arched rails?

[Derek Larson]

Good morning all! I have a question about making arched rails for kitchen cabinet doors. My plan is to use a router and trammel set up, but the question is how big should the radius be? I plan on making a few templates, but I have no idea how big to set the radius for the template, so if there is no rule to follow can any one give me some examples of a set up they used just for a starting point?

[Karl Brogger]

You will want the width of the rail to be the same on all the doors, and what is left at the top of the arch to be the same.

Usually templates are used to cut the arches, either by marking and cutting, or for rough cutting then a bearing rides on the template on the shaper. The templates fit a range of doors so they aren't exact, but close enough.

I've got a handy formula that I can't remember off the top of my head for figuring the radius of an arch given a width and rise. It's at the shop, I'll try to remember and write it down and post it later.

Draw out a door on something. Whatever looks best to you should be the sizes. They're isn't really a standard that I know of.

[William OConnell]

Heres some pointers for you. Be well
http://www.josephfusco.org/Articles/Arch_Top_Doors/archtop_doors.html#Laying%20out%20the%20Arch%20Top

[Dave Bureau]

If you are going to make a lot of different width doors just get a template set. That will cover you for whatever width you have. much easier than doing all the math.

[David DeCristoforo]

As Karl mentioned, the rail at the top of the arch should be the same width as the straight frame members. Also, the arch should intersect the stiles at the same distance down from the top of the door frame (otherwise you are going to have a very odd looking set of doors!). This means that the radius of the arches will vary based on the width of the doors.

Davisato Masatoforo

[Karl Brogger]

I keep forgetting about this.

If you only have a couple of doors sizes to do I wouldn't bother with the making/buying the templates. This formula will give you the radius of the curve so you can mark it out with trammel (sp?) point, compass etc..

Sorry for the epileptic chicken scratch, but it was the best I could do in MS paint.

[Peter Quinn]

I do it on Sketchup, let the computer do the math. As others have said keep the rail width the same as the style width where rails and styles meet, pick a rail width for the center that you like and keep it consistent across all doors so that elevation is consistent when viewed from the front of the finished work.

On sketchup I use the "pull a curve tool" then check the radius it has drawn and set my trammel to that.

For tombstone doors...well I think they are so ugly I never make them, for me or any one else. Who thought those were a good idea?

Oh, remember to make your templates LONGER than your rails so you have somewhere to start and end the bearing on the router or shaper.