The door that you are making is only slightly narrower than a standard entry door. In order to keep the stiles and rails proportional to the overall door that you shave an inch or so from the standard widths shown on the drawing.Otherwise the door panels may appear too large in proportion to the stiles.

Wainscot is a good "first woodworking project" to get you introduced to the tools and the various cuts. You mentioned that you have purchased a router but no mention of a router table. There are many good ones on the market; I prefer one with a lift because it makes accurate set-ups much faster and easier. Setting up the router carefully is the key and using a test piece is essential to good results.

To make the wainscot in the article I used Amana Tool Wainscot set no.49684. To create the chair rail I used no.54266. The panel was shaped with toolno.54117

Historically speaking, architectural window sash as well as doors on furniture and cabinets had narrow strips of wood, called mullions, that separated the relatively small individual panes of glass. Presumably, small panes of glass were used because the technology was not available to make larger pieces. However, there is a definite appeal to the small panes that persist to today to the point that large windows are covered with a fake grillwork to simulate a real divided light sash.

A true divided light sash or door is a framework of narrow strips of wood which are "stuck" (hence the term sticking), or shaped, on the face for decoration and rabbeted on the back to accept glass panes. The strips are usually joined with mortise-and-tenon or half-lap joints. Where the sticking intersects it must be mitered or coped. True divided light window sash and cabinet doors are beautiful but a lot of painstaking work involving several careful steps to ensure that all the parts fit during assembly.

An easiest solution to making a decorative grill is to simply join the mullions with half-lap joints and rout a decorative chamfer or roundover profile on the mullions after assembly.

Recommended Tools:
Prestige Dado Set #658060
Profile Router Bit #49200

Amana has three router bit sets, the bead, bevel and ogee, for constructing traditional paneled wainscot, each of which are designed to add beautiful architectural details to a room. Like traditional paneling, the sets are designed for 3/4" thick stock to provide the necessary visual effect as well as to provide the space needed for a chair rail.

To set the router bit depth, begin by setting up the sticking, or bead bit, to a height that provides a sufficient fillet, or flat area, above the bead. Then set the matching cope bit to correspond.

The Amana no.55340 is a good choice because it is easy to set up and it provides a rabbet for glass. With this tool you can construct a true divided light door 1-3/4" thick.

For a stronger door with mortise-and-tenon joinery you can use the Amana Entry Door Cope Cutter Bits numbers 54131 and 47511. By cutting the ogee profile on one face of the door and a rabbet on the opposite face glass can be used in the place of wood panels. This construction will require more time than bit no.55340 but the joints are stronger because they have more surface area for glue.

Amana makes several Multi-Sided Glue Joint bits #54274. Depending upon the bit that you select, you can construct a hollow column with 6, 8, 12, or 16 sides. The unique design of the bits makes it easy to align the parts during glue-up.

Amana offers several excellent tongue-and-groove router bit sets such as no. 55405. However, because of the stock thickness of 1-1/2" I recommend the Amana Quadraset no. 53600. This router bit comes equipped with four cutters that stack on the arbor. By arranging the cutters you can create grooves from 1/8" to 23/32". After routing the tongue-and-groove joints you can shape the chamfered edge with Amana no. 49404 chamfer bit.

I recommend that you use the router. Router bits are less expensive than shaper cutters and you can choose any flute spacing that you prefer. Amana makes a complete selection of core box bits, such as no.45924.

Regardless of the type of cut, router RPM and feed rate are important for creating a smooth surface. If the surface appears rough, increase the RPM and/or slow down the feed rate.

In order to cut flutes in a box newel you'll need a fence attachment for the router to guide it in a path parallel to the edge of the stock. Layout the starting and stopping points of the flutes and simply run the router between the layout lines. If you prefer, you can clamp a strip of wood to the workpiece to stop the router, but it's not necessary.

When constructing architectural woodwork to match existing woodwork in a clients home, I have found that it's often necessary to purchase custom tooling for the shaper, tablesaw or other machine. If so, I add the cost of the tooling to the price of the job when I submit a bid. This allows the customer to decide whether they want to cover the additional costs of custom tooling or settle for a profile that may be close but not a perfect match. Usually the desire for a perfect match diminishes when the customer realizes the price for expensive custom tooling.

Regarding the $72 per panel price quoted to you, I suggest that you first factor all of your costs. You may not be substantially ahead by the time you factor your labor, materials, and the costly overhead associated with running a woodworking shop. In fact, subcontracting this part of the job may increase your profit margin. Many cabinet shops outsource the doors and drawers to shops that specialize in this time-consuming part of the job.

If you decide to make the door panels yourself, I suggest that you do not glue together the strips. Originally the bead on paneling was used to hide
the tongue-and-groove joint between the mating wood strips. The tongue-and-groove joint is necessary to allow for seasonal expansion and
contraction of the solid wood. If you wish to use a solid panel I recommend that you use a hickory veneered plywood for stability.

