Curved Top Door Rail Milling

[Mike Goetzke]

This is my first curved top door.

My thinking is I should make the coping cuts on the rail ends before I cut the curved profile and make the stick cut....right?

(This way I can easily make the coping cuts with the same side against the router table.)


Thanks,

Mike

[Jamie Buxton]

Yes. In general, it is easier to cut joints first, and then cut curves. You get square and parallel edges to use as references.

[johnny means]

Cut the stile cuts while your board is still square. Cut and shape the inside curve next. Glue up door with square top then cut and shape outside curve.

Also be sure to run the grain in your board so that after you finish cutting final curve, you don't have a cross grained stile.

[J.R. Rutter]

I do this for a living. What I do is cope the right side first, while there is the inside square edge to reference from, then cut the curve and stick the inside, then cope the left side, again with a square outside edge for reference. This way you don't worry so much about blow out on either the stick or the cope. And if the outside of the door is curved to match the inside, I glue up with long stiles and a really wide rail, then cut the outside after it is assembled.

[Nathan Callender]

I did this for the first time a few weeks ago. I ran into the problem that once the I cut the copes on the ends, I couldn't route the inner curve because the bearing didn't have any material to run along for the first little part and the end. It's really hard to explain, so I'll try to get a few pictures posted if I can find and scraps.

I cut the curve first, then routed the stick, and then I built a sled that I could run the flat part of the piece normally on to route one side, then turn the piece end for end and put in on the back of the sled to pull through the bit. Again, I'm not describing it well. But, if you think of a coping sled, imagine that you could put the piece behind the fence and hold it down with a clamp. Then you could 'pull' the piece through.

It's not the easiest way, but I couldn't come up with any other way considering the way the rail/stile set that I have works.

[J.R. Rutter]

You can double sided tape, or hot melt glue a template to the top of the rail if your bit set is bearing guided.

[Mike Goetzke]

Thanks for all the help. I ended up coping first then doing this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/Projects/Entrance%20Door/Profiling%20and%20Panels/IMG_0218.jpg

Can't claim it as my own idea - I found it on the Rockler site.


Mike