Cutting out the panels in an exterior wooden door

[dance]

Is this within the realms of sane? I'd love to cut out the top two panels in my old exterior wooden front door and replace with stained glass. I have a plunge saw and was going to do it this way and then I thought about the near certain presence of nails/pins so decided a multi tool might be the better option, if much more time consuming...

What do you guys think? Sane? Insane? I'm a hobbyist.

 

[Marineboy]

I did similar with mine about a year ago. It was one of those Carolina doors, fielded panels with a semicircle of 4 glass panels at the top. Completely unsuited to our Victorian house. I took the door off, cut down the sides of the panel with my track saw (finishing off the last bit with hand saw), then routed a groove in the edges of the cut out bit. I had a piece of walnut worktop spare which was exactly the same depth as the door. I then routed a stopped groove in the edges of that and used a glued loose tongue to slide the piece into the top of the door. Sounds complicated but actually very straightforward.

 

[Marineboy]

Replacing with a stained glass panel would follow the same principle.