Amana has shaper cutters for creating beaded paneling. Cutter set no.SC430 is provides an attractive traditional profile. Using this set, there is no
need to glue the panels edge-to-edge. Instead, the set creates a tongue-and-groove joint along the edges of the strips. This design will also allow for the seasonal expansion and contraction that will occur in natural hickory.

Historically speaking, architectural window sash as well as doors on furniture and cabinets had narrow strips of wood, called mullions, that separated the relatively small individual panes of glass. Presumably, small panes of glass were used because the technology was not available to make larger pieces. However, there is a definite appeal to the small panes that persist to today to the point that large windows are covered with a fake grillwork to simulate a real divided light sash.

A true divided light sash or door is a framework of narrow strips of wood which are "stuck" (hence the term sticking), or shaped, on the face for decoration and rabbeted on the back to accept glass panes. The strips are usually joined with mortise-and-tenon or half-lap joints. Where the sticking intersects it must be mitered or coped. True divided light window sash and cabinet doors are beautiful but a lot of painstaking work involving several careful steps to ensure that all the parts fit during assembly.

An easiest solution to making a decorative grill is to simply join the mullions with half-lap joints and rout a decorative chamfer or roundover profile on the mullions after assembly.

In order to reduce costs many traditional architectural molding profiles have been reduced in thickness. While reducing stock thickness saves material costs, it also distracts from the beauty and authenticity of the original profiles. As a result, many once beautiful moldings, such as crown and wainscot, are shallow and lack the appeal of the originals. For example, if we design the cutters for 1/2" thick stock the material thickness is reduced by 1/3, a substantial amount. This would require that we use a flattened bead and a shallow vee and/or use a thin and very weak tongue-and-groove joint.

However, one solution is to simply eliminate the tongue-and-groove joint along the edge of each wainscot strip and use a ship-lap joint instead. This option will allow you to use thinner material and keep the authentic profile.

View Wainscot Shaper Cutters Product Page

Yes, you can use the bits on 2-1/4" thick stock. As you have already mentioned, the tenon and panel groove will be 1" instead of 1/2" wide. To fill the panel groove, you can sandwich two panels back-to-back with 1/2" plywood in between.

View Stub Spindle Product Page

Amana has two sets of bits for creating windows with divided lights. The first, nos.55340 and 55341 work with stock from 1-1/8" to 1-3/4" thick.

The second set, Amana Tool no.55360, is designed to shape the muntins and mullions with real mortise-and-tenon joinery. This set works with stock from 3/4" to 7/8" thick. Amana will soon come out with a larger version of this set for thicker stock.

All of the sets come complete with step-by-step instructions.

Fluting is a traditional decoration which consists of a series of semi-circular grooves cut into a column or pilaster (a flat column applied to a surface). Fluting has a wide variety of applications and is used in both furniture and architectural woodwork and even kitchen cabinets.

Traditional fluting is spaced so that the spaces between each flute is less than the flutes that flank it. The flutes can run the entire length of the piece to which they are applied or, for added visual interest, they can be stopped at each end. For even greater detail, the ends of the flutes at the base can be carved with a reverse profile.

To create a production run of fluted pilasters the most efficient option is to use a shaper and power feeder. The workpiece is positioned on edge and a wide cutter is used which cuts all of the flutes at once. However, using the shaper for fluting has it's disadvantages, too; the size and spacing of the flutes is limited to the shaper cutter and it is not practical to stop the flutes when using a shaper.

In contrast to the shaper, a table-mounted router and a core box bit, such as Amana Tool no.45946, allows much greater flexibility in the size and spacing of the flutes. Additionally, the router and a core box bit makes it much easier to stop the flutes instead of running them through. 

We have two profiles to choose from: Amana Tool no.49555 or no.49563. Although both are technically for shaping the edges of tabletops, the elliptical curves in these profiles will provide you with a smooth transition for your flooring.

On today's stairs, a stair tread return is a  decorative strip of wood that is applied over the end grain on the open end of the tread. However, on traditional stairs the returns also served to hide the baluster joints from view. Originally the end of each baluster was dovetailed to the stair tread for strength and longevity. A single dovetail on the end of each baluster was carefully fitted to a dovetail socket on the end of the tread. Afterwards the return was applied to hide the joinery. Unfortunately, unless you purchase a custom made stair, today's balusters are simply attached to the tread with a dowel. As you might imagine, unlike a dovetail joint, the round pin or dowel lacks resistance to leverage and torque. As a result, most stair handrails become loose after just a few years.

