Shaker style router bit?

Shakers did not, and would not have, embellished their doors with such useless ornamentation.

Based on that factoid, a straight bit would/should do the trick.

UA100

Lee Valley sells one. Cheers, JG

A slight bevel is embellishment?

All that I recall about Shaker edge treatments includes square, dulled, slightly rounded, round nose, thumbnail beveled and rounded. I don't know what a Shaker bit would be. Many of these can be achieved with a handplane. a round over bit and a thumbnail bit would cover many of them. I'm sure that if you Googled for router bits, you might find many profiles that suit your fancy. Page 78 in the book, Making Authentic Shaker Furniture, shows these edge profiles. :-)

Yes, it is. What does it do to improve the strenght or integrity of the finished product, or aid in the efficiency of production?

Remeber Shakers were about simplicty of form, and efficincy of design and production. They aren't the Amish or Mennonites.

Shaker style furniture typically does not use complicated profiles. I've made hundreds of replicas without buying any special bits. I have dozens of Shaker books. If you have a picture, I'd like to see it.

Or any of the Party Animal religions.

UA100

au contraire mon frair, the Shakers really knew how to party-down! How do you think they got their name. Perhaps because of their dancing and crying out in strange tongues, they became known as the Shaking Quakers (Shakers) Hmmmm???????

-- John G. in Memphis, TN Have a nice......... night.

Hmmmm???????

It's "au contraire mon frere", a french expression.

Gill

C'mon guys, (not you in particular, Phisherman, but the group responding as a whole)the OP's example was at Home Depot, not exactly a hotbed of traditionalism and strict adherence to the Shaker Philosophy. If he likes the basic Shaker look with a little variation that's OK. As to a specific router bit, I would guess one with a slight bevel ;)

If by a slight bevel you mean a 45 degree bevel on the very edge, then a 45 bit. If it is a very small angle over the entire edge then it may be something better done with a hand plane, a jointer or a tablesaw.

Dave Hall

I did this type of profile in my kitchen. Since I wanted pinned M&T, a cope and stick cutter was not the route I chose.

I did it with a dovetail bit to cut the accute interior angle on the rails. The rest was done on the table saw. Setting the dovetail cut to match the stile was a *very very* fussy operation (i.e. thousanths matter here).

BTW I chose this style of profile because it is used throughout my house on all of the 1860-vintage interior doors.

-Steve

No, it's not. I think this detail follows from creating the tongue on the center panel with a rabbeting plane. (remember they didn't have plywood) Other styles added ogees etc. to this rabbet, shakers left it simple. Easing a sharp edge with a bevel certainly adds to the function and durability, e.g. milk paint won't stick to a sharp edge.

Mike

And a beveled edge is like likely to chip or splinter.

I'd had the need for the same thing, to copy an existing profile. I found this 15 degree stile/rail cutter to be just the ticket. Try this link.