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Arched and Cathedral Door Template Instructions
1. Decide how wide you want the rails and stiles to be, keeping
in mind that the top rail on arched or cathedral doors needs
to be wider than the bottom rail to accommodate the curve. A
typical width for straight rails and stiles is 21⁄4".
2. Measure the size of the cabinet opening and determine
whether you want inset or overlay doors and the size of
the inset or overlay. You will need to consider this as you
calculate the final dimensions of your door.
Example – cabinet dimensions
• The cabinet opening is 11" x 22".
• All door stock is 3/4" thick. Both stiles and the bottom rail
are 21⁄4" wide; the top rail is 4" wide.
• A 1/2" overlay is desired on all sides, so the door will
need to be 1" taller and wider than the opening: 12" x 23".
(Inset doors would be smaller than the cabinet opening.)
3. Calculate the lengths of your rails and stiles.
• Stiles: Length is the same as the overall door height.
• Rails: From the overall door width, subtract the width
of both stiles. Then add the depth of both tenons on the
copes at the ends of the rails.
• Panel width: Make it 1/4"
less than the rails’ length.
This will leave a 1/8" gap
per side to allow room for
the center panel to expand.
Example – rail length
Door width-R. stile width-L. stile width+R. tenon+L. tenon
12"
-
21⁄4"-21⁄4" + 3/8" +3/8"
= 81⁄4"
“Cope” the rails and cut the arch
Note: To machine the “cope-and-stick” joints for the door frame,
you will need a rail-and-stile router bit set and a router mounted
in a table with a good fence. To shape the center panel, you
will need a panel-raising router bit, which also must be used in
a table-mounted router. Go to www.rockler.com for a number of
profile options for rail-and-stile bits and panel-raising bits, as well
as matching jigs to make setup quicker.
1. Cut the rails, stiles and center panel to final dimensions. Mark
the front face of each.
2. Make the cope cuts on the ends of each rail. The front of
the stock faces downward during these cuts.
a. Set the cope-cutting bit to the correct height in your router
(1/8" on top and 1/8" on bottom is recommended). Fig. 2.
Do a test on scrap stock to verify the setting.
b. At minimum, use a miter gauge or a push block to help
hold the rails safely and securely as you move them past
the bit. Also use a backer piece to prevent tear-out at the
back of the cut. A better solution is a jig like Rockler’s Rail
Coping Sled (52149), which securely holds the rail stock
square to the fence for easy, accurate cope joints and
incorporates a backer block to prevent tear-out.
3. Use the rail template from the appropriate Arched or
Cathedral Door Template set to cut the arch in the top rail.
Each template set is marked with a size range. To choose
Example – panel width
Rails’ length - 1/4"
81⁄4"
-1/4" = 8"
Top Rail
Right Stile
Note: To simplify and speed up the process of calculating the
dimensions of your door parts, we recommend using the online
Woodshop Calculator. (It also will generate a complete plan
and detailed cut list for your doors.) For more information and to
purchase a license key, go to www.woodshopcalculator.com.
4. Calculate the size of the center
raised panel. Note that the
panel will “float” within the door
frame and will not be glued to
the rails and stiles. This is to
allow the panel to freely expand
and contract with seasonal
changes in humidity.
Left Stile
Calculate part dimensions
Center
Panel
Bottom Rail
Fig. 1: Door anatomy
• Panel length: From the
overall door height, subtract
the distance from the top of the top rail to the top of the
arch. Then subtract the width of the bottom rail. Then
add the depths of the grooves in the top and bottom rails.
Then subtract 1/4" to leave a 1/8" gap per side.
Example – panel length
Door -arch- bottom rail + top rail + bottom rail - 1/4"
height width groove groove groove
1
23" - 2" -
2- ⁄4"
+ 3/8" +
3/8"
-1/4"
= 191⁄4"
Final dimensions of sample door parts (T x W x L)
Stiles: 3/4" x 21⁄4" x 23"
Bottom rail:
3/4" x 21⁄4" x 81⁄4"
Top rail: 3/4" x 4" x 81⁄4"
Center panel: 3/4" x 8" x 191⁄4"
Cope profile
Stick profile
1/8"
Tenon
Fig. 2
Groove
3/8"
1/8"
3/8"
the correct template set, find the range within which your
rail length falls. (If you use the Woodshop Calculator, it will
specify which template set you need.)
Example
The rails are 81⁄4" long, so we need template set A7 and A8.
