Tambour Door

A tambour door is often used on desks, garages, and in kitchens. It is made up of several interlocking slats that run along rails to cover or protect something. You can purchase an already assembled tambour door made from wood or metal, or you build it yourself.

Step 1 - Measure

Determine how many one-inch slats it will take to cover the project and how long they must be.

Step 2 - Cut

Cut out the slats from wood, except that they will be two inches wide instead of one and about an inch thick.

Step 3 - Shape

The tambour door works with a ball and socket joint, you must use a router to shape one side of the slat so that it will slide into the slat next to it. The larger the socket is compared to the piece going into it, the more curves you will be able to get.

Step 4 - Smooth

Pass each slat through a router to round the edges and sand them down

Assembling a Tambour Door

Once you have constructed the slats for the tambour door you will have to build them a track and attach handles. The track will run the slats either into a roll, or make them continue along the track until they are out of sight.