Router bit for cabinet door rails & stiles

M

MacMitch

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Mar 17, 2007
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I am making plans to buy/build a new router table. I will be making cabinets. The doors for these cabinets will have 2 1/4-3" solid wood edges with a plywood or plastic insert. I would like a bit to use to both join the edge boards and groove the edges for the interior insert. The solid wood edges will be plain boards to match the trim in my Dutch Colonial home.

I know Whiteside & Amana make great bits... I am not sure what might be the specific bits to use? Any information on specific bits and the how & whys of using them would be appreciated.
 
MacMitch said:
I am making plans to buy/build a new router table. I will be making cabinets. The doors for these cabinets will have 2 1/4-3" solid wood edges with a plywood or plastic insert. I would like a bit to use to both join the edge boards and groove the edges for the interior insert. The solid wood edges will be plain boards to match the trim in my Dutch Colonial home.

I know Whiteside & Amana make great bits... I am not sure what might be the specific bits to use? Any information on specific bits and the how & whys of using them would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Both Whiteside (http://www.whitesiderouterbits.com/) and Amana (http://www.amanatool.com/routerbits.html) make sets in different profiles.  Take a look at their offerings online and see which profile matches your needs.  If you're near a Woodcraft, they carry Whiteside bits, and you may be able to see the profile you're interested in before buying. 

[smile]
 
Right,

Here is what Woodcraft lists for Whiteside Door Construction Sets, under Cabinet Door Router Bits:

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2008128/6529/2pc-Straight-Stile-And-Rail-Door-158-OD-x-78-CL-12-SH-Whiteside-6004.aspx

I wish they showed pictures of results. I am still having a little difficulty figuring out exactly what the bits do, there are two. From the description it sounds like one might move pieces from one bit to the other for certain cuts....

Make full size Stile and Rail joints on your router table. The interlocking design plus the raised panel groove are both cut in one pass. Ball bearing guides control the cutting depth an also allow use on rounded, arched, or special shaped doors. With these two piece sets, simply switch router bits to change from cutting stile to cutting rails. Ideal for stock from 5/8" to 7/8" thick. Carbide tipped router bits, all are 1/2" shank.

Construction Tip: You can make Stile & Rail cuts for glass doors using Whiteside's Door Construction Sets. No extra components are required. All that's needed is to stagger the cutting edges and "stack" both groovers on the Stile bit. Use both bearings (no groover) on the Rail bit. Make your cuts just like in normal door construction. Cut the inside edges of all four pieces with the Stile bit. Trim the ends of the Rails with the Rail bit. Assemble door and insert glass pane. Use clips or corner trim mold on the back side to hold the pane in place.  

I have straight bits and round over bits and one adjustable groover, Amanas I believe, that I got from Highland Hardware/Woodworking quite a few years ago. Maybe there is a good Whiteside or Amana bit set that people find useful though?
 
MacMitch said:
. I am still having a little difficulty figuring out exactly what the bits do, there are two.
Click to expand...
One bit cuts the edge of the stiles and rails. The other bit cuts the ends of the rails so that it fit into the edge of the stiles.Like a copping bit.The first bit also cut the groove for the inside panel.
 
I have this set CMT .  CMT makes nice bits but they are a bit on the pricey side.  They make several different cabinet sets.
 
Mac,

You might also consider looking at the Eagle America website. They have just about any profile you could ever want. They have high quality bits, as well as a line of bits that they call "Price Cutter". I make cabinets for a living and have many different rail & stile bits as well as panel raising bits. Most of my sets are CMT or Amana, but I also have a few sets of the "price cutters". I sometimes buy these when a customer wants a certain profile that I don't have, and I don't think I'll be using the bits for too many projects. The mating profiles fit together perfectly, and the cut quality is good when they're new. Just don't expect them to last as long as bits from CMT, Amana, etc. Since you are probably only planning to use them for your own kitchen, they would be more than sufficient in my opinion. If you were planning on building 200 doors, that would be a different story. Eagle has different packages available where you can select the matching rail/stile bits, then add a panel raising bit, a door edge bit, etc., etc. If you do buy a panel raising bit, I would suggest getting one with at least 3 cutting flutes. Eagle has some that have only two cutters, and they are not worth much in my opionion. Whatever you get, remember to dial down to speed of your router when spinning the big bits. Good luck! Let us know how everything works out.
 
CMT makes a rail and stile bit.

CMT also makes complete Cabinetmaking Sets that have bits for all the typical operations.

As well, CMT makes what they call, Kitchen Sets. Some of these have 5 bits - rail & stile bits, raised panel bits, glue joint & drawer lock bits. Some are 3-bit sets that have rail & stile bits plus raised panel bits.

You can also buy all the bits individually.

Tom
 
Yea, lots of choices. Not familiar with the CMT bits but I have seen them at shows. I like the rail & stile bit except it requires at least a 11/16 piece of wood. The Whiteside bits can handle 5/8. Have to check on wood for the edges.

I will be studying on these for a while. I still have a hard time figuring out if/what the "gap" between the rails & stiles and the center areas will look like.
 
If you're considering the Kreg beading kit, PM honeydokreg.  He got Kreg Tool Company to give him the set to evaluate for an article.  I'm sure he'd give you plenty of feedback.
 
Ken,

I think the Kreg kit includes their fence and since you sold me on the JessEm Mite-R-Slide....That kit is marked down to $499.99 from $599.97, kinda rich for my non professional blood. Looks like a very nice kit but I think the JessEm set up will work as well or better. I guess I could use the Kreg bits with the Mite-R-Slide.
 
I still think the Kreg beading kit will work with the JessEm setup.  I was planning on getting one too.  Like I said, while talking with Kreg McMahon (honeydokreg) yesterday, he said he would be doing a write up on the beading set for This Is Carpentry ( www.thisiscarpentry.com ).  I'm waiting to see what he comes up with before purchasing.
 
Sommerfield tools makes some nice door and draw sets. He also has a device called the "Easy Set" it is a jig used to set the bit hight in the router table. Once you set the hight for one of three bits the other two do NOT need adjustments.
 
That's basically a piece of rubber that you put in the bottom of the collet, isn't it? CMT has the same thing.

Tom
 
Seems to me that I saw one manufacturer of router bits that had included setup jigs for the bits.  Sorry, I don't remember which manufacturer it was.  Seems that they are always at the woodworking shows. 

[unsure]
 
Sparktrician said:
Seems to me that I saw one manufacturer of router bits that had included setup jigs for the bits.  Sorry, I don't remember which manufacturer it was.  Seems that they are always at the woodworking shows.  

[unsure]
Click to expand...
                      You are referring to Woodline  http://www.woodline.com/p-1708-2pc-tongue-groove-bit-with-15-facecut-for-shaker-doors-1-12-diameter-1-cutting-length-1.aspx .I have a few of their bits and they are decent.They are not near the quality of CMT IMO.To the OP,if you want to go with a simple look you may want to go with a shaker style bit set as provided in the link.It cuts a simple bevel on the rail and stile and you can use 1/4 ply for the panel or you can use 1/2 solid stock and back cut it so you have the flat panel look in the front.Here is the 3 pc set, http://www.sommerfeldtools.com/3-Pc-Shaker-Set/productinfo/03005/       just the rail and stile cutters,       http://www.sommerfeldtools.com/Shaker-Pattern_Cope-Cutters/productinfo/02002/
 
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