Stile and Rail bit set frustration....

[Dennis Peacock]

I have a set of stile and rail bits (router) that I got from Jesada about 2 to 3 years ago. I am just now getting around to trying these bits out as I will soon need to make some cabinet doors for our up and coming EC. I have yet to figure out how to get these profiles to line up cleanly. Any hints / tips on how to go about this little fiasco?

[Lynn Sonier]

Dennis, there is a tutorial on the Jesada website about use of their router bits. MLCS also has a nice instruction section. I keep it handy for whenever I do rails and stiles.
Good luck.

[Ron Meadows]

Dennis,

I went through the same song and dance with a Jesada set of about that same date of manufacture. With the bits set up the way that they came from Jesada it was impossible to get the profiles to match up exactly. Turns out you will have to adjust the shim stack on each bit to get them to work correctly. I emailed Jesada with the problem and they promptly sent me out a new set of cutters...told me to keep the others and sent shims to correct the alignment.

Contact Jesada....I'm sure that they'll make it right


Ron

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

I'm a big fan of Jesada bits in general, but I won't be buying any more rail/stile sets from them. I fought with a set (about the same time frame) for literally HOURS shimming and reshimming and testing ech setup. I never did get it quite right, but right enough to pass. It baffles me that when you buy a matched set they aren't machined to fit WITHOUT shims. If I wanted to fiddle with shims and setup, I'd buy the reversible cutter. The Jesada 'company line' might be that they build in a 'sharpening' tolerance and therefore shimming is required. I heard this when I bought a glue-line bit that won't work because it's too tight. I couldn't clamp poplar test pieces closed without glue using Jorgensen I-Bar clamps...and that's about as much clamp as you can put on something. When I called, I was told they'd had complaints from people that the bit was no good after sharpening...so they'd tightened up the tolerance to allow for sharpening.

Straight bits, roundovers, molding profiles and panel raisers, give me Jesada. But not the R/S.

KC

[Steve Roxberg]

Same here, I had to shim like crazy. If fact they even had to send me additional shims.

After it was all said and done, the tougue and groove are tight, and the radius it tight at the top, but open at the bottom. The radius on the two cutters don't match, and no amount of shimming will ever make them match.

Needless to say, I was not happy with the purchase.

[Aaron Heck]

I'm really glad this topic came up. I live 4-5 minutes from Jesada and have been there twice. I was going to try out their bits with the rail/stile and raised panel door $99 set. I think after hearing this I'll pass. Darn....I liked that $99 price. :)

Aaron

[Mike Evertsen]

I have mlcs stack set I get it close after glue up I run the dorrs thru the drum sander I know not the right way and it should be setup right but the small things drive me nuts,

[Chris Padilla]

My CMT rail/stile bits are dead on. Plop 'em in, cut, and the rail and stiles fit like I am a pro or something! (Definately the 'or something' but that is for the OT forum!) :D

Judging by the color, I think NORM uses Freud and, of course, his do fit like a pro.

[Kent Cori]

I have no experience with the Jesada bits but I just received a matching Freud ogee rail and stile bit set in the mail last night. I tried them out on some 3/4" MDF and made a mock up of a door that I'll need to replicate for some cabinets. The profiles match perfectly although it takes a little fiddling to get the heights above the router table just right. Once I did, I made a couple of set up blocks out of some of the scrap MDF. This makes is dirt simple to dial them in the next time. The mocked up door frames came out just fine with the frame faces matching almost perfectly. :) The difference was less than the thickness of a piece of paper. Working with the MDF taught me a couple of things about technique that will save some expensive hard maple later.

I get to play with the matching panel raiser bit tonight. At $139 for the three piece set, this was a real bargain! :D

[Tom Hintz]

I have a story at the link below about setting up these bits (I even used Jesada's in the story) that has been helpful to others. Give it a look.

http://www.newwoodworker.com/ralstilbitset.html

This gets much easier once you do it a couple of times and know what to expect from adjustments. Hang in there!

[John Preston]

I've had experience with two different sets of Jesada bits.

The bits I bought didn't work from the factory, but I was able to change the shims to get them right.

The bits a customer of mine bought for his kitchen were not shimmable. The gap was in the wrong place. I ended up using my bits for his kitchen.

I love the sharpness of the bits by Jesada, but whoever puts the R&S bits together needs to check them at the factory for fit before shipping them. I guess they use the customer for QC, cheaper that way, and some people might never know the difference.

[Stan Smith]

Uh Oh. I just read this post. I have ordered a mini door set from Jesada a week ago, but have not heard back from them. I have had great service from their products in the past. Seems that I read somewhere that they are having some kind of problems but I have no specific info on that. If I don't here back from them by tommorrow morning, I'll just go ahead and cancel. The set comes with rail & stile bits and a horizontal raised panel bit. Anyone know where else I can get a similar mini set? Thanks.

