hcbph said:

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Whether laminated or cut to curve, a couple of issues I see would be cutting the tenons accurately ...

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Since OP posted this in the power tool forum, I guess it would be OK to suggest it's a good excuse to buy that new super sized Domino.

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See ya later,
Bill

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They claim its way more accurate than bandsawing a curved style..

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ruffcutt said:

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Not that I have any advice but are we talking curved doors or arched top doors?

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hcbph said:

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Whether laminated or cut to curve, a couple of issues I see would be cutting the tenons accurately then cutting the groves for the panels. If you used bendable ply, that part should be relatively easy.

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Loose tenon joinery makes it pretty easy to assemble a curved door. Cut the rails to length then route the mortises in both the stiles and rails, using whatever fixture you prefer to make sure the router bit is 90 deg. to the ends of the rails. Here's how I fixtured a rail for a curved cabinet door.







I'd use the same approach for a room door. Of course, everything would be larger, but the approach would be the same.

The grooves in the rails are easy to cut on the router table, if you first make a curved template against which to ride the workpiece.

John

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hcbph said:

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No offense John, but I've dealt with warped doors that have more curve than that example. I've seen pictures of some mansions with interior doors than have probably a 15-30 degree arc in them. That adds more issues to the construction.

What I was referring to previously most would refer to as a bow front or curved curio cabinet. You can have a door that has to turn 90 degrees on each end of the thing, plus having glass in them. I've had to make those curved pieces a couple of time, it's a bear in a couple of them because of a combination of glass and solid panels.

They can be real stinkers to make in selected situations.

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No offense taken. I would use the same techniques to make a door that had to turn even 90 deg. How about something that bends 180 deg?



I made those arched rails and panels the same way except I didn't have a vacuum bag back then. I made a single mold, wide enough for the veneered panels, and pulled the laminations down over the mold with a canvas cloth sling with pipes at both ends through a set of cables on both sides. The panels were made with two 1/8" layers of bending plywood and veneered on both sides. I used the same mold, after removing a 1/4" shim, for the narrower, 3/4"+ thick arches, which were made from solid stock that I resawed and sanded to about 1/8". I used Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue for all of the bent work and had very little rebound. I routed the grooves in the arches on the router table, just as I described. The joinery is loose tenons.

John

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