rail n stile routing

Must be getting brain dead in my old age but I can't figure an easy way to do this.

Have a rail & stile bit that I use to make some doors. All is well, slot is cut for panel, etc. Problem is, I want to make glass doors and putting the glass panel in the slot seems like a bad idea. If glass should break, I'd need to disassemble the whole door to replace it.

Solution was to chisel out the slot turning it into a rabbet. Works perfectly BUT there's got to be a way to do it with the bit itself no? I've tried all the alignments I can and if I want a rabbet on the back I also get a large step on the front because of the bit alignment.

Looked for a bit that is designed to make a rabbet with a cope & stick bit but haven't seen any.

Don't know if I've explained the problem well but welcome any suggestions.

Of course, as a last resort I can still chisel out the rabbet.

Thanx,

Vic

Reply to
Vic Baron
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True

No, just use either your table saw or a straight cutting bit to get rid of the inner portion. Just set up the fence properly to use the straight cutting bit.

Reply to
Larry Bud

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Reply to
musials

Believe it or not there's a recent article in 11/05 issue of Popular Woodworking (the one with Lonnie Bird on the front) describing just how to do it providing you have the right set.

IRRC, it involves replacing the slot cutter from the coping bit with a spacer/washers, then finishing up the rabbet with the table saw.

Easier to do than explain ... might want to see if you can grab a copy.

Reply to
Swingman

IIRC, the reason I did not do it that way was that I'd have to stop the cut short of the "corner" or I'd create a gap between the two pieces.

I'll look again though.

Reply to
Vic Baron

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BINGO! Thanx a bunch!

Reply to
Vic Baron

If you are really careful with you saw, the part you cut off can be used to hold the glass in place. Jim

Reply to
Jim

assemble it with the glass trapped. if the glass breaks rout the opening with a bearing giuded bit and install the new glass with stops.

Reply to
bridger

That's a unique approach - I like it :)

Reply to
Vic Baron

On Fri, 28 Oct 2005 16:40:17 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "Vic Baron" quickly quoth:

Thar ain't one unless you have a shaper bit made in that style or find a custom bit made specifically for glass doors with wooden frames.

Use a rabbet bit, Vic. The complex shapes on R&S bit probably won't allow you to do rabbets with the same bit.

Set the height of the bit on a router table, set the depth of cut, and make that your first run. Now chuck the R&S bit, set it up, and make those cuts.

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Reply to
Larry Jaques

Now that you have the solution to removing the back piece of wood, BE SURE to NOT cut the Stiles from end to end during this part of the procedure as there will be less support and a missing area where the rail joins the stile.

Reply to
Leon

suggestions.

LOL! Found that out the hard way - but it WAS on a test piece. Also why I cannot rabbet the piece beforehand unless I use a stopped rabbet. Still would have to chisel out the corner. I'm really not lazy just looking for an easier way. However, I *AM* reminded of the story of the guy who took

4 hours to find the easy way to do something when he could have done it in 2 hours the hard way.

Looks like MLCS has a two bit set for glass doors. Might be worth investigating a bit further. Looks like it might work.

Thanx

Reply to
Vic Baron

This sounds OK, but I think it wiser to route out the grove with a rabbit bit after the door has been assembled. Then square up the rounded corners and set the glass into the dado. Hold the glass in place with small quarter round beads tacked into the frame. You may want to set the glass on small plastic pads, available from Rocklear, to keep the glass from rattling

Reply to
Buckwheat

This sounds OK, but I think it wiser to route out the grove with a rabbit bit after the door has been assembled. Then square up the rounded corners and set the glass into the dado. Hold the glass in place with small quarter round beads tacked into the frame. You may want to set the glass on small plastic pads, available from Rocklear, to keep the glass from rattling

Reply to
Buckwheat

Did get the plastic pads from Rockler - worked like a charm. I thought about routing the rabbet after assembly but there's not enough surface for a guide bearing to ride on after the profile is cut. Probably could come up with some sort of template though. Have to look at that option too.

Thanx!

Reply to
Vic Baron

On some style bits the area that you plan to remove is what guides the bearing. Removing this first may result in an edge that may dip or nicks in it if the fence slips.

Still

I use a utility knife to score across the grain deep enough to go all the way through and once that is cut you can usually split the remainder off. Using a chisel can some times split off too much or crack the thin section.

Reply to
Leon

Actually it's the worst suggestion yet as there is no router bit for this.

Reply to
Battleax

I have a half dozen in my box that would work. generic pattern bit.

Reply to
bridger

So what surface does the bearing ride on? This is simply the wrong way to do a glass door for more reasons than this

Reply to
Battleax

While I agree that I world not do it this way as the slot tends to be too wide for the glass, you can break the rest of the glass out and with a flush trim bit let the bottom bearing ride on the slot that the glass was in.

Reply to
Leon

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