Stan

[Chris Padilla]

Stan,

Try here...Sommerfeld's sells CMT bits. CMT is about all I'll buy:

http://www.sommerfeldtools.com/products.asp?id=158

I can't say for sure that Sommerfelds has the best prices but at least CMT has an example of what you are looking for.

[Greg Heppeard]

I've been using the Whiteside bits with no problems...I don't like the reversables and use the individual rail and stile bits exclusively

[Stan Smith]

Thanks Chris. I was able to find the post I was concerned about on the WWA Forum. Some guy had already been waiting for 4 months! Incredible! I'm cancelling asap. I have some CMT bits when Jesada was still CMT and they have held up quite well.

Stan

[Tony Sade]

I just used my CMT Rail and Stile set for only the second time since I bought it about a year ago-part of their Raised Panel Door set. As with the first time I used it, just after I bought it, I found that there was a major gap in the area of the ogee pattern profile. According to the CMT/Sommerfeld catalogue I have, the way to address this problem is to remove shims from a certain area. Even with all the shims removed (there were two in place, I think), however, the gap persists. I sent the set back to the vendor-Cheyenne Sales-along with a test cut, and they told me that they'll send it to CMT which will try to adjust the bits to eliminate the gap. If that can't be done, CMT will replace the set, or so I'm told. We'll see. Everything I've ever read about CMT tells me the quality is top notch-not in this case, I guess.

Let's see if I can post the picture now that I'm home.

[Steve Clardy]

After Jesada replacing them, then sending those to the sharpening shop to try to match them up, and that not working, I finally pitched them. I bought whiteside. Have two sets, the individual rail and stile, that way I have a sharp set ready to go when the others get dull. Whiteside is a little cheaper than Cmt and Freud I believe, and USA made. Most all my top end bits are whiteside. Sharp out of the box, balanced, etc. Steve

[Fred Voorhees]

I'm with Chris Padilla on this one. I have a few sets of CMT bits and I am very happy with them. I have both the full size rail and stile bits and also the miniature rail and stile set and both have produced perfectly fine "match-ups".

[Chris Padilla]

Tony,

That is, indeed, a bad set of bits you have there, my friend! Perhaps only one of the "matched" set is bad but, of course, which one is the bad one??

All mine, like Fred's, have been perfect out of the box. I hope a remedy comes swiftly. How long have you been waiting, Tony? I am curious about your downtime. If I were Cheyene (and I've bought from them before, positive experience), I would've just sent you a replacement right away and dealt with CMT and leave the customer out of it.

[Tony Sade]

Tony,

That is, indeed, a bad set of bits you have there, my friend! Perhaps only one of the "matched" set is bad but, of course, which one is the bad one??

All mine, like Fred's, have been perfect out of the box. I hope a remedy comes swiftly. How long have you been waiting, Tony? I am curious about your downtime. If I were Cheyene (and I've bought from them before, positive experience), I would've just sent you a replacement right away and dealt with CMT and leave the customer out of it.


I contacted Cheyenne right after I bought the set and used it for the first time, about a year ago. They told me what they told me this time, that they'd return them to CMT for an attempt at adjustment, and if that didn't work, replacement. For some reason-old age, I suppose, I didn't take them up then. When I encountered the problem this time around, I decided to followup. I just sent the set back this weekend. We'll see how fast I get a response/remedy.

You're right-it would have been nice if Cheyenne had just sent a replacement. Since I waited so long, I didn't feel like I was in a very strong position to push things. I'm hoping CMT steps up and makes things right. Thanks

[Stan Smith]

Hi Tony:

I sure hope things work out for you, too. I just ordered the Junior set today from Sommerfield. I've done business with them before and got fast service. I agree with Chris that Cheyenne should have just taken them back with a replacement. In this day and age, when you find a place that gives good service, you just have to stick with them. I guess that's why I went with Jesada over the years, but what happened now, I have no idea. I've gotten to the point Of just paying a few $$ more to get the comfort of a company standing behind their products. Fortunately, I have found a number of them.

Stan

[Jim DeLaney]

In this day and age, when you find a place that gives good service, you just have to stick with them. I guess that's why I went with Jesada over the years, but what happened now, I have no idea.


I don't know, either, but I've quit doing business with them. I had to send back the last three bits I'd ordered (two separate orders) for defects - an R&S with a grooving cutter that cut a deeper groove than the rail tenon (no shimming will cure that) and two other bits with carbide problems. One actually had the carbide painted white - including the cutting edge (go figure).

Whiteside is okay. Freud & CMT have become my preferences.

[Stan Smith]

I guess that's it for me, too, Jim. In addition to the mini door making set, I discovered that I needed a 3/16ths cove bit for some little drawers. I needed some stuff from Rockler so I went ahead and ordered that bit from them. I don't know who makes their bits, though. I have bought a few others from them as well. They are okay but probably not top quality.

Stan