How to Make Glass Cabinet Doors

Since cabinets are the focal point of any kitchen, it just makes good sense to have the cabinet doors compliment the cabinets. One way to do this is to make glass cabinet doors. It is recommended that you have a fair amount of woodworking knowledge as you must use a table saw to create glass cabinet doors. The door we will build here is for an 18-inch wall cabinet with a door opening of 14-by-26-inches. Just repeat the steps for all the desired cabinet doors. Our door is 1-inch larger than the opening in width and height and is known as an overlay door.

Instructions

1

Place all the 1-by-3 material on a table. Set the fence of the table saw to 2 inches and rip the four pieces to this width. The purpose of ripping the lumber is to be certain all the frame pieces are the same width.

2

Set the table saw fence to "5/16-inch" and set the height to "-inch." Set the 1-by-2-inch material on its edge and make a pass over the blade with each piece. It may be necessary to make a second pass with the fence set at 3/8-inch depending on the glass thickness. This will produce a groove that will receive the window glass.

3

Measure 1-inch down the edge from one end of the 27-inch pieces and drill a pilot hole through the width of it. Repeat this on the other end of this piece and the other 27-inch piece.

4

Apply some glue on the ends of one of the 15-inch pieces, place it between the two 27-inch pieces, and insert an 8d penny nail into the pilot holes. Line up the grooves and drive the nail in to the surface of the wood. Do not countersink the nail at this time.

5

Slide the window glass into the grooves, apply glue to the ends of the other 15-inch piece and slip the groove over the glass between the two 27-inch pieces. Insert an 8d finish nail into the pilot holes and tap them into place.

6

Clean up as much glue as you can with a damp cloth. Place bar clamps over the top and bottom joints and pull the pieces tightly together. Let the glue set over night.

7

Remove the clamps when the glue is set. Set the nail heads and fill the holes and any cracks in the joints with wood putty. Sand the door and install the hinges according to manufacturer's instructions.