Raised-Panel Doors

Pull it all together

1 Set up your router table as shown in the Biscuit-Slot Setup drawing below. Sometimes you ll cut the biscuit slot with the stock faceup and sometimes facedown, so it s critical that the slot be dead-center on your stock. Make a few test cuts on scrap before you cut your door parts. Feed part A into the slot cutter as shown below. Keeping the end in contact with the cutter s pilot bearing, slide the stock out to the stop as shown. Turn part A end-for-end and facedown, and in the same manner (short side against the fence), cut a slot in the other end. Repeat for the remaining parts A and B.

Keep your workpiece parallel to the fence and tight against the pilot bearing as you guide it out to the stop.

2 Glue #10 biscuits into the slots you just created. Complete the assembly by capturing the plywood panel in the four frame pieces. Using bar clamps and corner clamping blocks, carefully clamp the assembly. Tighten each clamp a little at a time, keeping each joint perfectly aligned. If a joint slips out of alignment, loosen the clamps on that joint, adjust the joint, and reclamp it.

You'll find the clamping process less clumsy if you use a pair of bar or pipe clamps with extended-reach jaws.

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