I'm having newbie trouble making the frame for a small (18" X 12")
panel door. I'm using a matched two piece rail and stile router bit
set from Jointech (KC-5030) together with 1" X 2" s for the frame
material. No instructions came with the Jointech bit set.

First I use one bit to successfully make the inside mortise groves on
all four frame pieces. Then I switch to the matching bit and cope the
rail ends for the tenons. I get perfect profile matches on all four
corners. So far so good, but here's the problem.

When I make the groves, I get a curved bevel on one inside edge of
each frame piece. In itself this is not a problem and is part of the
bit set profile. BUT, when I fit the rails to the stiles, the curved
bevel comes out on one side of the stiles and the opposite side of the
rails! So I get a finished frame with curved inside bevels on the
front stiles and curved inside bevels on the back sides of the rails!

Help! I feel like an idiot. What am I doing wrong or is this normal?

Can someone please figure this out?

Dennise

I'm having newbie trouble making the frame for a small (18" X 12")
panel door. I'm using a matched two piece rail and stile router bit
set from Jointech (KC-5030) together with 1" X 2" s for the frame
material. No instructions came with the Jointech bit set.

I'm having a hard time picturing your problem - any chance you could
post some pictures somewhere? In the meantime, here are some
instructions from Infinity, which is a great source for good-quality
bits btw. (No, I'm really not affiliated, despite that drive-by
'advertisement'...)
www.infinitytools.com/PDF/RailandStile.pdf
Andy

In article . com
"Andy" writes:
I'm having newbie trouble making the frame for a small (18" X 12")
panel door. I'm using a matched two piece rail and stile router bit
set from Jointech (KC-5030) together with 1" X 2" s for the frame
material. No instructions came with the Jointech bit set.

I'm having a hard time picturing your problem - any chance you could
post some pictures somewhere? In the meantime, here are some

I *think* I may be getting the visual. Unfortunately, I'm a newbie
and haven't ever touched a door making bit set.

Looks like this is the bit set and profiles:
http://www.kempston.ca/products/sets/KC5030.htm
(The picture at Jointech wasn't as good).

I think the description is that the top curve in the left-most bit
is on the wrong side on either the rails or stiles. What that
sounds like to me is that the OP ran the ends through the cope bit
upside down.

Is that the sort of problem? Or is my mental camera all screwed?


--

Some of the bits I've used require you to run the cope ends face down and
the sides face up.


wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm having newbie trouble making the frame for a small (18" X 12")
panel door. I'm using a matched two piece rail and stile router bit
set from Jointech (KC-5030) together with 1" X 2" s for the frame
material. No instructions came with the Jointech bit set.

First I use one bit to successfully make the inside mortise groves on
all four frame pieces. Then I switch to the matching bit and cope the
rail ends for the tenons. I get perfect profile matches on all four
corners. So far so good, but here's the problem.

When I make the groves, I get a curved bevel on one inside edge of
each frame piece. In itself this is not a problem and is part of the
bit set profile. BUT, when I fit the rails to the stiles, the curved
bevel comes out on one side of the stiles and the opposite side of the
rails! So I get a finished frame with curved inside bevels on the
front stiles and curved inside bevels on the back sides of the rails!

Help! I feel like an idiot. What am I doing wrong or is this normal?

Can someone please figure this out?

Dennise

I'm having some trouble with this visual as well but using the pic
from the url you gave....

Bit at right, used to cut the stile's (short) ends only (horizontal
member of frame), good face down, cut these first.

Bit at left cuts profile on rails and long edge of stiles, good face
down.

This is done on a router table. Practice with scraps of the same
dimensions as your project, at least of the same thickness.

You'll get the hang of it.



On Apr 9, 2:14 pm, (Drew Lawson) wrote:
In article . com
"Andy" writes:

I'm having newbie trouble making the frame for a small (18" X 12")
panel door. I'm using a matched two piece rail and stile router bit
set from Jointech (KC-5030) together with 1" X 2" s for the frame
material. No instructions came with the Jointech bit set.

