Glass Inserts
Making Glass inserts with the cope and bead bit: The question is how to make glass inserts for raised panel doors? What router bits would be used? And how easy is this procedure?
The material list
The most difficult part of the procedure is the making of the material list. I used prodoor software to make my material list. Prodoor is a simple computer program designed to make material lists for raised panel doors with many different configurations. See the material list and the photos of the program screen. The next procedure is to size and mark your pieces. If your unsure about where to cut what? Mark the cutting positions of the cope and bead, a C for the cope and a B for the bead.
The first cut is the Cope
Sort all of the pieces that need the cope cut then set up the cope and cut the pieces. See photos If your not sure where to cut the cope, lay out the pieces in the correct positions then mark the ends of the rails and mullions with a "C" representing the cope cut.
Next cut is the Bead
The bead cut is next and has to be lined up with the cope cut. Its best to use a piece that you just cut the cope on to line up the bead position, see photo. Sort the pieces out into two groups, pieces that need to have one bead cut on one edge and the pieces that need to have two bead cuts on both edges. Cut all of the bead cuts.
Cutting Tip
It is a good habit to start with the single bead cuts first then cut the pieces that need the double bead cut. Why? Something to think about when cutting the bead, if you have to cut a lot of doors and you start with the pieces that need two cuts first, what is the first thing you do when switching to the single cut pieces. That's right you cut both edges as you did with the last forty pieces, you figure that you have a problem usually on the last piece.
Doing the double cuts first you have to start over on all the pieces that need single cuts. If you cut the single pieces first and you do make a mistake by cutting all the pieces into single sides. Its easy to fix this problem. You just have to sort out the double cut pieces and re-cut the other edge.
Dry fit the door
Is to dry fit and glue the pieces together to make the four panel door as in the next photo.
Set up your 3/8 rabbet bit
The last operation is to set your 3/8" rabbet bit
Cut the rabbet out
Cut the rabbet in the single panes to receive the single glass panels.
Here is the cut
This is the results of the rabbet cut. There is the tip on cutting single pane glass panels.
