How to Make Louvered Doors & Window Shutters

By Chris Baylor, About.com Guide

The next step of this woodworking project is to round over the four long edges of each of the louver slats.

Set up your router in your router table with a 1/8" radius roundover bit equipped with a bearing tip. Adjust the depth so that the lower edge of the roundover is flush with the top of the router table. Then, place one slat flat on the router table (as shown in the picture) and ease the four long edges by pushing the slat along the bearing and down each of the long edges. On a router table, always move the stock from left to right, against the rotation of the bit. Any attempt to move the stock in the opposite direction may cause the bit to grab the stock and force it out of your hands.

After the four long edges on all of the slats have been rounded-over, sand all of the slats with a random orbital sander or 1/4-sheet sander. Use progressively finer grits of sandpaper to remove the sanding marks from the previous sanding. If you plan to paint your project, 300-grit final sanding should be sufficient to remove all sander marks and leave a smooth surface for painting. If you plan to stain your project, or if you want to ensure an optimum surface, consider a hand sanding with some 400-grit sandpaper for a very smooth finish.

Set the slats aside for the time being.