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A bit of vocabulary before we begin: On a frame and panel, the horizontal top and bottom pieces are the Rails (like a rail fence). The left and right vertical parts are Stiles. The profile cut on the long edges of the parts is known as “Sticking”, and the reverse profile that fits into the sticking cut is known as the “Cope.”

Begin by cutting a couple of test pieces. These will familiarize you with the orientations of the cuts and visualize the profile. On this bit, Freud’s #99-293, the cope cut is the lower section of the bit, and the stick section is on top. This bit provides two bearings, one to guide each of the profiles.

Raise the bit up so that the bottom bearing is slightly exposed, and set the fence flush with the bearing face. For cope cuts, I use a wide backer board. It not only prevents tearout of the end grain, but also steadies and keeps the rail square to the fence. If your stock is to be narrow, rip it wide, and it can be re-ripped after milling. Examine the test cut. Check the height of the step on the face of the sample and the thickness of the back. You can adjust the bit height to balance these out to where desired.

With the sample cope cut, the stick cut can be set to match. Lower the bit in the table until the tongue on the sample lines up with the slot cutter on the bit. The fence position should remain unchanged throughout this entire process.

Now complete a test of the stick cut, and dry fit the two samples. The faces and the back should be even, with no step across the joint. Adjust the height of the stick cut as needed to flush the faces.

A setup block can be made with both cope and stick cuts on it. This will allow you to very quickly set the bit up and change between cuts.

With samples in hand, a parts list can be made, and stock cut. Note on the samples the depth of the groove in the stick cut. This represents the overlap between the two profiles and must be accounted for in the rail lengths. On this bit, the overlap is 3/8″. Some bits will be as little as 1/4″ and others may be as much as 1/2″.

The stock should all be processed together to insure uniform thickness. It can then be ripped to width. Now the cutlist comes into play. The door here is 14-3/8″ tall and 11-7/16″ wide with 2″ wide stiles and rails. The stiles are cut to the full height of the door. The rails should be cross cut to 8-3/16″ This is the width of the door (11-7/16″) minus the width of the two rails (4″ total) plus the length of the overlap on each end (3/4″ total).

The first step is to cope the ends of all the rails. This eliminates most of the end grain tearout issues since a backer is used to support the edge. Be sure to minimize the fence opening and use the backer to keep the rail square. If you plan to do a lot of door making, buying or building a crosscut sled is a good investment.

Now reset the bit height for the stick cut. Test the setup against your rails, then run one long edge of all the parts. Be aware of the orientation of the parts and the cuts. Both cope and stick cuts are face down with this particular bit, so the good face should be down on the table.

With all the parts cut, add the panel and glue the cope joints. Do not apply glue to the panel, it needs to “float” to allow for seasonal movement.

This bit makes a frame and panel joint. The door is just one of the forms of frame and panel. When I was a millwright at a stair company, I used this type of setup to make paneled newel posts. They are simply tall narrow doors, joined to form a hollow box. This makes posts of all types. Wainscoting is a series of frame and panel sections mounted together along a wall, and many fine furniture pieces are made up of frame and panel components.

A door making bit, or set of bits, should be a part of any shop inventory. It allows for quickly making elegant frame and panel components, one of the building blocks of woodworking.

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If you’re doing woodworking on a shoestring budget, you’ll be happy to know that the only tools you need to cut tight-fitting mortise and tenon joints are a square, knife and marking gauge, a fine-toothed saw, and a couple of sharp chisels and mallet. You may also wish to use a drill (a drill press is even better), to remove waste from the mortise ahead of chopping it to final size, and of course, you’ll also need to supply some elbow grease and a healthy dose of patience.

For this example, I’ll describe how to create a standard hidden (blind) mortise and tenon joint. Other variations (through, pinned, etc.) are created by a similar process. Start by laying out the joint on both male and female parts. Use the square to mark the shoulders of the tenon on all four sides, as well as the width of the mortise (Photo 1, below).

Instead of a pencil, use a scribing knife to make the marks (this will help when cutting the joints later). Set the marking gauge to scribe a line that defines the edges and ends of the tenon cheeks (the thickness of the tenon). If both joint members are the same thickness and the mortise and tenon is centered, you can use the same gauge setting to mark the sides of the mortise (Photo 2).

I find it easiest to chop the mortise first, then cut the tenon and pare it to fit. For faster mortising, use a brace or drill press fitted with a bit that’s equal to or slightly smaller in diameter than the final mortise width. Bore a row of overlapping holes along the waste area, stopping just short of the ends of the mortise (Photo 3) .

It’s best to use a bit that leaves a flat-bottomed hole, like a Forstner bit. Using a wide chisel, chop the waste on the sides back to the line. I like to use a mallet to drive the chisel for the initial rough cuts, then take the chisel in hand to do the final trimming. For the final trim cut, set the chisel into the fine scribed line, and first just tap the chisel and deepen the mark (Photo 4). Then, tap the chisel down to the full depth of the mortise.

To help keep the mortises’ sides parallel, you can use a scrap squared block of wood to keep the chisel square to the stock, as shown in the photo (Photo 5). Trim the ends of the mortise with a chisel that’s the same width as the tenon.

To cut the tenon, clamp the stock vertically into a sturdy bench vise and use a fine-toothed saw (tenon saw, backsaw, Japanese dozuki, etc.) to carefully cut down the cheek lines to the shoulders. Use the scribed lines to line up the saw teeth, erring to the outside of the line — it’s better to make the tenon too thick, rather than too thin. Hold the saw so that it cuts diagonally (Photo 6) as you follow the line. Then, tilt the saw in the other direction to complete each cheek cut.

Next, reclamp the member flat atop the bench and saw off the waste at the shoulder on each side of the tenon (Photo 7). To make the tenon easier to insert into the mortise, use a block plane or chisel to chamfer the ends of the tenon slightly on all four sides.

Now carefully check the fit of tenon into mortise. If it’s too thick, DO NOT force it. Use a wide chisel to carefully pare off a little from each cheek face as necessary (Photo 8), until the tenon fits snuggly, but not tightly – remember, glue will swell the wood a skosh and make the fit a little tighter.

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