Basic door setting the molding
#4
link to part 1

The next part of this project included making the moldings that would hold the panels and glass in place once fully finished. 

What I have done over the years for molding has been quite eclectic from very basic to relatively complex; the best part however is that you can get detailed moldings you never see on a standard door if you choose. And you can do a lot with a router and a table saw so you are even less restricted 

All of these profiles have been at least partially used on my doors in the past; the ones on the right were modified of course but they were designed to compliment the base and casing in the area the door was made for

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The client liked the simpler profile to the left so that is what I made for this door 

The milling and shaping is fairly straight forward once you determine the width required the molding profile is a raised panel profile I have so it is a one pass and cut off  a wider piece until I have enough for both sides. in this case I needed both hickory and red oak as the two sides are not the same species. ( another benefit to this technique, one that solves many design issues which makes it popular with clients) 

Once it is all cut I run a sander over the profiles (lightly I work hard to keep sanding to a minimum here) and using a small radius plane ease both the top and the lower edges so no sharp edges remain here. The profile stands proud of the door faces although it does not have to in this case everyone agreed this was the correct way to apply this profile. 

For the molding to  be proud of the stiles and rails I do one last thing before cutting the miters. I put a small relief rabbet in the back edge so it wraps over the stile faces.  I want this to be pretty exacting and I work hard to get the required rabbet depth so the edge lands on the stile and the lower section is in full contact with the lower rabbeted edge. I set up the TS with a flat top rip blade then use hold downs to keep the stock in place during the cuts;  the blade is buried in the fence and the cut is generally 1/16"- 3/32" wide or overlap on the stile.

Maybe a bit more on the tongue and groove in the rails and stiles is in order here. As a general rule I make the tongue and grooves 1/2" wide x whatever thickness the glass I am to install is.  This can run from 5/8" thick to 1" thick depending on the supplier. Thinner is generally open glass sealed units with full visibility and a Low E surface to reduce UV light from entering. This can be important in an entryway that has lots of wood floors or an expensive rug that UV would fade in due time. It also filters the light just enough to reduce the glare of a direct sun through a unit of size. When I use clear glass this is always the first thing I callout in the specs. 
Additionally, I order the glass first and wait for delivery to determine the tongue thickness on the rails and stiles. It is just easier to make it right the first time than to try and figure out how to fix it
Wink  

In the case of this door the client fell in love with a decorative unit installed in a fiberglass door she saw at the borg when they first started looking for a new entry unit. When they came to me they asked if I could replicate the glass unit , I told them that all I needed was the catalog they had in their hands and about 2-3 weeks to have it shipped to me. This surprises many people but if you go into a borg or a lumberyard with the information for some glass unit you desire and tell them you need a replacement unit they will order it for you.(one qualifier though: you have to go to the right dealer of the product; Lowes will not order what Home Depot carries. They just don't seem to care about one another LOL )  I can assure you compared to having someone make you custom unit glass then having to have a glass company seal it inside a tempered unit ( now up to three pieces of glass) this is far and away a more reasonable choice. I can save the client about 70% over custom made glass, and I have found that I can size a door to a piece of glass far more economically than the custom glass alternative. This allows me to stay competitive and provide a quality product.
Once the client signed off on the door I went to Lowes and ordered the replacement glass. It took about 30 minutes and the right CS person and it was done. I had the unit in hand 15 days later. 

So back to the door and the T&G. Because the unit was only 22" wide and stiles with 7" faces look rather like a door that was not thought out well. I found over time that a wider molding profile does wonders for making the unit balance out. The profile on the left above is 1 5/8" wide and 1/2" thick. The rabbet on the back is 3/8" high and 1/16" deep for overlay  leaving the molding 1 9/16 wide. this  is important in you need to cover the glass at least 9/16" around the perimeter to make the sealing adhesive they use disappear. When I sized the unit opening I also reduced the tongue by 1/8"  wide and high (net 1/4") to allow for float not only for the glass but the bottom panels.  

So all that said we are here now 

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this is the Hickory or exterior side of the door and all this molding will be glued and clamped in place 

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You will also notice that I have already bored the latch and deadbolt holes, in fact I cut all the hinge pockets and mounted the door in the frame the day before I started the molding work then pulled the door back out. Doing all this prep work prior is so much simpler, as the door is still light (relatively speaking
Smile )  

I thought I took more pics during the molding installation but cannot find them 
Upset 

So I will describe it 

All the molding is treated just like one would a picture frame. You make each piece the same length (or width for the top and bottom) then glue the miters and pin them ( I use a 23 gauge pinner here ) then I glue the molding frame into the door and clamp it with however many clamps it takes to get a full seal. 

One question I get a lot is why am I still using Titebond 2 for my doors? The simple answer is that it has worked just fine for literally every door I have ever made either in production or in my own one off custom shop. It just works for assembly as it gives longer open times,  it is water resistant which is all that I ever asked for. The last part is the curing time is quick enough I am not standing around waiting for the adhesive to cure; I can move on to the next step in about an hour which keeps me moving. I will concede that I have started using more plastic resin glue for veneer laminations but that is more about wide surface work in a vacuum press than actual door construction. 

Anyway, once the glue has cured I can move on to the other side of the door. 

Again I make all the frames as above but at this juncture I do not install them I just make them fit. The reason for this  is simple: I want all the bottom panels to be fully finished before I install them ( no expansion or shrinkage lines and the edges get sealed which further assures that water cannot get in and ruin a panel) And the top one has to be removable in the off chance the glass fails or is broken.  

When I go to finishing I stain all the panels as required; I also mask off the backs of the molded frames so finish does not impede with the glue and do the same to the tongues in the lower door unit panel holes. The top unit opening is finished everywhere there is wood Again this is to help prevent water migration from affecting the unit. 

The next installment is the finished installed unit 

Joe
Let us not seek the Republican Answer , or the Democratic answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future  John F. Kennedy 



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#5
Thanks Joe, you don't disappoint.
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#6
Comparing your door build with mine, Joe, it's clear you know what you are doing and you can do it quickly.  Repetition leads to efficiency - or you don't eat.  Good stuff.  Thanks very much.  This is all going to come in very useful, soon. 

Are you going to show how you size and build the frame, install weather seals, etc.?  

John
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