First off, a huge thank you to you guys! Without your patience, I'm sure many more wood working novices would fall by the roadside, myself amongst them. So thank you all.
Now, she who must be obeyed, wanted darker cabinets and draws in the bathroom to compliment the ongoing renovations(guess who's got that job as well!)
I priced up both MDF covered and solid wood, the Oak was averaging about $55 for the doors and almost $30 for the draws.
So far my material cost is working out at about half that. Clearly the labor cost is where I'm saving, but my time is free right
Started off with 1/2" oak veneer ply and 2 1/2" x3/4" oak frame pieces.
Ripped the frame down to 2 1/4" and using a T&G bit made up the frames. T&G was not the first choice but the wife likes the clean look.
Cut the ply to size and then using a dado blade on the TS cut a 1/4"x1/4" dado all round to drop into the frame.
More pictures to follow as I finish them off but I'm so pleased with the results so far.
I'm not kidding myself that it in any way compares to the outstanding work I've seen on here by others. But this is my first "real" piece of finish woodwork since school! Not including rough carpentry for trim work and such.