Converting cabinet doors to glass

[Scott Welty]

I have a person asking me to convert her cabinet doors to glass. I see where this can be done and usually part of the instructions is to look at the end where the tongue and groove come together to help set the router depth for trimming off the back lip of the frame. Problem here is the frame is mitered. I'm thinking I can drill and check or cut ever deeper with router. Advice and what bit to use? Doors are made by Omega. I wouldn't guess they'd glue in the panels but if they did THERE'S a problem.

[Jason Roehl]

Any reason to save the panels? You could make an H-shaped cut in the panel, which should allow you to remove the panel in pieces, then you can figure out the groove depths without the panel in the way.

[Justin Ludwig]

If they are raised panels or solid 3/8" flat panels, they won't (can't) be glued. If there are a lot of doors, I'd built a sliding jig for my plunge router and use a spiral bit and a chisel for the corners.

[Jim Dwight]

I think the simplest would be to cut the panel out, using a flush trim bit to make any residual flush to the frame, if necessary, and then a rabbeting bit to create the rabbet for the glass. Over the glass you could just use the little plastic L-shaped pieces but I think a nice custom molding would look better.

[Matt Meiser]

I cut out the panels with a jig saw and chiseled out what remained from the dado. Real easy since it turned out the ones I did were veneered particle board. Then I used a rabbeting bit to remove the back part and turn the dado into a rabbet. I just used a bead of silicone to install the glass as there wasn't enough room for a molding because the panels were set so far back in the door.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Scott, I did that for my Mom a decade ago.

I jig sawed out most of the panel and then cut the rebate for the glass on the shaper, squaring the corners with a mallet and chisel.

Regards, Rod.

[Mike Ontko]

I did something similar with a set of three small cabinets hanging over an island counter. The existing doors were solid plywood though (it was a 1950's/60's cheepie custom job). I used a jigsaw to cut out the holes and a router with a straight cutting bit to create a rabbet in the back side for the glass. The glass panes were held in place with small pieces of bead trim that I'd mitered and pinned into place.

I'm not sure about this link (to my related Flickr photo album), but if you can get to it there are a few photos:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/meontko/7600592266/in/album-72157630644562586/

[Jared Sankovich]

I did some like that. They were cope and stick though so the cut was easy to figure out. The first one i did with a router, the rest were on my TS. The TS was much faster/cleaner. The raised panels were particle board cores with oak veneer and partially glued in the centers & corners.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/jar944/rps20150728_134832_587_zpse3vnvbum.jpg~original (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jar944/media/rps20150728_134832_587_zpse3vnvbum.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/jar944/rps20150728_135209_238_zpstygojdo7.jpg~original (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jar944/media/rps20150728_135209_238_zpstygojdo7.jpg.html)

[Ole Anderson]

I did a bunch for my neighbor just using a 5/16" router bit on my router table with stops set up. They had 1/4" ply panels held with brads. Just play with the first one to get the depth and the stops set up then one pass each side you remove the lip holding the panel as well as the panel. Router bit never even knew the brads were there. I used a calking gun sized tube of crystal clear silicone and simply bedded the glass in a continuous tiny bead of silicone.

[Art Mann]

When I build raised panel doors, I usually shoot a few short 23 gauge pin nails in an inconspicuous place on the inside of the door to prevent rattling or other unwanted motion of the panel. I am not the only one who does this. The point is you might run into a problem with pins and your router bit. You need to watch for that.

[Tom M King]

Having a point driver comes in handy for more than working on windows.