rail and stile bits

[Eric G.]

I hoping I'm not going over too much old ground here...(I've checked the archives). I need a rail and stile bit set. I prefer to buy Whiteside bits, but their rail and stile set seems designed for 7/8 inch thick stock, and I want to use 3/4 inch stock. I spoke with a customer service rep at Whiteside, and she seemed to agree that using the bits on 3/4 inch stock would mean losing some of the profile. My second choice would be a Freud set. Have users been happy with their Freud rail and stile sets? I know FWW #107 had a comparison of rail and stile sets, but I don't have that issue anymore and it's not available from Taunton. Thanks in advance, Eric to e-mail, remove 'nojunk' from e-mail address

[Bay Area Dave]

[Pat Barber]

The Freud are outstanding...

The Whiteside bits will work and I doubt you will lose that much profile. The Freud will work on stock that thick and again, you don't lose any profile depending on your setup.

I don't recall ever seeing a 7/8" thick door. They are referring to the maximum thickness of the stock you "can use" not what you "must use".

Eric G. wrote:

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

Thrilled!

I've made many doors with a Freud set, out of Ash, Oak, Birch, and MDF.

Barry

[Nova]

You can use a "back cutter" router bit on the 3/4" stock. See:

Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

[Howard Ruttan]

I have a set of Freud rails and stile bits and I found them to work well. Cope and stick isn't my favorite way to make doors but they have seen some use and I was very happy with the results. I generally only buy Freud bits because I have very good luck with them. I can get them easily and have no need to look at other brands.

[Frank McVey]

Hi Eric,

I'm very happy with my Freud door set - just finished a couple of acres of wardrobe doors in reclaimed pine.

2 snippets - buy a Trend or similar setting gauge for accurate resetting - a rule doesn't cut it IME. Doesn't cost much, and can be used on the TS and other jobs, as well as the router table.

Second snippet is to check the size of the hole in your router table before buying. I have a Trend table and even with no insert fitted at all, the hole is not big enough to accommodate the panel-raising bit. I got round it by making a false top from 1/2" ply with a 4"ish hole to clear the bit.

For the panel-raising bit, you want to take light cuts with a big router.

HTH

Frank

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

I always make setup blocks out of HDPE to use for future setups for rail, stile, and raised panel bits.

Barry