I'm having a hard time picturing your problem - any chance you could
post some pictures somewhere? In the meantime, here are some

I *think* I may be getting the visual. Unfortunately, I'm a newbie
and haven't ever touched a door making bit set.

Looks like this is the bit set and profiles:
http://www.kempston.ca/products/sets/KC5030.htm
(The picture at Jointech wasn't as good).

I think the description is that the top curve in the left-most bit
is on the wrong side on either the rails or stiles. What that
sounds like to me is that the OP ran the ends through the cope bit
upside down.

Is that the sort of problem? Or is my mental camera all screwed?

--

I agree with Vic.

If your bits are made like those shown in the picture, the bit on the right
is used to make the cope cuts on the ends of the rails with the rail face
sides down. The first bit (left side of picture) is used for making the
inside cuts on the rails and the stiles with their face sides up (the bit
that you used first). The bit on the right makes the end (cope) cuts on the
rails and this cut must be made with the work piece face side down. Look for
the curved cutter in each bit. You will notice that one is above the bit
center and the other (mating cutter) is below bit center. This indicates
that one is intended to be used upside down from the other. You will need to
use a backer board (behind your work piece) when making the cope cuts to
minimize tear-out of the board end grain. This backer board will need to
have the cope cut made along one edge so that it will mate with the edge
cuts on the rail pieces. When cutting the cope on one end of a rail this cut
on the backer board will be necessary.

Here is a brief set of instructions:

1. Set up the first bit (left of picture) and make all of the inside cuts
with your work pieces facing up. (you seemed to be successful at this part)
2. Switch to the right bit (cope cutter) and adjust it's height so that it's
cut will mate with those cuts previously made with the other bit (use a work
piece that was cut in step 1 to get the height set correctly - the face side
will now be down)
3. Cut one edge (long side) of a scrap piece and check it's fit with those
pieces cut in step 1 to make sure the bit height is OK.
4. Now prepare and make the cope cuts in the end grain of the rails. You
will need to use a mitre gauge and clamp your piece to it with it's face
down. To get a quality cut, clamping the rail to the Mitre gauge will be
necessary, as the bit will try to push the rail away from the bearing and
fence. Use the scrap piece made in step 3 as a backer when cutting these end
grain cope cuts. The cut that you made in the long side of this scrap piece
will be needed to minimize tear-out when making the cope cut in one end of
the rail and the flat un-cut side of this scrap piece will be needed as a
backer to minimize tear-out when making the cope cut on the other end of
each rail.

You will probably need to make a few doors before you get comfortable at
doing this and understand the process. Don't waste money on expensive wood
until you have made a few doors and feel comfortable doing it. Once you have
made some good parts for a good fitting door save some of these pieces and
use them later for setting your bit heights correctly.

--
Charley



"Vic Baron" wrote in message
t...
Some of the bits I've used require you to run the cope ends face down and
the sides face up.


wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm having newbie trouble making the frame for a small (18" X 12")
panel door. I'm using a matched two piece rail and stile router bit
set from Jointech (KC-5030) together with 1" X 2" s for the frame
material. No instructions came with the Jointech bit set.

First I use one bit to successfully make the inside mortise groves on
all four frame pieces. Then I switch to the matching bit and cope the
rail ends for the tenons. I get perfect profile matches on all four
corners. So far so good, but here's the problem.

When I make the groves, I get a curved bevel on one inside edge of
each frame piece. In itself this is not a problem and is part of the
bit set profile. BUT, when I fit the rails to the stiles, the curved
bevel comes out on one side of the stiles and the opposite side of the
rails! So I get a finished frame with curved inside bevels on the
front stiles and curved inside bevels on the back sides of the rails!

Help! I feel like an idiot. What am I doing wrong or is this normal?

Can someone please figure this out?

Dennise

Thanks to all for their help and suggestions. From them I was able to
find my problem solution.

Drew Lawson was right. Somehow, when I coped the rail ends, I did have
the rails upside down! I remade them and wah-la, correct fit with all
four inside edge bevels on the same side. I wont make that mistake
again!

Thanks again to all!

Dennise9