Junior Cabinetmaking Set 800.518.11-800.522.11 - Making a Sample Door

Aug 30, 2026

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Step-by-step guidance for constructing a sample arched cabinet door using a Junior Cabinetmaking Set, covering door sizing, component calculations, and routing operations. The instructions define sample dimensions, overlay rules, and how to derive rail and raised-panel sizes through measured subtractions. Subsequent steps guide cope cutting, template-based flush trimming of the top rail and raised panel, then freehand pattern routing on the arched section and controlled routing of the bottom rail and stiles. Safety practices include push blocks and careful bearing-to-template contact for tearout prevention.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time1 min

AccessFree to download

Making a Sample Door

Determining Part Sizes

Cutting Cope Cuts

Using Rail Template for Flush Trimming

Using Panel Template for Flush Trimming

Freehand Pattern Cut on Arched Rail

Cutting Straight Bottom Rail and Stiles

Making the Raised Panel Cut

Using your Junior Cabinetmaking Set 800.518.11 -800.522.11 STEP 1. MAKING A SAMPLE DOOR A) This sample door size is 12” wide by 20” long. B) The door thickness should be 7/16” to 11/16” STEP 2. DETERMINING THE SIZES OF EACH PART OF THE DOOR A) Always use a 1/2” overlay on all sides of the door. B) If the door opening is 11” wide by 19” high then the door size is 12” x 20”. IMPORTANT: Use stiles that are 2-5/16” wide stiles so the templates will work properly. |

1 | | | --- | --- | |

2 | | | --- | --- | 1. LEFT STILE 11/16” x 2-5/16” x 20” 2. RIGHTSTILE 11/16” x 2-5/16” x 20” 3. TOP ARCHED RAIL 11/16” x 4-1/4” x 8” 4. BOTTOMRAIL 11/16” x 2-5/16” x 8” 5. RAISED PANEL 11/16” x 7-3/4” x 16” |
| | | --- | --- | 1-2. LEFT AND RIGHTSTILES A) Always cut stiles 2-5/16” wide. B) Length of stiles is same as door length. 3. TOP ARCHED RAIL A) Cut 4-1/4” wide. Templates are 4” wide. B) Length of rail is found by subtracting 4” from the total door width. (Overall door width is 12” minus 4”= 8” length of rail) NOTE: This following procedure can only be used when using 2-5/16” wide stiles. Subtract 4” from the total door width instead of 4-7/8” since 5/16” in each stile will be taken up in the pattern cut. 4. BOTTOM RAIL A) Always cut 2-5/16” wide. B) Length of rail is again found by subtracting 4” from the total door width. (Overall door width is 12” minus 4” = 8” for bottom rail lengths) 5. RAISED PANEL A) Width is always 1/4” less than rail length. (1/8” space should be left on each side for expansion of panel) B) Rail length is 8” minus 1/4” = 7-3/4” width of raised panel. C) Length of raised panel is found by taking the overall door length and again subtracting 4”. (Overall door length is 20” minus 4” = 16” length of panel) SUBTRACT 4” FROM THE OVERALL LENGTH OF THE DOOR. SUBTRACT 4” INSTEAD OF 4-7/8” SINCE THE PATTERN CUT TAKES UP 5/16” ON EACH RAIL. At this time all 5 pieces of the door should be cut to the correct size. STEP 3. CUTTING THE COPE CUTS ON EACH END OF THE 2 RAILS A) Cope cutter is the cutter with the bearing in the middle B) Set the cope cutter to the correct height in the router. 1) The correct height is when, after the cut is made, the reveal on the front side should be 1/8” minimum (Illustration 1) C) Set fence even with bearing. D) Use wooden pushblock to prevent tearout at end of cope cut. E) Run stock through with good side down at 14,000-16,000 RPMs. B 1/8" -3/16" Illustration 1 STEP 4. USING RAIL TEMPLATE TO FLUSH TRIM TOP RAIL TO CORRECT SHAPE A) Locate center of top rail with pencil on the back side. B) Pick out the correct template. NOTE: THE SIZE ON THE TEMPLATE IS FOR THE OVERALL DOOR WIDTH. FOR THE TEMPLATES TO WORK PROPERLYSTILES MUST BE MADE 2-7/16”WIDE. IF STILES ARE MADE INDIFFERENT WIDTHS, ADJUSTMENTS IN PICKING OUT TEMPLATES MUST BE MADE. C) Line up template on back side of rail centering the notch of template with center line of rail. Nownail through the template into the 2 copes that were just cut (Illustration 2) . D) Rough cut with jig or band saw within 1/8” or1/4”of template (Illustration 3) . E) Put flush trimming bit into routerand set so bearing is flush with template (Illustration 4) . F) Run routerat 20,000-22,000 RPMsand flush trim top crown rail with good side down. Illustration 4 806.690.11 NOTE: WHEN STARTING CUT, ALWAYS REMEMBER TO MAKE CONTACT WITH BEARING TOA PLACE ON THE TEMPLATE WHERE THERE IS NO WOOD TO PREVENT KICKBACK. G) Slowdown at end of cut to prevent tearout. Leave template attached to rail for now. Using your Junior Cabinetmaking Set 800.518.11 -800.522.11 STEP 5. USING PANEL TEMPLATE TO FLUSH TRIM THE RAISED PANEL TO SHAPE A) Locate center of raised panel on front side. B) Pick out correct template (same size as rail template) . C) Line up center notch of template with center line of panel and make sure it is als

FAQs

How is the sample door size established in this guide?

The sample door is specified as 12” wide by 20” long. Door thickness is set within a 7/16” to 11/16” range.

What rule is used for overlay and how does it affect sizing?

A 1/2” overlay is used on all sides. When determining part dimensions, the guide uses subtraction from the overall width and length to match the overlay and template requirements.

What are the key routing safety and setup practices mentioned?

Use push blocks for safety, set the cope/panel/pattern cutters to the correct router height, and ensure bearing contact with the template first before guiding into the wood. The guide also advises slowdown at the end of cuts to reduce tearout.

Aug 30, 2026

Upload by Aria