One popular way to customize is to affix one or more split posts to cabinetry fronts or edges.
Definition
A split post is a style of vertical decorative molding that looks like a pillar or table leg. It is made of a large wood dowel cut to fit flush on one side against a cabinet surface with the half-round shaped side facing outward.
Besides acting as decoration, split posts are similar to cabinet filler in that you can also use them to hide certain sized gaps and surface scratches on prefabricated cabinets. One form of cabinet filler known as the cabinet fluted column/pillar is actually a split post. As a result, some kitchen renovators use the terms cabinet pillar and split post interchangeably.
Dowel Surfaces
Although all cabinet fluted columns/pillars are split posts, not all split posts are fluted columns/pillars. A split post dowel can also have a smooth or rope-shaped surface; or a reed-textured surface that looks like tightly gathered reed stems. Additionally, some kitchen renovators hire woodworkers to carve split post dowels with custom decorative designs, such as leaves, vines, animals, landscapes and abstract markings.
Accessories
When customizing your kitchen cabinets with split posts, you can use only the dowels; or create a more refined and classic look by adding split end blocks with or without split spindle caps to the top and bottom of the dowels.
A split end block is a long or short rectangular- or square- shaped piece of wood that mimics the block tops of wooden table legs. A split spindle cap mimics a popular wood decorative piece used in traditional post and leg design. It contains a short half-round dowel sandwiched between two half-round edges. You use split spindle caps with a dowel standalone or as connectors between a dowel and blocks. As with split dowels, you can purchase split end blocks and spindle caps with smooth, textured or custom-carved surfaces.
For more information about split posts, or a cabinet evaluation, contact a Kitchen Magic specialist today!
