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Making the Coping cut -- Cover one end of a test piece with a dark pencil mark. Adjust your fences and quill to make a FULL PROFILE cut in the ends of your rails. When adjusted correctly, the cutting tips of your 1/4-inch straight cutter should be EVEN with the face of your shaper fence and the curve of the bead-and-cove shape on the coping cutter should leave a 1/32" step at the end of the rail. It should NOT create a knife-edge.
Check your set-up by making a short cut on the END of a rail test piece. If it's correct, the coping cutter will form the bead-and-cove profile while the 1/4-inch straight cutter mounted below it will barely brush against the end of your rail, "smearing" the pencil lead without removing it.
IMPORTANT: You must be sure to create a full profile cut without reducing the overall length of your rail pieces. You may have to make a few test passes to achieve the correct adjustment...and the first couple of passes may not even touch your workpiece. That's OK. Take as much time with this set-up as necessary to get as close to perfect as possible.
Splintering on the ends of your rails can be prevented by installing a 2-inch high x 3/4-inch thick wooden extension to your miter gauge face. Make it long enough that its end just touches the Shaping fence once it's been adjusted to its final setting. This extension will serve as a backup on the exit side of your cross-grain cuts at the ends of your rails
Once you're confident of your set-up, use your Miter Gauge and Safety Grip to keep your hands out of harm's way as you make your cuts in the ENDS of all RAILS.
Sticking Cut Set-Up -- Without changing your table or fence settings, remove the arbor (with cutters attached) from the shaper spindle and change to the Sticking cutters (A,B,C).
As before, be sure the arbor "bottoms-out" when you install it on the spindle of your machine. Rotate the cutter by hand to once again verify all clearances to the fence and table. Adjust your vertical setting so the top surface of your 1/4-inch cutter is exactly even with the top surface of the tongue left on the end of the test rail you cut earlier.
Making the Sticking cut -- Now, cut the inside EDGE of your test RAIL . . . then make your sticking cut on the inside EDGE of your test STILE. Check the accuracy of your cut by matching-up the coping cut on the end of your test RAIL with the sticking cut you just made.
Once you're satisfied that your cuts match-up, shape the inside EDGES of all rails and stiles. |
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