So ... how DO I do this???

well i see the piecies are curved…i was going to suggest useing a dato blade to cut your rabbits…but i think the trick is first having a very sharp router bit..and the other is the rate of feed…if you try and go to fast it can eat it up…if your doing it free hand it is also a way to get a rough finish…if you have a router table and get the right rate of feed, then you will have a smooth cut..i now see you dont have a router table..that is part of the problem..if they were not curved i would say do it on the table saw…but they are and so a router table is the best way to do it…otherwise your going to be stuck with a rough piece and will have to clean them up…i dont know if this helps…...

-- The Grizzone

glue them together then a rabbiting bit with a bearing and rout slow

Looks to me as if you have justification for more power tools. How can your bride refuse? :-D

In all seriousness, though, you could use a rabbeting bit to follow the inside edge of the frame. I would get a bit that has a set of variously sized bearing and make several shallow passes around the frame to reduce the chances of chip out or other damage.

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

Lots of good comment here….but since you dont have a router table and most probably not a good supply of various bits and since you can resaw to some degree on the table saw…maybe you could resaw your material to half the thickness that you need and make two frames …one 3/8 inch wider than the other in each direction….then when glued together they would be what you are after…...with the 3/8 inch rabbet….....maybe?

-- Life used to be soooo much simpler!!!!

Try this? Take a piece of sanded one side plywood and apply double faced tape to the backside of the pieces then press them in place on the plywood. Now youve stablized the pieces. Next, take another piece of plywood larger than the other. Cut an opening init lager than the frame you want to rout. Leve room to fit the bit on the out side of the frame if you need to rout that. This gives your router base more stability. You may need some small pieces of double faced tape under the second sheet of ply, but you need it flush with the piece you want to work. Now go head and rout your work. This should work. By not gluing your pieces first, you will be able to gently pry them up with a putty knife, then glue them together after.

-- Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy-May all your dovetails fit tight and right the first time

you can make a quick router table with a piece of ply or an old door and then rabbit it out.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Here’s what I would do:

Glue the original back and make a template from card stock paper. Transfer that to a piece of 1/2 MDF and cut it out with your jig saw, inside and out. Cut it strong, then sand to the line. Now you have a solid template. Double face tape your template to your work piece. DaveR has good advice, use a rabbiting bit that has different size bearings. Start from the largest bearing and go down in size until you reach the rabbit depth you need. Try each pass on scrap first, then the real thing. Don’t forget to set the bit height also. You can use a flush trim bit for the outside of the work piece. You said your work piece was 5/8 thick, that may cause a problem as the bearing on the router bit may rub your work bench. You will probably have to raise the work piece off of the bench. Double face tape it to a smaller surface or clamp it so that the area you are working on hangs over the edge of your work bench.

Got any questions you can PM me

Just my 2 cents

-- Rick

Great suggestions. Creative suggestions. Many thanks!

And the answer is … today … I popped for a $70 router table by Craftsman.

I think it will be good enough. From the little reading I did about them, it really does seem like the best way to do this project, and the best way to do many other things I’m looking at doing down the road.

As always, you guys are great. When I get this one knocked out, I’ll put up a pic or two.

Thanks!

-- -- Neil