Looking for your opinion

[Ed Blough]

When it comes time to rout the outside edge of a raised panel door how do you do it?

Do you rout the outside edge of the rails and styles independently or do you wait until you have the door glued up and then do the outside.

I think doing it after it is glued up tends to give a more complete look. Any defects in glue get covered up. However if anything goes wrong you basically lose the whole door.

If you do the outside edge of the styles and rails first then glue it up, if anything happens you only lose a rail or a style.

However there seems to be more chance for error.

I don't know if I was ever told the correct way to do this so I was wondering what you all did.

Glue up the door then run the whole thing on the router table or do you do the both the inside and outside of the styles and rail and then glue up the door? And why?

[Chris McDowell]

Ed,
The only way I have ever done it or seen it done is route the outer portion of the door after assembly. Don't know that it would be possible to do it the other way. I always make my stiles 1/8" longer that the final dimension of the door when I glue it up. That way after glue up I can trim just a smidgen off each end.
Makes it a lot easier in case you accidentally glue up a door and don't set the rail flush with the end of the stiles. Plus you don't worry about any glue squeeze out being sanded because you just cut it off and trued the ends up. I'm sure it's not the only way.
No matter how careful you cut your joints they would have to be perfect to rout an outer profile before assembly. If they aren't, you would be sanding them true and that would definitely compromise the outer profile. I just think routing after assembly removes a bunch of bad possibilities. Just my two cents.
Chris

[Bob Reda]

I always route mine after they are put together.

Bob

[John Gregory]

I always route mine after they are put together.

Bob
I do the same.

[Steve Clardy]

Door edge treament is done after the glue up