Wainscot doors can be a beautiful addition to an informal, country style kitchen; their beaded panels are reminiscent of times long past. And constructing wainscot doors is easy with Amana router bits. You’ll need just two bits: the Quadraset no.53600 and the corner bead bit no.54163.

The Quadraset is an adjustable slot cutter with four stacking cutters. It works like a mini dado set for the router. The four cutters, 1/8”, 5/32”, 3/16”, and 1/4", can be used individually or stacked to create cuts from 1/8” to 23/32” in 1/32” increments.

Making a door with the Quadraset is essentially cutting two sets of tongue-and-groove joints. First, the bit is set for cutting a 3/8” tongue-and-groove on the frame members. Then the bit is setup for cutting a 1/8” tongue-and-groove on the wainscot strips. The final step before assembly is to shape a bead on one edge of each of the wainscot strips with the corner bead bit. Let’s get started.

Your best door begins with stock that is flat, true, and square. In other words, if the stock is warped or twisted the completed door will never fit the opening properly. This is why I avoid surfaced two sides (S2S) stock. Instead, I use rough stock and mill it myself; this way I can flatten the stock on my jointer before planing it to thickness. When making a stile-and-rail framework for a door I always mill a couple of test pieces out of inexpensive stock such as poplar. The test pieces serve as samples when setting up the router table.
             
When selecting stock for doors, I choose straight-grained material that is free of knots or dramatic figure. I’ve found that straight-grained stock works best because it resists warping.  After flattening the stock on the jointer and planing it to thickness, I joint one edge and rip it to width. The final step in milling is to cut the stock to length. When milling stock for doors, I always make the stiles about an inch longer than the height of the door. The extra length provides “ears” which allows for easy disassembly of the framework after dry fitting; it’s also easier to trim the excess length of the stiles flush with the rails after assembly rather than aligning the corners during glue-up.
              
The length of the rails is critical because it determines the width of the door. I calculate the rail length as follows:
Door width minus 2x stile width plus 2x depth of panel groove.

The next step is to cut the panel groove in the center of the stiles and rails. The groove will also work as the mortise to accept the tenons on the rails. First, adjust the bit height to correspond with the tenons. Then route the groove along the inside edges of the rails and stiles.

The next step is to shape the wainscot strips for the door panel. The strips measure 3/8” thick by 2” wide. To determine the length of the strips I assemble the door frame and measure to the bottom of the groves in the rails. When milling the strips to thickness I use the panel groove as a guide to ensure a snug fit; the wainscot strips should not be loose in the completed door.

After milling the strips I use the 1/8” cutter on the Quadraset to cut a tongue-and-groove joint on the edges of the strips. Afterwards I shape the bead on one edge adjacent to the tongue.

Before assembly I smooth the surfaces of the wainscot strips; they will not be easily accessible after assembly. Also, it’s best to apply the finish to the wainscot before assembly. Otherwise an unfinished surface will be exposed the first time the panel strips contract during the dry winter months.

During glue-up I’m careful to clamp the door on a flat surface in order to avoid gluing a twist into the door. Also, I apply the glue sparingly and carefully to avoid excess glue reaching the wainscot and gluing it in place. Once the glue has dried I trim the stiles flush to the edges of the rails.