I hope I didn't make it look too easy as it does require a good amount of knowledge and familiarity with power tools. A router can be a very dangerous tool if not used properly. With that said, I hope your cabinets and the work your sig other does, exceeds all your expectations. Thanks for watching !
Great idea. I might give this a try. I'll have to build a fixture like you did for routing the opening for the glass but that shouldn't be too difficult. Thanks for the idea and the process.
That's what makes my day, when someone gets inspired and I had a little part in it. It's almost one in the morning and your comment brought a big smile. Thank you.
Thank you for watching, I always love comments that say I helped them get inspired. If you can practice on one piece first, that really goes a long way. Wishing you the best.
Hi Angel, yes, this project is more of an intermediate one. If you haven't used a router before, this shouldn't be the one to cut your teeth on, so to speak, lol. If you read through the comments, a couple of people also ask about alternatives. Well, glass doors can be a bit expensive, but you could take your doors to a cabinet or woodworking shop and have them cut the recesses for the glass panels. That way you save money and don't have to worry about matching the paint on your existing cabinets. You can have glass cut to size for very little money and put them in yourself. Good luck and thanks for watching.
I assume he also photoshopped the chisel into the background as another joke, since you wouldn’t have to sandpaper the glass if you just chisel the inside corners to be sharp. Good one.
Thank you for watching and glad you enjoyed it. Have so much in store but so little time during the holidays. With that said, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!!!
Thank you. This is a fun project if you have some experience with a router. If not, then I recommend to have the routing done for you and DIY the rest. Cheers
There are ways to do it without a router, just not as elegant, lol. And here I thought everyone has a router in their closet??? Thanks for checking the vid though.
Nice, I was planning to do this as well using the same method. Never having done it before, I just looked at one door and knew the center panel was installed as the rails and styles were pressed/glued. Now I know for sure and certain!
Well, in principle it is really easy as all you’re really doing is making a cutout with a lip to rest the glass on. The tricky part is handling the router. Before doing this project, it’s best to have some experience with a router as it is a tool to be respected and it can be very dangerous if not handled properly. Be sure you have a very sharp router bit and that you go slow and steady. Don’t route anything with knots in it, but doors very seldom have those. Thank you for taking the time to watch. Stay safe
Turned out great man. I recently did a small kitchen remodel in my kitchen. I extended the upper cabinets to go all the way up to the ceiling. I knew I would never be able to match the stain and so I painted all the cabinets white. I wanted to add glass inserts into some of the doors that have my glasses and dishes but I could not find anyone that can add glass for me so I ended up just leaving the doors off those cabinets. Looks good but my dishes do get a little dusty so I am back to thinking about glass inserts. I don't know if I dare try this though because if I muff it up then I'm screwed. I will never be able to match the pattern in the wood doors.
Have you ever heard of a Kreg jig? Look it up, you can get them at the home box stores or Amazon. It's super easy to make cabinet door frames with the jig. Once you made a custom cab door, router out the inside and have Home Depot cut the glass to fit. Or you could make the frame and use it to practice on until you're comfortable enough to do it on the existing doors. Or, be safe and just enjoy the handy work you've already created. The most difficult job is getting comfortable with the router. If you've never routed before, you either need to practice a bit or let someone with experience do it. Find someone just to router the glass recess and then you put in the glass like I showed in my video. Whatever you decide to do, be safe in using power tools, they carry a wallup. Thanks for watching the video and let me know how it goes.
@@Explore-Gobal Thanks man. Yes I've heard of Kreg and actually have their work table. I bought my first set of tool when I did my kitchen project. Never owned a saw before or air compressor/nail gun. I've never tried a router before. This all looks cool and can save a homeowner a lot of money. Where I live you can't find any kind of tradesman willing to work on these small projects. Trust me I tried. I couldn't even find a painter to come and spray my cabinets and that's after I did all the prep work myself. Ugh!
You may want to try going to a Habitat for Humanity Restore and look for a door similar to what you will be working with. Use this as a practice door. If you make a mistake, you won't damage the doors you need. I'm going to be putting glass inserts into the upper panel of a two panel door and that is what I am going to do. If I make a mistake or it doesn't go as planned, I can make adjustments or take another try with another cheap door until I am confident I have it worked out to obtain the results I want.
