One downside of this tablesaw technique is
that the panel requires a fair amount of sanding. We’ve developed a solution
to simplify the sanding and make it go faster, but if you had to sand more
than three or four doors at a time, it’ll get old. However, for one or two
doors, the sanding is not a big deal.
The other drawback to this technique, although it’s minor, is that the panel
edge is not automatically cut to the right thickness. Because this is the
part that fits into the groove in the frame, it has to fit precisely. It’s
important to make accurate measurements as you go (Photo
7).
Any tablesaw, from benchtop to cabinet saw, can handle this work, as long
as you have a sharp, carbide-tipped blade to make the cuts. A blade with
a high tooth count (60 or more) will produce a smoother cut than a blade
with fewer teeth. And a smoother cut means less time spent sanding.
You’ll need to build a simple auxiliary fence for your tablesaw and a
fresh zero-clearance throat plate (see
page 50 for how to make one). An inexpensive dial caliper ($15)
is handy but not essential for measuring the thickness of your panel edges.
With this method, the panels are cut to fit the frame, so it’s essential
to make the frame parts first. You can use a spare rail or stile to test
the thickness of the panel edge when it’s near completion.
Glue up your panels, if required, and plane them all to the same thickness.
This is important for cutting the tongue of each panel to the correct
thickness.
By varying the angle of the fence and the size of the blade you use, you
can get an infinite variety of profiles (see page
40). We suggest starting off with a profile that has a small cove
on the back of the panel and a larger one on the front. For most door
frames, this will make the outside surface of the panel slightly below
or flush with the frame, which will make sanding the doors much easier.
For our doors, we planed the panels to 13/16-in. thick, and cut a profile
that had a 1/4-in. tongue, a 1/8-in. cove on the back and a 7/16-in. cove
on the front. Our maximum depth of cut was 7/16 in.
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Locate the
center
of your saw arbor. Mount the centering board on the arbor as if
it was the saw blade, and clamp the height board to the rip fence,
with the bottom edge at the level of the saw table. Raise the arbor
of your saw until the top of the centering board is at the line
on the height board. Mark where the arbor line meets the height
line.
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The Centering
Board
This is a piece of plywood, approximately 8 in. x 8 in., with a
pencil line square to one edge and a 5/8-in. hole exactly centered
on the line, 5 in. from the edge.
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The Height
Board
This is simply a scrap of plywood about 8 in. x 12 in., with a pencil
line along one edge to mark the maximum height to which you will
raise the blade. This height is the depth of the coved profile.
For a panel that will be flush with the top of the door frame (the
common arrangement), you simply measure from the top of the frame
to the groove.
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