12/12/2023 0 Comments Stiles and rails jointsThe corner of the tenon should be cleanly removed, indicating the setup is right. Start the router and carefully touch the rail tenon to the stile bit. To make absolutely sure the setup is perfect I use the rail test piece. If the setup is right, the rails and stiles will join cleanly with their surfaces level. You only need to touch the piece to the bit, not run it through. It is very important that you control the work piece, preferably with a clamping fixture such as used for routing end grain. Caution: This step involves touching your test piece to the stile bit while it is in motion. Adjust the height by eye to get this as close as possible. I learned to set the stile bit height by first matching the groove cutter to the tenon on the rail of my test piece. This misalignment will force the joints out of line. If the stile bit height is not adjusted properly, the groove will be located at a different height than the tenon on the rails. All four pieces will have their inside edges cut, but don't start yet. Most stile bits also cut a cove, bevel or ogee above the groove that matches up to a reversed version of that shape in the rail ends. Next, switch to the stile bit which cuts the panel groove. With this setting determined, cut all rail ends. The tongue should be roughly centered on the wood, though many bits cheat it towards the rear of the door somewhat. It is important to be sure the bit height used allows sufficient material at the back of the groove to support the panel. Remember, this setup determines where the panel groove will be located in the next step. Crucial to the setup is getting the bit height right for the wood thickness. I begin by cutting the rail ends first, which helps in the setup later. (Bottom) The final check is touching the rail test piece to the stile bit to be sure it leaves no material on the top or bottom of the tenon. (Top) To set the stile bit, match the groove cutter to the tongue cut by the rail bit on your test piece. The instructions that come with the bits should explain how to make this adjustment. Most better bits can be adjusted by adding or moving shims within the cutter to alter the tongue thickness as needed. Making setup blocks also lets you make sure the tongue is being cut to the proper thickness. Once the correct setup is accomplished, a good "test set" can be saved and used as gauges to speed the setup process on future projects. It takes a little longer but can save considerable time and expense in the end. One additional step I recommend is making a set of test pieces from the stock being used for the project. So far, I have not had to plane more than 1/32nd of an inch to equalize my pieces. If the wood is undersized, the bits may not be able to cut their full profiles. Bits are usually designed to work with a specific range of wood thicknesses. However, be careful not reduce the stock too much. Planing all of the pieces to the same thickness makes this task much easier. Having a thickness planer helps more.Įven small variances in thickness among the pieces is trouble. Cutting all of the rail and stile pieces from one board helps. The first step is making sure all of the parts to be machined are the same thickness. Now my rail and stile joints fit properly and more importantly, are nearly dead flush when assembled. Setting the stile bit up includes being sure there is sufficient material at the rear of the groove (Top in this photo) to support the panel.Īfter struggling through several ineffective setup procedures, I discovered a method that works very well for me.
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