(We’ll use A7 in this step and A8 later.)
a. Working on the back of the stock, find and mark the
center along the length of the rail.
b. Attach the template to the back side of the rail with
double-sided tape, making sure to align the center of the
template with your center marks on the rail.
c. Use a band saw to cut the arch, staying about 1/16" away
from the template.
d. With a bearing-guided flush-trim bit in a table-mounted
router, rout the curved edge flush with the template. (The
template must be in contact with the bit’s guide bearing
during the cut.)
Note: For safety, use a starting pin in the router table as
you begin feeding the stock.
Arched and Cathedral Door Template Instructions
Make the “stick” cuts
on the rails and stiles
Scrap
stock
Note: The stick cuts produce the groove and profile on the long,
inside edges of the stiles and rails. This profile fits the cope cuts
on the ends of the rails to form a tight joint and also provides
the groove in which the center panel will “float.”
Rail stock (on bottom)
Shoulders being routed
1. Install the “stick” or stile bit in your table-mounted router and
adjust the height so that it matches the cope cuts on the the
rails. Align the router table fence with the guide bearing on
the router bit. Test the setup with scrap wood and make any
adjustments necessary to achieve a tight, smooth joint.
Fig. 4: Routing the shoulders of the curve
e. Detach the scrap piece, and use double-sided tape to
reattach the Arched or Cathedral Door Template to the
back of the rail, making sure to align the centers and
curved edges precisely.
f. Push the router fence out of the way and insert the starter
pin in the router table plate. Make sure the bit’s guide
bearing makes contact with the template, then rout the
profile on the curved section.
2. Rout the “stick” profile on the inside edges of the stiles and
the bottom rail. Make sure the front of your stock faces
downward as you make the cut, and use a push stick
and featherboards on the table and fence for safety.
3. Rout the profile on the curved edge of the top rail, again with
the front facing downward. A special technique, described
below, is required to avoid damaging the rail’s cope cuts.
If you are using a two-piece router bit:
a. Remove the Arched or Cathedral Door
template from the rail stock.
b. Cut a straight edge on a piece of scrap
wood that’s longer and narrower than
the rail.
c. Use double-sided tape to attach
the scrap piece to the back of the
workpiece, making sure that the
Two-piece bit
straight edge is perfectly aligned with the
shoulders of the curve. Fig. 4.
d. With the rail piece on the bottom, against the table
surface, and the straight edge tight to the router fence,
rout the profile on the shoulders.
e. Detach the scrap wood piece. Push the router fence out
of the way and insert the starter pin in the router table
plate. Then rout the profile on the curved section.
If you are using a one-piece router bit:
a. Remove the Arched or Cathedral Door
template from the rail stock.
b. Cut a straight edge on a piece of scrap
wood that’s longer and narrower than
the rail.
c. Use double-sided tape to attach the
scrap piece to the back of the rail,
One-piece bit
making sure that the straight edge is
perfectly aligned with the shoulders of the
curve. Fig. 4.
d. With the rail piece on the bottom, against the table
surface, and the straight edge tight to the router fence,
rout the profile on the shoulders.
Cut and shape the center panel
1. Use the second template in the Arched or Cathedral Door
Template set to cut the center panel to shape. (A8 in our
example.)
a. Mark the center of the width on the back of the panel.
b. Attach the template to the back of the panel with doublesided tape, making sure to align the center marks on the
template with your center marks on the panel.
c. Use a band saw to cut the arch, staying about 1/16" away
from the template.
d. With a bearing-guided flush-trim bit in a table-mounted
router, rout the curved edge flush with the template. For
safety, use a starting pin in the router table as you begin
feeding the stock. Remove the template after the cut.
2. Use a bearing-guided panel-raising router bit in a tablemounted router at a slow speed to shape the panel.
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Note: You will need to make several passes on your router,
raising the bit a little each time, to achieve the full depth of
cut. Don't try to remove all the material in one pass, and stop
once the panel fits in the groove in the rails and stiles.
a. Using a starter pin in your router table, cut the arched
cross-grain edge of the panel first. Be sure to use push
blocks or some other means of maintaining complete
control of the panel.
b. Using the router table fence as a guide, cut the bottom
cross-grain edge and then the long-grain sides. Routing
in this order will allow you to remove any tear-out on the
cross-grain edges when you make the long-grain cuts.
c. Repeat the process until the panel fits into the groove in
the rails and stiles.
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Rev 03/15
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© Rockler Companies Inc. 2015