Making Beadboard Doors

[Frank Hagan 32]

I'm making a L-shaped bathroom vanity in Beech, that will be stained dark, and I want to make doors with beadboard.  One of the pics below shows the beadboard, although the door won't look like that.  Basically, I want the beadboard look in the panel of the door.

Because I want the door panel to match the rest of it, I want to make the beadboard design out of the stock I have.  I'm thinking I'll resaw the stock to about 3/8" thick with strips about 1 1/4" wide, and then put a "bead" along one edge (or, maybe I'll rip the 4/4 stock into strips 1 1/4" wide, put a bead on opposite faces, and then resaw it). 

Any ideas on how to make this design?  I'm thinking a v-bit in the router table and multiple passes with the stock face down.  Or, a beading bit with the stock fed into it on edge.

Pics below of the face frame (and pocket holes on backside ... I love my Kreg jig!), and the drawers being roughed out today.

[Dave R1 0]

Frank, I would use a bit to create the bead and use a tall fence and feather boards. Make sure you make your stock thick enoughfor the beat and for a rabbet on the back so the pieces can overlap to mask width changes due to humidity changes.

[Frank Hagan 32]

I'm thinking that maybe I'll use a shiplap technique without the "bead" portion ... making a grooved panel that is reminiscent of beadboard.  Working it out step by step makes it look like a lot of work otherwise.

[Dave R1 0]

Then you could do a small chamfer on the edges. I've used that for back panels in small cases and I like the look. The trick is to bevel the shoulder of the rabbet on the one edge. The mating edge of course has the rabbet on the back and the chamfer on the front. You might want to set up a jig to hold a hand plane at the proper angle for cutting the bevel on the rabbet shoulder. It might be just as easy as setting a chamfer bit to the same height as a rabbeting bit for the cut.

[Frank Hagan 32]

Then you could do a small chamfer on the edges. I've used that for back panels in small cases and I like the look. The trick is to bevel the shoulder of the rabbet on the one edge. The mating edge of course has the rabbet on the back and the chamfer on the front. You might want to set up a jig to hold a hand plane at the proper angle for cutting the bevel on the rabbet shoulder. It might be just as easy as setting a chamfer bit to the same height as a rabbeting bit for the cut.

Good point ... I'll have to experiment a little, I think.  Someone on the Sawmill Creek forum mentioned a "Magic Molder", and I remembered that I do have a molding head with beading bits.  That may work also.

[Dave R1 0]

A molding head would probably be nice for this. I expect you could feed the work a bit faster using your tablesaw. Make sure though that the throat plate is absolutely flush with the table top or, better yet, add an auxilliary top of 1/2" MDF and bring the molder up through to create a zero clearance opening.

the reason for making certain it's flat is that you don't want the work to be able to move vertically as you are feeding it. That would make for a lot of clean up. The same applies to using the router in a table and a zero clearance fence would be the ticket.

If you use the molder, make the aux top as long as the saw's top  (front to back) and wide enough to allow you to clamp it down front and back without having the clamps foul the work. The edge of the MDF will be right up against the fence and the opening will be near that edge, too. Depending upon the molder, you might need a sacrificial fence so you can bury the unused part of the cutter in it.

[woody316 0]

Ideally, all the beadboard will terminate at a door casing because it makes for an easy transition. The beadboard, chair rail and baseboard all sit flush against the casing. The only hitch is getting that last piece of beadboard into the groove and tight.