Cope & stick cutters

[joe milana]

For typical kitchen cabinet doors, cope & stick cutter sets come with different tongue sizes. Is bigger always better (ie. 1/4 x 5/8 is better than 1/4 x 1/2 is better than 1/4 x 3/8)? If not, when do you choose one over the other?

[frank shic]

I chose the freud set beacause it cuts tge cleanest. 3/8 is deep enoughbfor me.

[Rick Lizek]

You can reinforce the stub tenon with dowels or loose tenons for commercial settings or places with kids.

[Jeff Duncan]

I use mostly Freeborn sets and not sure exactly what size the tenons are off the top of my head....but they work fine. I can't think of any reason a longer tenon would be a bad thing, so if all the sets were equal quality and fairly similarly priced I'd probably go with the longest. Especially considering that's where all the doors strength comes from!

good luck,
JeffD

[Mike Goetzke]

For typical kitchen cabinet doors, cope & stick cutter sets come with different tongue sizes. Is bigger always better (ie. 1/4 x 5/8 is better than 1/4 x 1/2 is better than 1/4 x 3/8)? If not, when do you choose one over the other?

I recently did our kitchen with the Freud Premire adjustable set. I just used the stock tongue depth. The finish was great but in some ways wished I'd have bought the Sommerfeld set becaues he makes calculations for the door parts simple. For example the Freud set you have to work with 16ths 32nds and 64ths - can be done but I like simple.

Couple other things about this set. It does not have a bearing on the panel cutter. They claim it to get a deeper pattern but my thoughts it was for cost. I made curved top panels so couldn't use a full fence for the final cut and really had to keep the piece moving to prevent the bit from burning and gouging the edge of the panel. I also purchased the set with the backcutter. Again nice for flat sides where you can use a full fence but on a profiled top it almost forces you to make the cut in one pass (especially w/o a bearing - Sommerfeld comes wth two different diameter bearings allowing you to make two passes).

Mike

[joe milana]

I use mostly Freeborn sets and not sure exactly what size the tenons are off the top of my head....but they work fine. I can't think of any reason a longer tenon would be a bad thing, so if all the sets were equal quality and fairly similarly priced I'd probably go with the longest. Especially considering that's where all the doors strength comes from!

good luck,
JeffD

Jeff, the Freeborn cutters have available an optional "center groover set" which allows you to cut either a 1/4 x 1/2" or a 1/4 x 5/8" groove, as opposed to the standard 1/4 x 3/8". I ended up calling freeborn and they said that the "space ball guys" like the 1/2" groove for a bit more room for the balls, and they hardly ever sell a 5/8" groover. I'm surprised.

[J.R. Rutter]

I just stuck with 1/2" depth on all of mine. Getting good, consistent glue coverage gets harder the longer they are. Most 5/8" sets that I have seen round over the end of the tenon/inside of groove to help spread the glue rather than scrape it off during assembly. I like the math, too.

[joe milana]

I just stuck with 1/2" depth on all of mine. Getting good, consistent glue coverage gets harder the longer they are. Most 5/8" sets that I have seen round over the end of the tenon/inside of groove to help spread the glue rather than scrape it off during assembly. I like the math, too.

Makes sense...& now that you mention it, the doors I've seen with the longer tenon have a rounded end. wouldn't that be a good thing though?

[J.R. Rutter]

Sure. The rounded profile also distributes stress better (from overextending the doors).

[Jeff Duncan]

Joe, I just buy the standard sets which I just checked and are 3/8" tongues. I suppose I could always switch them out for the longer tongues....though I haven't had any door failures yet so not sure that I would bother.

good luck,
JeffD

[frank shic]

i haven't had any failures since i learned how to dimension the panels correctly to accomodate space balls and started using a 23 gauge pinner.

[Jeff Duncan]

FWIW the pins don't add any real strength to a door. Big door shops use them so they can expedite the doors out of clamps. If you don't believe it try pinning a couple scrap door parts together with just the pins and see how little it takes to just pull them right apart;)

JeffD