Axcaliber (Axminster) Rail and Stile Door Cutters

[sams93]

I bought this router cutter set a month ago to make some shaker style cabinet doors and drawer fronts. I wasn't too sure about how well it would go having never tried anything like this before, but I made myself a router table top for my 1/2" triton router and finally got round to doing it today. I have to say I am so impressed with them, the joints are absolutely perfect. It was a bit pricey at £65, but I am quite pleased with the purchase now that I've had a chance to use it.

It takes a little while to get your head round how the cutters work (as they cut both the rails and stiles), but watching the two videos on youtube helped (Vid 1. Vid 2). I don't know why they couldn't write it down into an instruction sheet which would make life a bit easier and save the two hours of video watching. One thing I would definitely have got wrong if I hadn't watched the videos is that the rails have to be cut facing down, but the stiles are cut facing upwards.

Found it a bit tricky doing the stiles end grain, would have been better if I had a coping sled or a better following piece to reduce the tearout, something I would take the time to bother with as and when I use it again. No major errors made though.

I've dry fitted them together and laid out into the face frame they will live in and they all fit nicely. Now just to make the panels from some 6mm MDF. I was reading in the reviews about the 6.35mm panel cutout being sloppy - with plywood it is, but with 6mm MDF it is nice and tight, no complaints at all.

Photos attached!