Router subbase adds radiused corners to panel doors
A routed groove adds interest to flat-panel doors, but finding a way to radius the corners was a mystery to me. This router subbase changes that.
First, build a router subbase from 1⁄4 ″ Baltic birch plywood in the shape of an equilateral triangle (one with three equal-length sides). Keep in mind, the distance between the router's bit and the triangle's sides equals that between the door's rails or stiles and the decorative groove.
Use the door's rails and stiles as guides for the subbase. Begin routing from a corner, move the router in a clockwise direction, and when one of the guide's points touches the opposite corner, simply rotate the router to the door's adjacent side. Continue this all the way around the panel.
This works best on doors with solid wood or MDF panels. If they're made of plywood, the plies will be exposed in the groove, which is not a problem if the plywood has no voids and you intend to paint the door.
—Charles Barr, Waltham, Mass.