set line by line inside an order of a different style.
One detail that is sometimes overlooked is the default grain direction, which clients may not realize until after delivery. Although it is mentioned in multiple places, it can be easy to miss. Center-panel grain runs vertically on doors and horizontally on drawer fronts by default, but you can request a different direction if your client prefers. We do not grain-match panels to frames or drawer fronts to doors on stain-grade work, so a stained set will show natural variation. Make sure your client knows what to expect before ordering, and we can work together to find the best option for their project.
Go back to the elevation and size every component from its own opening. A drawer front above a pair of doors spans its own drawer opening, so its width comes from that opening and the overlay. Stacked fronts each get their own height, with the gaps between them set by the layout.
Put finished component sizes on the schedule, to the nearest 1/16 inch, and leave the opening sizes on the elevation. For an overlay layout, a single piece is the opening plus twice the overlay in each direction. Paired doors split that width after you subtract the center gap.
Let's say you have a 30" opening, a 1/2" overlay, and a 1/8" gap between a pair of doors. The overlay covers the frame on both sides of the opening, so the doors need to be 1" wider than the opening in total, 1/2" on the left and 1/2" on the right. For two doors on that opening, start at 30", add the 1" of overlay, take away the 1/8" gap, and split the rest in two: (30 + 1 − 1/8) ÷ 2 = 15-7/16" per door. A single drawer front on the same 30" opening skips the gap and the split: 30" plus the same 1" of overlay, so 31" wide. . Your overlay depends on the cabinet layout and the hinge, so treat these figures as an example and confirm finished door and front sizes with the full procedure for overlay and inset work.
Then check the reveals against the hinge you plan to use. A hinge is built for a specific overlay and adjusts only within its range, so a layout that changes the overlay may need a different hinge.
Separate the line requirements:
Listing fronts as their own line type makes it clear on the order that they get no boring. With us, hinges and hinge boring are add-ons you select on the doors order.
With the elevation approved, move everything onto one schedule. Set the shared specification once at the top:
Then give every piece its own line:
|
Field |
What to record |
|
Cabinet or elevation ID |
Where the piece goes |
|
Line ID and quantity |
One line per size and type |
|
Type |
Door, drawer front, or panel |
|
Finished width x height |
To the nearest 1/16" |
|
Overlay or inset |
Plus the agreed reveals |
|
Rails and stiles |
Any short-front exception |
|
Slab |
Yes or no |
|
Grain direction |
Only where it differs from the shared spec |
|
Handing and boring |
Doors only |
|
Notes and approval |
Drawing revision and sign-off |
If the job includes drawer boxes, keep them on their own schedule and cross-reference them by cabinet ID. When you order with us, fronts go on the doors order form with the line Type set to Drawer Front, and the drawer box order doesn't include them. If the set uses more than one wood species, plan on separate orders, since we take one wood type per order.
When the quote comes back, compare it to the schedule line by line, starting with the short fronts. Every rail step-down or slab line on the quote should match the choice you made for that front.
Once the client approves the elevation and the sample door and front, send the schedule with your quote request, so the short-front choices and line notes go with it. Eagle Woodworking builds custom doors and drawer fronts for your project to the finished sizes on your schedule and ships them fully assembled, with no minimum order.
They should share the material, thickness, and outside edge, and the framed pieces should share the inside profile and panel. The construction can change on purpose: short drawer fronts are often built as slabs or with narrower rails while the doors keep the full frame. Record each exception on the schedule.
Sometimes. It depends on the front height and on the panel and construction. In our table, a 2-1/4-inch rail on a 5-piece front needs at least 5 inches of height with a flat MDF or veneer panel, and 7-1/2 inches with a solid-wood panel. Below the minimum, the rail narrows or the front becomes a slab, so check your supplier's table before you finalize the set.
It doesn't have to. Our default is vertical grain on doors and horizontal grain on drawer fronts, and fronts can be switched to vertical on request. Pick one orientation for the fronts and use it across the project. Grain matching from piece to piece is a separate specification. We don't grain-match fronts to doors on stain-grade product, so the client should expect natural variation.
Size each front from its own opening and the agreed overlay or inset. A front over a pair of doors is sized from its own drawer opening, so its width is that opening plus twice the overlay. Order finished sizes to the nearest 1/16 inch and check the reveals on the elevation before the order goes in.
No. With us, drawer boxes go on the drawers order, and fronts go on the doors order with the line Type set to Drawer Front. Keep a separate schedule for each and link them by cabinet ID.