Yes, it would be really cool if pictures could be appended or added in the comment section, but alas. Thank you for the kind comments and for watching my video. Stay safe
Great video - Thanks for making it. I'm new to routers so I had a question for you. Is that a "plunge cut flush trim bit?" Or did you angle it to make a hole and start the cut?
You can buy plastic claps (cabinetry gear) to hold the glass in snug. That way if you ever want to remove the glass quickly, it takes 1 min. If you want to remove this glass, you have to utility knife the caulking and clean it out before putting glass back in. Go to the hardware store and see how they keep the glass in with plastics claps.
Hi Michael, thanks for watching. Yes you are right, there are the plastic clips, metal clips, and if you want a more finished inside look you can also put in small strips of quarter round. I did it this way since I wanted to finish these with what I had on hand at the time. Happy New Year!
This will make a huge difference in your kitchen and is easy to do. If you don’t have any experience with a router, please watch some router videos and practice on some scrap first. They are powerful machines, safety first. Glad I inspired you, thanks for watching.
Yes, that’s would work just fine, but if you’re going to do that, buy quarter round and use that instead for a cleaner finish. You can buy quarter round in very small sizes for applications like this. Thank you for watching and stay safe.
do you know about the 409 trick? run a bead on edge spray 409 on bead now silicone will not not stick to anything else that the 409 is on. end up with a nice smooth clean look let dry and clean glass after silicone is ready
Would a compact router work? Teaching my self a few things. I recently aquired a rental property.. graciously given to me by my grandfather... unfortunately he passed away. Makes me terribly sad. I wished I had asked him so many questions. I did find a router that you used here in this video however seems a bit heavy for me. I'd be forever grateful for any help/tips. Thank you kindly in advance Sir
Cabinets can display anything. Nobody but nobody addresses the issue of shop dust covering the French cleat items. Cabinets with sliding doors will solve the problem. No back to cabinet. Hang French cleat items in cabinet. Use lexan panel for visibility. Your thoughts. Better yet build one and make the video!!!! Thx Bruce. Cleats and Cabinets ( sort of like root beer and ice !)
KB, I would use a different approach on a full size door. Hollow core door are no good for this or pretty much any modification like this. Solid doors are much better. You could cut out the part you want to replace with the glass panels and make a custom frame to fit inside that cutout. You could make it even easier and make a frame inside the door for a large piece of tempered glass and then make two pieces of lattice for both sides to fake individual panes. Think of it as placing redwood lattice on either side of the glass to make it look like each lattice square is an individual pane. Much simpler and easier than making individual pockets to place several individual glass panes. Thanks for watching and glad I got you inspired. Good luck.
Wow if I do this my wife would be so happy. I really want to do it for her but it makes me nervous. I've never used a router before! This is very motivational. Thanks!!! One Question, How do you know what bit you need for this and how this you need to go? I saw on your video you explained it but I would love another explanation.
Hi Juan, Glad you found the video motivational and thanks for watching it. If you are hesitant about using a router, you are right to be cautious. Power wood working tools are not toys and can cause serious injury. I've got another idea for you if you don't wanna mess with the router yourself. Call around and find a small cabinet or woodworking shop and ask if they would do the router job for you. Might take a few calls, but someone is always willing to help. Tell them you saw this on RU-vid and would rather not loose a finger, lol. You can then do all the rest, sanding, priming, painting, having the glass cut for cheap at home Depot, and then installing it like I showed you. You'll still do most of the work, just not the dangerous stuff. If you end up doing this, I'd love to hear from you and see your results. Good luck.
You can use a straight bit, rabbeting or uncut spiral. If you've never used a router before, practice first. If you mess up and go the wrong direction and get into a climb cut situation, you can loose a finger real quick. Always cut from left to right and never take your hands off the router while it's rotating. I'm in NE Texas, if your close, let me know, I'll rout them for you. I have a cabinet and furniture shop.
