Tambour Door Cabinet

I've always wanted to build a tambour door cabinet, but was also intimidated by the idea. Making a door that curves and slides smoothly along a track seemed so challenging, but it turns out it's not that hard!

In this tutorial, I'll walk you through the steps to build this single tambour door cabinet. You can also watch the detailed YouTube video and grab the build plans if you're interested!

►MATERIALS USED (affiliate links):

1. Cherry wood (milled to 3/4)
2. Maple wood (milled to 3/4)
3. MDF (template)
4. Canvas https://amzn.to/3BTQv11 
5. 3/8 dowel pins https://amzn.to/4f7VBVz 
6. Hard-wax oil https://amzn.to/4dYtffA 

►TOOLS USED (affiliate links):

1. Dowel jig https://amzn.to/3Ys3Ear 
2. Compass https://amzn.to/3Ys3Lmn 
3. Digital protractor https://amzn.to/4eUWKjJ 
4. Spiral bit https://amzn.to/3BP95rf 
5. Guide bushing https://amzn.to/40ex3Gj 
6. Bosch Router https://amzn.to/3UeVzDu 
7. Benchtop sander https://amzn.to/3UeVzDu 
8. Double-sided tape https://amzn.to/4eGh48p 
9. Miter gauge (table saw) https://amzn.to/48byW8A 
10. Featherboards https://amzn.to/4dS6jP2 
11. Straight bit (rabbets) https://amzn.to/3YcCYJl 
12. Spreader https://amzn.to/4dYsAL8 
13. Grabber push block https://amzn.to/4fbGhYg 
14. Bit height setting tool https://amzn.to/3YaRwt8 

There are 7 parts to the cabinet. The 4 outer walls (2 sides, top and bottom) as well as 3 inside parts (side, back, shelf).

I milled up cherry wood for the cabinet to 3/4 inch thick. After gluing up panels, I cut each part down to size using a panel cutting sled. A crosscut sled would also work well for this.

To make the track for the door, the key is to first make a template. That way you'll get a mirrored track in the top and bottom panels that are perfectly identical.

I cut a piece of MDF to the exact same size as my top and bottom panels. Then traced reference lines where the track will go, and rounded the corners using a compass. I also added an exit path at the back of the cabinet so the door could slide in and out of the cabinet once assembled.

I then use the table saw and a jig saw to rough cut the template, and finished refining it using my benchtop sander.

To cut the tracks, I used a router with a 1/4 inch spiral bit and a guide bushing. After securing the template to the bottom panel with double-sided tape, I could simply follow the template to cut a 1/4 inch deep track. The guide bushing rides along the template so the router bit won't bite into it.

After cutting the track in the bottom panel, I flipped over the template onto the top panel to cut the second track (that mirrors the bottom track).

For the tambour door, I wanted to use a contrasting wood, so I went with maple.

For a tambour door to easily glide along the track and round the corners, the slats need to be relatively thin and narrow. I went with 1/2 inch slats that are 5/8 wide.

I cut close to 40 slats, which is way more than I'll need, but you'll want to cut extra so you can pick the nicer ones and eliminate any with burn marks, defects, warping, etc.

Once all the slats were cut, I used a roundover bit to round the front edges at the router table.

Note that I cut one slat wider (1 inch) that will be the lead slat on the door. I made it wider just so I could have enough space to secure a door pull to it.

To assemble the tambour door, you'll want to build a simple jig. Start with a piece of plywood that's bigger than the door will be. Then cut 4 edge guides using thin plywood. The short edges should be the same length as your slats are, while the long edges should be at least as long as the tambour will be.

Secure 3 edges with the help of a protractor to get them at a perfect 90 degrees. Then slide in the slats, rounded slide down. Push the slats together tight, then secure the final edge guide on the end.

Apply tape to mask off the edges all around the tambour to protect it from glue.

Cut a piece of canvas oversized. Use a roller to apply a thin layer of glue evenly across the slats. Then press the canvas down firmly with the help of a scraper. Add weights on top and allow to dry for 1 hour.

After an hour, gently remove the tambour to check that none of the slats are stuck to each other.

Use a utility knife to trim the canvas and remove the tape.

At this point the tambour is too thick to fit into the tracks, so we'll cut rabbets along the top and bottom front edges.

This can be done using a dado stack on the table saw, or a straight bit on the router table, which is the method I chose. You'll want to sneak up on it, test it in the track, then remove more if needed, and test again.

Now that I'm confident that the tambour door slides well in the track, I can assemble the cabinet. I'll use screws for the inside parts where they won't be seen, and use dowels for the outside parts of the cabinet.

I'll drill all my dowel holes using a doweling jig, then do a dry fit to make sure all the holes are deep enough and everything lines up.

Once everything looks good, I can apply glue to the dowels and clamp the parts together while the glue dries.

With the parts still sperate, I can more easily apply the finish.

I used a hard-wax oil that's easy to apply because you can just wipe it on, then wipe it off. No runs, no drips. It helps to fold the tambour over the edge of your workbench so you can apply finish between each slat.

I used the same finish on the cabinet, and let both parts dry before final assembly.

Once the finish has dried, I can slide the tambour door into the cabinet using the entry/exit slot at the back of the cabinet.

I added on a small wooden pull to the lead slat to make it easier to open and close the cabinet.

The door slides so smoothly at this point, but it can help to add a little paste wax occasionally to the rabbets on the top and bottom of the tambour to help it glide smoothly.

If you haven't already, you can get more details by watching the YouTube video!