Replies

1. 
   Jamie_Buxton | Jul 01, 2005 08:00am | #1

   Remember that people will see the inside of the door when they open it.   That means that you should make the inside of the door look as nice as the outside.  Builders use all sorts of ugly things to hold the glass in --  plastic linear grommet, or weird little metal clamps, or caulk or putty.   A good-looking way is to use wooden strips, fastened with small screws or escutcheon pins. 

2. 
   ring | Jul 01, 2005 01:56pm | #2

   One good way is to join the door frame members with a router (or shaper) set made for this purpose.  It will leave you with a groove typically 1/4" wide and 3/8" deep all around the inside of the frame where the "panel" would usually go.  After glue up, use a 3/8" rabbet bit and remove the waste from the rear side of the door, so you now have a rabbet 3/8 wide x about 1/2" deep from the rear side to install the glass.  When routing, use a climb cut to avoid any tearout.  You will also need to chisel the corners square.  Set the glass (after finishing) with a few drops of clear silicone to keep it from rattling.  Make up molding pieces (can be plain or with a profile) to go around the opening and fill the space that is left of the rabbet.  The exact size will depend on the thickness of the glass.  If you have a pneumatic pinner you can use it to hold the molding.  If you must nail by hand, predrill the holes carefully.

   DR

3. 
   jazzdogg | Jul 09, 2005 06:49pm | #3

   Here's a snapshot that shows one way to install a piece of glass in a door. It involves a stepped rabbet to hold the glass and wooden retainer strips.

   The retainers in the snapshot are 1/4" wide and 1/16" thick - the corners are half-lapped.

   Given it do do over again, I'de keep the corners square instead of rounding them - purely an aesthetic consideration.

   -Jazzdogg-

   "Don't ask youself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie

   
1. 
   WillGeorge | Jul 13, 2005 10:30pm | #9

   I'de keep the corners square instead of rounding them - purely an aesthetic consideration.

   -Jazzdogg-

   I have made those round corners in doors I have made.. NOBODY asked me 'that was wrong'!

4. 
   troys | Jul 09, 2005 08:33pm | #4

   In a china cabinet I made I held the glass in the rabbets with small wood moldings that I fastened with 23 gauge pin nails, worked well and the pin nails are just about invisible.

5. 
   CTWoodWkr | Jul 11, 2005 05:00pm | #5

   Many thanks for your help and suggestions!

1. 
   GrGramps | Jul 11, 2005 07:55pm | #6

   And I'll thank you for asking the question and all who replied.  I am nearing completion of a gun cabinet and have been lying awake at night thinking about how I would install glass in the door.  Never done that before.  I particularly like the idea of a few dots of silicone to keep the glass from rattling.

   Roy

1. 
   FitandCut | Jul 11, 2005 09:33pm | #7

   I used to see nice guns displayed in a gun cabinet.  Now everone I know keeps their guns in a large, heavy, hard to move and expensive safe.  I do too.

1. 
   scarfaccio | Jul 11, 2005 10:16pm | #8

   re gun cases, anything pretty belongs in a gun case. unfortunately i only have one that belongs in there, the rest belong in the safe, so it's hard to justify a gun case. that 1917 would look lonely in there.re installing glass, you can't beat silicone. in my travels restoring, i get a lot of late victorain curios and rolling book cases. the glass in those is usually secured with heavy twine. pretty ingenious for the pre-silicone age. the twine can be compressed to hold the glass in securely without cracking it.

6. 
   pqken | Jul 14, 2005 06:13am | #10

   If I could "hijack" your post...albeit only slightly.

   I'm also making glass doors, mine will be tall and narrow.

   My question comes from reading FW issue #171 August 2004, it appears Steve Latta used several smaller pieces of glass given his mutins are lighter and thinner.

   My question is what is the advantage in using one large pain, over several smaller ones. Other than having to install two larger pieces of glass compared with a number of smaller ones, is there any advantage?

1. 
   nikkiwood | Jul 14, 2005 07:25am | #11

   I think it is strictly a matter of the look you like. For most I think, the look of individual panes is more pleasing than one or two larger panes.And personally, I really dislike the look of fake muntins.********************************************************
   "I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there."
   -- Herb Caen (1916-1997)

1. 
   pqken | Jul 15, 2005 04:05am | #12

   Thanks for taking the time...When you say "fake" mutins I'm assuming you're referring to the cope and stick made with a shaper or router, correct?

1. 
   nikkiwood | Jul 15, 2005 06:16am | #13

   No --- what I was referring to were the muntins that are applied over a single piece of glass. You see this all the time with cheap windows, but occasionally, someone will do it with a cabinet door.********************************************************
   "I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there."
   -- Herb Caen (1916-1997)