In the world of woodworking, there are endless options for tools and bits for these tools.
If you’re building cabinets and need to make doors for them, you’ll require certain bits for this specific wood-routing process.
And in this article, we’ll recommend you 3 of the best router bits for cabinet doors that will help you excel the job of setting up a door for your cabinets.
Best Router Bits for Cabinet Doors
| Product | Freud Cabinet Bit Set | A.G.E. MD502 Raised Panel Door Router Bit Set | Yonico 12335 Cabinet Door Router Bit Set |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image |  |
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| Shank Size | 1/2" | 1/2" | 1/2" |
| No. of Pieces | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Stock size | 5/8" to 1-1/4" stock | 3/4" to 1" stock | up to 1" stock |
| Price | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
Freud 3 Piece Premier Adjustable Cabinet Bit Set (97-158)
This set features Freud’s new premier adjustable rail and stile bits. It also comes with 2 adjustable raised panel cabinet bit sets with back cutters.
You also get Part #99-760 round over bit, 7/32 inch large radius, 1-11/16 inch diameter, ½ inch shank and part #99-569 cove with back cutter bit, 1-1/2 inch radius, 3-1/2 inch diameter, ½ inch shank.
Combining both 99-760 Premier Adjustable Rail and Stile bits with the 99-569 2+2 raised panel bit with a back cutter, this set gives you a high degree of flexibility when it comes to working.
You can use it to build doors from 5/8 inch to 1-1/4 inch thickness and tenon construction of whatever length you want with rock-solid joints and a reliable build that lasts a lifetime.
Moreover, you can create extended tenons to enhance the strength of the joints.
As for the top portion of the cutter, including bearing and spindle, it’s removed to bring out the long tenon profile for blind tenons, through tenons, or bridle joints.
With the help of this set, you can build doors that move smoothly with no rattle whatsoever. This is because you can easily adjust the groove width.
The shims are adjustable in order to allow you to work with plywood panels in a tight fit and provide you with the ability to work with thicker panels ranging between 5.5 mm and 6.35 mm.
Moreover, tear out is virtually eliminated thanks to the unique cutter geometry.
The set also features 99-569 2+2 raised panel bit with back cutter and two small wings to help you cut downward and two large wings that shear upward.
That’s why you can rely on this set to produce incredibly smooth cuts in all types of woods including hardwoods, softwoods, and plywoods.
Furthermore, the clever design is combined with a back cutter to allow you to make flawless raised panel doors with the frame on both sides in one single step.
On top of that, the parts are quite durable with the bits featuring Freud’s Perma-Shield coating which resists heat and pitch build-up and rust. Moreover, Freud’s TiCo Hi-Density Carbide maximizes the bit life and material finish.
You can easily use the bits of this set with table-mounted portable routers.
If you want to make double-sided profile doors (99-860) and glass panel doors (54-760) of varying thicknesses and tenon lengths, you can make use of the optional cutters.
This helps you match the profiles on all doors perfectly as you’ll be using the same set of router bits.
On a rail and stile, this set produces a quarter round profile. On the other hand, it produces a cove profile on the panel bit.
Finally, all bits are ½ an inch in size and the set comes with a useful wooden storage box and a poster on it for instructions.
Pros
- The perfect bits for creating raised panel doors.
- Machined to very high tolerances
- High quality cuts with no burning
- You can create longer tenons with it.
Cons
- A little bit difficult to get the bits out.
- Instructions need more improvement.
A.G.E. Series by Amana Tool MD502 Raised Panel Door Making Carbide Tipped Router Bit Set
The wooden box that contains the 3-piece set is convenient for their storage after use.
These pieces include 2-piece Stile and Rail cutters with a horizontal raised panel bit with back cutter.
With the armor ax coating, high-quality European sub-micro grain and micro grain carbide, you can rest assured that this bit set will be durable and won’t wear out easily.
The thick carbide is integrated for multiple resharpenings and the different carbide grades can be used on various materials.
On top of that, the silver induction brazing provides the carbide with the maximum bonding strength.
You can easily work with materials ranging between ¾ of an inch and up to an inch. But the only drawback is that the bits may become dull when frequently cutting thick materials, like the 1 inch stocks.
The ground shank is centerless to help you reach exact fits and the grinding is of a multi-axis nature.
Furthermore, the shanks are laser etched with size and have the maximum ratings for both clamping depth and rotations per minute.
And although you may need to work at a slower pace –especially that there is no option for successive cuts-, the set will definitely give you very sharp and clean cuts.
Pros
- Easy to setup
- Hardwood Storage Case to protect the bits
- Detailed Instructions
Cons
- Gets dull when cutting 1 inch stocks multiple times
Yonico 12335 Raised Panel Cabinet Door Router Bit Set
The Yonico 12335 cabinet set actually exceeds the standards of Yonico products.