To cut the space on the end of a tread for a return you'll need to make a mitered stop cut on a tablesaw. I recommend using Amana Tool saw blade no.610800 to cut the miter. Afterwards, use the same blade to make a stopped crosscut. Because the curvature of the saw blade prevents the cuts from completely intersecting at the corner, you'll need to finish the cuts at the intersection by hand.

An alternate method is to use a router and template. Instead of a true miter a curved intersection is used instead. First remove most of the waste with a jigsaw and complete the cut with Amana Tool no.47141 flush trim bit and a
template.

To make the bullnose shape on the edges of the treads I use Amana Tool no.51562 bullnose router bit.

Yes, Amana Tool no.55340 is designed specifically for shaping and coping 1-3/4" window sash. It has an ogee profile and also cuts the rabbet for the glass.

The framework is shaped with Amana Profile Set no.49643. The ends of the rails are shaped first then the edges of the stiles and rails are shaped to create a decorative profile. The panel is shaped with Amana Tool no.54117 Traditional Raised Panel bit.

Yes, the Amana Tool Divided Light Door Set no.55360 should work fine for casement windows as long as you're using standard glass panes. Keep in mind that the set works with stock up to 7/8" thick so if you plan to use thick insulated glass there may not be enough space in the rabbet which holds the glass.

Because the set uses real mortise-and-tenon joinery, doors and windows made with this set are very strong and, unlike sets which use a short faux tenon, will resist sagging over time.

All Amana router bits use carbide cutting surfaces, either brazed carbide, carbide inserts, or in the case of spiral bits, solid carbide. Carbide is
extremely long-wearing and so the Divided Light Door set will easily shape the parts for twenty windows made from a tropical wood.

The molder is a great tool for shaping curved window casing; the process is efficient and, from the standpoint of safety, the knives are completely enclosed by the machine. A factory-made accessory jig is used to keep the curved molding in a "perpendicular" path in relation to the cutterhead.

Before shaping the molding profile, the stock is bandsawed to create the curve. The rollers on the jig require a smooth surface; any irregularities in the bandsawn edge of the curved molding will be transferred to the profile.

When making curved molding for furniture or architecture, I first take a few minutes to make a template. Then I use the template to flush-trim each piece of molding stock before shaping the profile. This method works well whether you're using a molder, shaper, or table-mounted router to shape the profile because it provides a smooth, "fair" curve to ride against the jig that guides the stock during shaping.

When making semi-circular molding such as window casing, I begin by using trammels on a stick to mark both the inside and outside radii of the molding onto the template stock. If you don't have a pair of trammels then a nail and pencil on a wooden stick works just as well. I would avoid using a string, however. The string may stretch and prevent you from drawing an accurate curve.

After layout, I carefully bandsaw the template to the lines. When sawing curves, I prefer the widest possible bandsaw blade because it is much easier to cut a smooth curve. For a 36" radius I suggest a 1/2" or even 3/4" wide bandsaw blade. Afterwards, I smooth the edges of the template by filing and/or sanding. It's important to take a few minutes and make the curves of the template perfect because the curves will be transferred directly to the workpiece when flush-trimming.

With the template cut out and smoothed you're ready for the next step. First trace the curves of the template directly to the workpiece. Then carefully bandsaw the curves staying about 1/16" outside the lines.

Now you're ready for flush-trimming. Keep in mind that flush-trimming curved stock is more of a challenge than straight stock; the grain changes direction at the apex of the curve. So to avoid tear-out it's important to cut "downhill" in the direction of the grain. To avoid going against the grain and creating a torn surface I suggest that you use the Amana Down-Shear Multi-Trimmer. This unique flush-trim bit has guide bearings on the end as well as on the shank which allow you to invert the workpiece and shape with the grain--without having to reposition the template.

And as for the plastic storage boxes, they work best at protecting the bits. For collector value, I'd hold on to the baseball cards.

Years ago pictures were hung from a picture molding which ran around the top of the wall in each room. Wires were attached to the back of the picture frame; the other end of the wire attached to a metal clip. The clip was then hooked over the top edge of the picture molding.

Picture moldings typically have a round top edge approximately 5/8" in diameter which holds the clip. Like many moldings,  picture molding can be made in several cuts on the router table using a selection of bits. When making multiple passes to create a molding, the most important consideration is to always have flat surfaces of the stock against the fence and table for good support during shaping.

The illustration shows how to shape a picture molding in five steps using three bits, Amana Tool no.51559 Bullnose router bit, Amana Tool no.49360 Super Rabbet bit, and the Amana Tool no.54162 Corner Bead bit.

See Illustration of picture rail molding

Is common to cope a crown molding where it intersects at the inside corner of a room. Unlike a miter joint, a cope will help ensure that the joint closes tight during installation. However, when a shoe profile is coped a fragile knife edge will be created on the top surface of the molding. You'll most likely get better results with a miter joint. 

View illustration of shoe molding