@@joeymerrell8585 I have been watching a lot of carpenters work. I seen the best video on routing. Use your right hand and make an L which ever way the pointer finger is pointing as you grab the router is the way your go. No matter if its upside down or right side up.
One thing you could have done was to keep the scrap piece from the center. Run it through the router again along the border and used that border piece to secure on the backside of the glass. That would have made the back of the door have more of a finished look
Thanks for checking out this vid. You are correct, but it wouldn't have been as easy as that since the center piece was now 1/8" shorter on every side due to the width of the saw blade. I was also thinking about using a small quarter round - HD actually has them in 1/4" and it would have been perfect, but then again, it wouldn't have made that much of a difference and the vid was already too long, lol. There's always room for improvement. Thanks again...Stay safe.
I don't remember what the original color was called, sorry. When I cut the doors, I just took a shelf and had Home Depot color match it. They did a perfect job on that.
Hi, thanks for watching. I used 100% silicone for extra durability, but as long as you have a clean surface, acrylic silicone will do just fine. Color match the cuts and use clear silicone for that nice finished touch. Good luck.
Hi Catherine, yes, the silicone is more than strong enough to hold the glass in, and if it ever breaks, heaven forbid, it's easy to replace. Another way would be to take a small piece of quarter round and glue that flush around the glass to the frame - sorry if the wording is a bit confusing. Either way is used and will work great. Thanks for watching.
Great video. I'm just learning about bits - would a rabbeting bit worked? It seems like the bearing would trace the inner door trim and the blade would cut in the required amount for the glass ledge. I would need to figure out the depth as you mentioned. Thoughts
So sorry I did not see this comment, but I'll answer it late anyway. For this particular work flow, a rabbeting bit would not work as the bit I used was a plunge bit. The plunge bit basically did two steps with one pass, it cut out the center panel and made the ledge for the glass. Many different ways to get similar results. Thanks for watching.
Hi Dkaira, thanks for watching the vid - partially, lol. In the video I talk about getting the glass at one of the box stores like Home Depot or Lowes, etc. They have glass in different sizes and will cut it for you in the size you need. Not all seem to do it, I just never had any issues getting them to cut it. The point of the video is to use your existing doors. Take the doors off you cabinets and have at it. I've had someone tell me they have little to no experience with a router. I told them in that case, just take the doors to a local wood shop or custom cabinet shop and have them do the cutting. Then you do the frame painting and fitting of the glass. This will still be cheaper than having them completely custom made. Good luck, I hope your project turns out beautiful. Stay safe.
Great video. It appears that you used pre-fabbed shaker doors with the shaker trim built around the panel. I'm taking cabinet doors, removing the existing "fancy" trim, and making a shaker style trim for the door panel. Since I won't have the panel your doors do (i. e., the shaker trim will sit on top of the existing panel) how would you suggest I route the panel for glass?
It's hard to envision how exactly you are creating your doors, but the general idea stays the same no matter how the door is made - you have to end up with a lip for the glass to rest on/in. If I understand you right, you are taking existing doors, then swapping fancy trim with square shaker trim? Honestly, if you are going through this much trouble, I'd just take 1 x 4 x 3/4 stock and make the door frame, basically your shaker frame. Then I'd take my router and cut the lip into the back for the glass to sit on. I'd route it maybe half way, about 6/8th, put the glass in, and then finish the back with some quarter round (may have to make it, as I don't think they come that small.) Do a small trial door first. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
Wanted to do this quick and dirty with what I had on hand while still being presentable. If I wanted to take a bit more time and effort, I would use quarter round ( custom pieces) with matching paint to hold the glass in place. Thanks for commenting and watching.
Hi J, thanks for watching the video. I did this project for a friend of mine and his contractor supplied the cabinets. The vendor is somewhere in Southern California. Sorry I don't have any further details.