The bits are of industrial quality as the cutters are made of C3 Tungsten Carbide.
With a solid, hardened steel body and an anti-kickback design, you’ll get very stable and solid performance.
Moreover, the build-up resistant Teflon coating guarantees the durability and extended longevity of the bits.
On top of that, the lifetime warranty has you covered if any problems arise with the set.
The Yonico 12335 cabinet set comes at a very affordable price but still allows you to create professional and stellar raised panel cabinet doors.
You can use it with stock sizes of up to an inch and rely on the rail and stile bits to create rail and stile door frames that perfectly match.
Not only that, but you can use the panel raiser to create beautiful drawer fronts, table tops, plaques, and molding.
On top of that, you can work without a fence thanks to the precise cuts that the fully enclosed ball bearing guides produce.
The two flute carbide cutters and ½ inch shanks come in a strong wooden storage case. You’ll also find an ogee raised panel bit, 2 bit matched ogee rail and stile, as well as an Allen wrench and extra spacers.
Pros
- Great quality-to-Cost ratio
- Anti Kickback design
- Lifetime Warranty
- Works well on pine and red oak
- Perfect for hobbyist woodworkers
Cons
- Sometimes they gap between the rail/stile joint, but it can be taken care of with a small amount of wood putty.
Types of router bits
I’m pretty sure that a good router is nothing without a quality router bits. If you go to any workshop, you will certainly find a wall equipped with many router bits. But, before you buy your set, you need to know the different types of router bits and their uses.
Straight Bits
A straight router bit is one of the most common bits with any woodworker, it is used for routing grooves, dados or even hollowing area for inlay.
Rabbiting bits
Rabbeting bits are used to create notches and rabbets. they come in different diameters for both, the bearings and the rabbets.
Flush-trim bits
Generally, the flush-trim bits have bearings on its end, they’re used for flush trimming laminate, but can also trim solid wood and sheet goods, it can be used to flush the edge of a material with another one.
The common cutting diameter range between 1/4″ to 1/2″, and the common cutting lengths range fro 3/4″ to 2″
Edge forming bits
The edge forming router bits are used for creating decorative profiles into the edge of a workpiece. They’re the easiest bits to use.
The most famous edge forming router bits are the round-over bits, the chamfer bits and the cove bits.
The round-over bits are used for adding quarter radius profile to an edge. Usually available from 1/16″ radius to 1-1/2″ radius.
The cove bits are the opposite shape of the round-over bits. They usually available from 1/8″ radius to 1″ radius.
The chamfer bits will add straight surface between two 90-degree surfaces. Typically this straight surface is 45 degrees to both surfaces, but sometimes at about a 20 degree angle between the cutting edge and the shank.
stile and rail bits
These are special type of router bits used for making cabinet doors and raised panel doors. And these are the bits that we focus on in this post. They basically create joints that fit together
What to focus on when buying a router bit set
Shank Diameter
An important criterion that you should focus on is the shank diamter, because the larger diameter, the stronger the bit, and this enables you to create a smoother cut surface.
The most common diameters are 1/4″ and 1/2″. I advice you to go for the 1/2″ shank unless you have a router with a 1/4″ collet.
Bearings
Bit Material
There are three types of material that the bits are made of, The high speed steel (HSS), The carbide cutting edge and the solid carbide.
The HSS was a common material, but it is rarely used now, so keep away from HSS bits. The carbite router bits are the most common ones, so if you choose a cutting edge carbide, which is simply a carbide cutting edge fixed to a steel body, this is a good choice
How to router cabinet doors
The cabinet doors, or we should say “the rail and stile doors”, consist of 3 main parts, the first one is the rails, which are the vertical members of the door.
The second one is the rail, which is the horizontal members of the door, and the third one is the panel.
The sizing of these parts is pretty simple, you first start by deciding the overall size of your door.
Source of image: Wikipedia
Second, you decide the dimensions of the rails and stiles, taking into account that the rails are shorter than the stiles, because they’re housed in between the stiles. After that you
Have a look at this instructive video so you cal learn the exact process of creating cabinet doors using rail and stile bits
If you haven’t bought your router yet, make sure you check our Buyer’s guide for the best plunge routers.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for the bit set that combines between budget-friendliness and efficiency, the A.G.E. Series by Amana Tool MD502 is a very reliable choice and will give you great value for your money.
The Yonico 12335 Raised Panel Cabinet Door Router Bit Set beats it in terms of affordability as you can find it at a very cheap price. It’s quite versatile but not as durable as the other two sets. Let alone the fact that it doesn’t have a back cutter.
It’s good for making a door or two, but not for heavy-duty jobs.
The Freud 3 Piece Premier Adjustable Cabinet Bit Set is the best choice for heavy-duty jobs and reliable performance.
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