[jg2259]

Hi all, I'm building a medicine cabinet fashion after our old Home Depot model. My wife likes the design and want me to use the mirrors from the old cabinet doors
I went ahead and cut the doors to size and cut all the mortise and tenons. I was figuring on cutting the groove with a 1/8" router bit. However, when I measured the depth of the groove on old door, I found that the depth of the groove is 3/4" and Ai can't find a 1/8" bit that cuts 3/4" deep. Any suggestions?

 

[woodnthings]

Grooves can be made with a slot cutter

You can use these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/7-piece-three-wing-slotting-cutter-router-bit-set-68871.html

Or you can use a full kerf saw blade that is 1/8" thick.

 

[jg2259]

Thanks woodenthings, i was thinking about using the table saw, but that will cut into my mortise, and to get the groove so the door fits, Iight have to saw the whole way through the end grain on the tops and bottoms of the stiles. I still might be cutting into the mortise with the slot cutter but not quite as much. Will that slot cutter cut 3/4" deep?
If not, i guess I could just cut the grooves 3/8" or 1/2" deep then trim my frame pieces so the doors still fit. But then I will probably have to redo the mortises deeper.
Thanks again
Jim

 

[woodnthings]

I had the same issue here

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f7/router-table-project-23855/

I used the slot cutter to make the grooves for panel doors. Here's the set up:

 

[jg2259]

Ok. I'm still trying to finish this medicine cabinet project. Before I tried the slot cutting method, I had to buy some more lumber and told the really nice guy who I get my lumber from about my dilemma. He is a former high school woodshop teacher. He told me not to make a groove for the mirror, because if the mirror breaks, I wouldn't be able to replace it. I never thought of that.
Now my question is, do I put the rabbet on the back of the door and the roundover on the front around the mirror before or after I assemble and glue the mortise and tenon joints.
Sorry for being so dumb, but this is my first attempt at a project like this, and I shouldn't have chosen to make an exact replica of the old medicine cabinet.

Jim

 

[cabinetman]

Now my question is, do I put the rabbet on the back of the door and the roundover on the front around the mirror before or after I assemble and glue the mortise and tenon joints. Jim

I would glue up the parts and then run the two profiles. It will be easier to clamp up the parts if they aren't profiled. Running the profiles after will enable them to all match up. You'll probably want to chisel out the corners for the rabbet.

You could bed the glass with a small bead of GE Silicone II, or make a wood trim piece to hold the glass, or use screw on panel retainers. I wouldn't use glaziers points.

.

 

[jg2259]

Thanks cabinetman. Now my next question. After the doors are glued up, which profile do I put on first? If I cut the rabbet first, I'm not sure the bearing on the roundover bit will reach the inside of the rabbet ( rabbet will be 11/32" inset. If i do the roundover first, since the roundover will profile into the line of the rabbet, it might not ride on the bearing for the rabbet. I guess I could not cut the roundover to nothing, and just leave a lip at the bottom of roundover. 1/16"?
I sometimes overthink things.
Jim

 

[cabinetman]

Thanks cabinetman. Now my next question. After the doors are glued up, which profile do I put on first? If I cut the rabbet first, I'm not sure the bearing on the roundover bit will reach the inside of the rabbet ( rabbet will be 11/32" inset. If i do the roundover first, since the roundover will profile into the line of the rabbet, it might not ride on the bearing for the rabbet. I guess I could not cut the roundover to nothing, and just leave a lip at the bottom of roundover. 1/16"?
I sometimes overthink things.
Jim

If you did the round over first, there should still be a small flat for the bearing of the rabbet bit. If you can run a smaller radius, like 1/4" instead of 3/8", you will have a flat. Or, you could knock together a mock frame to attach to the door frame to give a larger flat for the bearing.Or, you could use a straight bit for the rabbet and set stops on the router table fence.

.

 

[jg2259]

Thanks so much for the help. I'm going to think this over and choose one of your suggestions.
I'll let you know which one I did and how it turned out.
Jim

 

[cabinetman]

Thanks so much for the help. I'm going to think this over and choose one of your suggestions.
I'll let you know which one I did and how it turned out.
Jim

Keep in mind that in your machining for both profiles, that you may get some tearout. Clean sharp bits, and controlled feed rates, possibly making more than one pass will minimize the possibility. Your last pass can be a skim pass to clean up the run.

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