Thanks for stopping by Rhonda. There are two main ways to get the dividers. Once is to make a custom insert that has "pockets" for each section of glass, all of which would then be placed into the routed door frame (that's the hard way). The other is to make an overlay for the glass, in essence creating the look of individual panes when in reality it just has the look of it. For a DIY project, the overlay is much easier to construct and apply over the full glass pane. I would use 1/4" or maybe a little bigger for the dividers, notching them where they cross to keep them flush. Think of lattice work, just on a smaller scale. Once the lattice is complete and fitted perfectly to the opening of the routed out door, you can also use a thin bead of silicone on the back side to fit it into the door frame. Then off course, there is the process with which they make stained glass panels, with lead and solder. A friend of mine took an art class for beginning stained glass and produced a really cool looking piece. I took a simple design to a local stained glass craft store and had them make it. A week later, I had a unique piece that I put into the doors of a custom bar I built for a friend of mine. Thanks for reminding me, that would be another good short vid I might produce. Hope that gets you going in the right direction. Have fun and stay safe. Cheers.
I'd love to tell you, but that's the stock grey color the cabinets came in. In order to paint the cut edges, I took one of the doors to Lowes and had them do a color match. It's my friend's kitchen, so they may still have the color code. I'll check and get back to you if I can get it.
Hi and thanks for watching part of the video. The glass was purchased at Lowes, but you can get it pretty much anywhere. Lowes cut it to size for free which was a bonus. Not all locations cut glass, but I believe most do. I wanna say it was 1/8” thick but don’t remember for sure. It’s the standard thickness they sell there. Stay safe.
I’d love to give you a hand with yours, but I’m in Southern California, lol. It’s really not that difficult to do, but some woodworking experience does help. There are a lot of folks out there that do hobby woodworking out of their garage. If you put your feelers out in your local neighborhood, you might get lucky. Having a professional shop is the best option but kinda defeats the budget purpose, lol. IDK, maybe even Yelp? Thanks for watching.
Can you link the tools and products you’ve purchased for renovation? I’ve asked Lowe’s about the glass inserts, and the multiple stores I’ve called or visited say they don’t sell or cut glass at any Lowe’s.
Hi Jeremy: Thanks for checking out the video. I've lived in Sacramento, CA, and am now living in Los Angeles. Both cities have Lowes, and I've had glass cut in both areas. You do have to purchase the glass from them, but they will cut it for sure. Home Depot has also cut glass for me before. You may need to talk to someone there who isn't fresh out of high school, lol. No special tools. My tools are several years old, but most will work just fine. I believe it was my Craftsman router with a plain ole standard straight bit available at most hardware stores. Back to the glass. If your area Home store does not sell/cut glass, no worries. Call your local glass shops and have them do it. Plain glass in such small sizes will not cost very much and the overall cost of home made glass doors will still be less than buying them.
YesUCan all great info, thank you! I’ve routered out the panels and am waiting for glass. Very helpful tutorial. Passing along to others for reference.
I'd love to, but have too many fires in the oven right now. You might wanna look into buying replacement doors with the glass already in them. Good luck
It was a trim router bit I had laying around. Not sure, but I think it was half inch. They're also called shank bits. The trick with those, well, actually all router bits is to let the bit do the work, don't force it. Also make sure you know which way the grain of the wood is going - you want to run with the grain so the router doesn't catch or kick. Go slow and steady and keep a firm grip on the machine. Thanks for watching.
YesUCan I tried it but it kicks with low speed and I have no clue what’s the problem !!! Just wanted the right bit for it I guess mine isn’t the right one
Hi Megan, the cabinets came in that color and I don't recall what the name was. To match it for the touch up, I simply took one of the doors and had Lowes do a color match. Thanks for checking out my video and stay safe.
There are several different ways to do this and this was just one way mainly due to tools on hand, and having a million other things on my mind, lol. Thanks for watching.
Hi, this is not a project for everyone. A certain amount of know how and experience is required. If nothing else, the vid gave you something to think about.
Greetings and thanks for watching. The glass is nothing special, not tempered if that's what you mean. I didn't use tempered as they are upper cabinets and someone breaking that glass is very remote. Also, you can't cut tempered glass, it has to be made in the specific size of your application....I can't recall specifically what thickness it was, just the standard glass that Lowes sells in their department - may have been 3/32", not sure. Here is a link glass Lowes sells: www.lowes.com/pd/Gardner-Glass-Products-24-in-x-36-in-Clear-Glass/3121147
