glass panel doors

[trs80]

I wan to make a cabinet door with 4 divided lites. Looks like I need a rail and stile router set for that to use with my table router. I searched the web but nothing on glass panel doors DIY.

Can you point me or provide tips on how to make these doors with glass panels?

Thanks for any tips

[Leon]

I use regular rail and stile bits. They cut a 1/4" groove but I then cut the back side of the grove off up to where the tail and stile join. Dry fit the pieces and mark the location of the joints. Doing it this way you can assemble the rail and stile with out the glass. After the glue dries you can drop the glass in from the back side and use 1/4 round nailed in with a pinner. I make my own 1/4 rounds for this purpose. If a piece of glass ever gets broken it is easily replaced.

[Joe]

I used these, they worked very well (or maybe it was me....)

[Test Tickle]

Sommerfeld makes a very nice set. Try this:

[Mike in Arkansas]

Like Joe above I used the freud 99-270 divided lite bit set. A little pricey and you will need to cut very accurately placed and sized mortices for the tenons that this set leaves on the ends of the rails and muntins. My doors are 9 lite in a craftsman style pattern making

20 mortices on each door. The July 2005 American Woodworker magazine has an article on making divided light doors using this bit set. I'm not sure I could have figured the process out without reading this article. It explains how to accurately lay out the horizontal and vertical muntins so everything fits together properly. It also shows in detail how the bits work and the parts fit. I recommed the article highly if you go this route. Also, If you do use this bit set I recommend your door parts be thicker than 3/4 inch. More like 7/8 would be fine but less than that won't leave you much room behind the glass for wood strips to hold in the panels. YMMV but those were my results. Mike in Arkansas (otherwise known as an Ozark American)

[Dennis]

Depending on whether you want to use a single sheet of glass, you can make your divided four pane door using recessed wood strip dividers. You did not mention the style of furniture or door, but this technique works well in shaker and craftsman style doors. Take a look at my kitchen doors or the door on the entertainment center on my site. If you have any questions, let me know.

Dennis Slabaugh, Hobbyist Woodworker

[Jay Pique]

Check out the Oct./Nov. 2006 issue of Fine Homebuilding. They have an article on building a divided lite storm sash (window) that could help.

JP

[trs80]

thank you for the tips and yes I could use help. Mainly Im trying to understand the rail and stile router bits to use.

I want the dividers to be 3/4 or 7/8 or else they will seem too large for the cabinet...out of scale or proportion. Today I looked at the Rockler store in stock rail and stile bits. Same bits as online (see link below). The profile cut is 3/8. That seems much to large when done on either side of a 3/4 or 7/8 wide divider. The divider ends up totally round or with a

1/8 flat strip when 7/8 wide so I did not buy these. Are there matching rail and stile sets that have smaller profiles say on the order of 1/4 or 5/16?

thanks again for the help!

[trs80]

is this the type of cutter I need to make mullions? Its from MLCS and is a

3/16 cut I think. URL is below. thanks again! Matched Rail & Stile Cutters for Glass Doors & Mullions

MLCS_matched_rail_&_stile_cutters_for_miniature_glass_doors_and_mullions

2 flute, carbide tipped. These rail and stile cutters are a matched two bit set designed to give a smaller, shallow profile detail in a cabinet door. Works great for making miniature glass doors, and divided lite doors with narrow, delicate mullions. Depth of cut is 3/16". Use for 1/2" to 3/4" stock.

Item # Profile Shank Size Regular Price #8848 Ogee 1/2" $84.95 $59.95

[trs80]