cliffp said:
I am interested in the idea of making panel doors and would like to use my Domino for the construction. I am wondering how I can apply edge treatments to the rails and stiles and end up with it looking neat. Obviously, rail and style router bit sets can solve the problem of jointing the parts and also giving the edge profile specific to the set but they are expensive and you would need a different set for every edge profile. I can see that it would be possible to apply edge treatments to the individual components and then use a mitred joint since this would also mitre the edge and produce a neat result. If a more conventional butt jointed was used it seems to me that it would be difficult to achieve a neat result either by applying the edge treatment before or after assembly. I don't want to apply beading as I imagine this wouldn't look as good.
I own a large custom cabinet shop, so we make a whole lot of cabinet doors. From your post I am still not clear if you are perhaps talking about entry doors.
Yes, profile top quality router sets for rails and styles are expensive, so you want to be sure you start off with the popular profiles your clients want. I have been collecting such sets for over 50 years, so for years I only need to buy a new set to replace one which cannot be ground one more time. But, if you think the router sets are expensive, ask for quotes for sets of shaper knives to do the same jobs!
In my shop we almost always raise panels for doors and drawer fronts using a large Format 4 tilting arbor shaper with power feed. Those knives cost a lot, but they make a lot of panels before needing sharpening.
We make many pantry doors which are tall and will carry the weight of shelves on the inside. Those need to profile to match the smaller cabinet doors. It is the pantry doors we reinforce with Dominoes. Having made so many similar doors, we know to the 1mm the needed length of each part before the routing. That is when we make the Domino mortice. Everything is calculated so when finished the two mortices on each joint align.
It takes practice to route the cope part of the joint to avoid tear-out because of the mortice, but trust me, this can be done. The mortice in the stick part seem to cause less tear-out.
We mill all of our hardwood in my shop from rough blanks. For the pantry doors, which are seldom close to ordinary cabinet doors, we use 24mm thick stiles and rails instead of the 18mm typical for smaller doors. With the thicker stiles and rails I can use 8mm Dominoes.
