Thread: Help needed using rail & stile bit

Keith,

It is absolutely essential to use a fence with a rail and stile bit. The safest way to feed the rails is to clamp them with a handscrew clamp to a rectangular piece of MDF running against the fence.

Rocker

Thanks David,

Understood. I'd been putting off doing something similar for aspects of the Gifkins jig. Now you've given me an idea for making something adjustable to accommodate different widths of rail/stile.

The only problem now is getting the height settings right so they're both at the same level, avoiding a miss-match in the height of the rail in relation to the stile (or vice versa). I'd sent an email to Carbitool a week or so ago but haven't heard anything back from them.

Many thanks,
Keith

The height setting takes some trial. Use one of the bits, say the rail bit (doesn't really matter which you start with) on some scrap until it is right. Then run the rails. Measure the height from the table, swap bits, adjust to the same height, run some scrap, check fit, adjust, repeat. When it's right, run the stiles.

Rocker's MDF idea is good. A couple (or more) featherboards and a push stick worked well for me. Check this issue (or was it the last issue) of FWW for some good pushstick pics.

Tex

Thanks Tex, some really helpful advice. Actually, at the time, I agonised over whether to buy two complimentary bits or the reversible. The reversible bit worked out quite a bit less expensive. Are the separate bits easier to setup? What does everyone else use?

Keith,

Mine is the one piece. The reversible are supposed to be less fiddly in the setup (just reverse without removing the bit and the theory is the height is perfect). Let us know if the theory works in practice.

Tex

I have a single bit, reversible type and I used to ponder about it every time I set it up. In the end, once I got it right, I cut a small section of pine for both the rail and the stile. I keep these as templates which help me get the set up right each time.

Originally Posted by Gumby

I have a single bit, reversible type and I used to ponder about it every time I set it up. In the end, once I got it right, I cut a small section of pine for both the rail and the stile. I keep these as templates which help me get the set up right each time.

Excellent suggestion mate. I'm feeling less and less intimadated with each post.

Cheers,
Keith

These might be worth a look at

http://www.jesada.com/instructions/rail_stile.html

http://www.jesada.com/instructions/raised_panel.html

http://www.jesada.com/instructions/

It's also worth mentioning that I use 2 Grr-rippers when making the rail cuts and a mitre guage when doing the ends of the stiles.
It certainly makes things easier. They are both pretty severe cuts.

Also multiple passes make it a less daunting operation.

Thanks Sprog.

I'll need to make some different fence plates for the trition router table but I feel a lot more confident now. The other thing I was trying to do was do it all at once, which is obviously not the way to go. It also highlights what I see as a limitation on, certainly the older router table I have. Anyway, I'll have a crack with my new-found knowledge & see what progress I can make.

My daughter & sil have just bought a property which doesn't have any built in's in the bedrooms. "Not a problem", says I. Till she decides she wants timber doors on them. "Also, not a problem", I thought. So I decided to give the old router bit a run (how hard can it be?) & found I needed some help.

Thanks to all for your suggestions,
Keith

Originally Posted by Gumby

I have a single bit, reversible type and I used to ponder about it every time I set it up. In the end, once I got it right, I cut a small section of pine for both the rail and the stile. I keep these as templates which help me get the set up right each time.

Same here Mr Gumby.
I have a template cut from the style bit that I use to set up the bit each time.

Al