Excuse the ASCII illustrations. A line drawing would've been clearer but images aren't allowed in this group.
+-+--------+-+ | | RAIL | | | +--------+ | |S | | | |T | | | |I | Panel | | |L | | | |E | | | | | | | | +--------+ | | | | | +-+--------+-+
The stiles have their inside "with the grain" edges profiled (in the following example the profile is a simple chamfer) and a groove between them that acts as a dado into which the panel will fit AND as an open ended mortise for the stub "tenon" on the ends of the rails to fit in. Both the chamfer (or other profile) and the dado/open ended mortise are cut with a single router bit - the stile bit
STILE / / / / / / / / / / / / +-------------- / / / / +/ RAIL / / / / // +------+ / / /+------------- | \ / / / \ | +--+ / +-- + | | / / | Stub "tenon" | +--+ +--+ | / / +------+ +------------ The end grain ends of the rails are "coped" to match the chamfered inside edge of the stiles and a stub tenon to fit in the open ended "mortise"/ dado in the stile. All are cut with one bit - the rail bit.
Note that the inside/panel side edge of the rail also has a chamfered edge AND a dado for the panel to fit in. This inside edge, though on a rail, is cut with the stile router bit
When the Rail and Stile are put together they fit like this
/ / / PANEL / / / / /+-------------- / STILE // RAIL / // +------+ +------------- | \ \ | +--+ + | | | +--++ | / / +------+ +-------------
If you are doing multiple panels within the enclosing rails and stiles, the parts that will hold the "inside" sides of the panels (raised wood panels or glass panels) have a separate set of names to distinguish them from rails and stiles, because they have a dado/groove in both long grain edges - and typically also a profile cut on both long grain edges. Mullion/Muton? | | | | -------+ +----- \ / ++ Muton/MullioN? / \ -------+ +------- | | | |
Hopefully this will clarify things a little
- or not.
charlie b