Today I went down to the shop and regretted leaving that foam up for the demo. But..... its not all that bad because it sands, or scrapes pretty easy.

If you don't have a belt sander, I really recommend getting one, especially for something like this. Sanding with a belt sander can be kinda tricky starting out and I'll try and give a few tips to help out a little. I found a 3x21 sander by Porta Cable to be about the best sander out there. The design gives a good working balance (which is very important) for control, and lighter than a 4". The 3" is easier when sanding face frames also. If a person had plenty of funds, then a 4" on a door like this would be a better machine but as an all around belt sander, the 3x21 is the ticket.

On a door like this I start by sanding the center divider so its flush with the mid-bottom-and top rails. Now this will leave a sanding mark on the cross grains........ its OK, you need to have a flat surface all the way and by stopping and starting in removing those marks at this point, will take longer in accomplishing that long flat stretch. I start out with 80 grit, and do not stay in one spot to long, or the belt will heat up, as well as the wood and cause waviness on the surface. If your belt feels real hot? Change belt, and alternate. Keep the sander flat and don't do a bunch of spinning around or staying in one spot trying to get something perfect. Take long strokes. Chances are if the offending joint is high, it means that whole length is probably the same so it all has to be brought down.

Once I have the dividing stile done, now I'll sand the 3 rails going into the 2 outside stiles. If one of the pieces have to be brought down quite a bit, I found that sanding cross grain takes it down faster, meaning less heat on the belt causing waves on the sanding surface. Be sure your familiar with the sander before you attempt cross grain sanding like this. If its really bad, I may switch to a 50 grit, but remember..... the 50 will leave deep scratches and it will take more fine sanding to get them out.

Now do the outside stiles and when the whole door is done with 80 grit, now I'll go down to 120. The 120 grit will let you feel places where you might have sanded to much and will gradually cut down on the valley's you created. Repeat the sanding process just like you did in the beginning by letting the sander run into the cross grain, then take the stiles as the last.

Once your done, lay a straight edge on the door, and this will show you any sanding valleys that may need to be done over. Remember don't let that belt get too hot. Your much better to change belt and allow the first to cool down.

A door project like this one I used 2/80 grit and 2/120 belts. Now, they weren't bad enough to throw away, I just cleaned them with a rubber stick and put them away for later.

Check your collection bag, and blow out the sander itself, so dust doesn't end up between the platen and belt, causing and sanding irregularities. Now that it looks pretty decent, I sand with an orbital. I start out with either a 60 or 80 grit. This will also help take out any unevenness cause by the sanding. With all this sanding going on, I really love this Festool and the dust extraction system. The sander is pretty aggressive, so it didn't take as long to sand as my other orbital. I only start this sanding when I'm through with the belt sanding. I'll save the finest grit after I'm done with other work that has to be done. I'll go back over once again with 80 grit, then a final paper of 100. Sanding time so far was close to two hours.

One thing to keep in mind......... the finer the sanding, the lighter the stain will be.

Now..... the reason this door couldn't be done on the shaper was that the original had picture frame moldings. The trickiest part will be the radius molding, but shouldn't be that bad with a router table and a few bits. First will be the radius. I need 3/4" inside to hold the glass panel and the molding will be rabetted on the backside so that it sits on top of the door, but drops down into the opening. The molding should be one piece around the arch, so it needs to be cut it from wide stock. Took 2 pieces of 5/4 x 6" stock and laminated what I needed and added a few inches for waste as it goes through the cutter. The right circumference can be traced from the underside (it pays to be short like I am) using a pair of scribers set at 3/4" then over to the band saw, and then smooth out on the spindle sander. This will be my template for all 4 radius moldings. The total width of the molding should finish out about an inch.

Before I cut it to size on the outer edge, I found it easier and safer to route the inner profile first. For the profile, I chose the classical bit, then I'll use a round over on the outer edge, and rabbet the back so the molding drops down in the opening, but has a round over lip sitting on the door surface.

I use a starting pin on all my radius work. Its the safest way to get that initial cut near the end. I also use several passes to avoid chip out, and trust me...... you will have some. Especially the top where the grain is straight. I made this cut in 3 passes.

This is what 2 passes look like when done. Note the small amount taken each time

Next I mill all my straight pieces, and once I'm done, then I'll rip the radius molding down to match the size of the straight stock. Now its a matter of using some scribes set at the width and run it around the inside radius keeping it straight, and not twisting your hand. The best way I found was to hold your hand in one place, and move the piece around with your other hand as if going through the band saw. This way the size stays uniform. Once marked out, its over to the band saw for cutting. Always cut the outside of the line, saving the line. This results in having a tad more than you need. Its better to have more than not have enough. You can always sand down to the line after, but you just can add any more.

 

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