converting raised panel to glass panel

[Ken Miller]

I have an arched, raised panel door that I would like to make glass panel. I imagine I would drill a hole in the panel, use a jigsaw to cut out the panel and use a rabbet bit on the back. Questions, other than if anything thus far is incorrect, rabbeting the back would leave me with a .5" deep rabbet for an 1/8" glass, what does one do with the extra space? Second, assuming it would cost a lot more to have glass cut with an arch, what would be the best way to square the rabbet? Finally, is there a preferred method of retaining the glass, perhaps one that would also solve question 1?

[Tom Ewell]

You'll need to figure out the shape of the glass with a glass girl/guy but I figure that someone who knows glass would not have a problem with cutting pretty much any shape you desire.
Might make a template for the glass folk to use or to trace if you do it yourself.

As far as mounting the glass, I've used clear silicone caulk (lay the glass in the frame, run a bead around and let dry), pinned strips (both plastic and wood) and screwed on glass retainers all with success for this type of retrofit.

If it is a large panel might consider tempered glass as well.

[Perry Holbrook]

The cost of cutting the glass should not depend on the shape. That's really easy to do. If you do consider tempered, if gets much more complicated. Tempered glass can't be cut, so you cut non-tempered glass to the shape you want and then send it off to be tempered, adding cost.

Perry

[Jim Matthews]

Is this an exterior door, or a pass through inside your house?

[Max Neu]

I just drop off my doors to a local glass shop, and they fit them, and silicone them in.If you think you may change the glass out someday, you would be better off to use clips, they make them for different offsets.

[Matt Meiser]

I did this several years ago. Just drill a hole, cut close to the edges with a jig saw, then break out the rest. Mine was REALLY easy as the Merrilat cabinets had particle board cores in the panels! I didn't even need to route the back, just carefully sliced it away with a chisel. I head the glass in with a bead of silicone.

As far as the glass, I just had a piece cut to fix a clock that broke several years ago that I'm just getting around to fixing. I took the piece to a glass shop and watched the old guy who runs the place cut it. He just put the piece over the rabbet and traced it. I don't think a curve wouldn't have been much harder than straight using that method.

[Ken Miller]

great information, thanks, it's a regular kitchen cabinet door, i guess i was assuming extra cost as when i went to replace an outdoor table it was much more expensive with rounded corners, but then again that was tempered glass, which now i understand about cutting that.