You know me well enough by now to know that I do like new woodworking tools. You should also know that I only like those tools that can extend my woodworking skills.    That is why I was delighted to receive CMT/Sommerfeld's new Junior Raised Panel Set.    It is exactly like their regular raised panel set, but smaller.         I know I am showing you the last picture but sometimes it helps. Maureen is holding her first raised panel door using this set. The fit of all the components was exact—the very first time.    This door is 9" X 11" and will be a top to a new jewelry chest Maureen is making.    I said that the door was perfect the first time. That is true, but a lot of credit goes to the instructional video that comes with the set. Marc Sommerfeld is on camera going through the step-by-step just as he does at the many wood shows at which he exhibits.    We both watched this video and followed his instructions to the letter—including using some very clever, typical Marc Sommerfeld, jigs and hold downs that make the job easier and safer.    So let's show you the process. Maureen starts at the table saw cutting the rails, stiles, and panel sections. She is doing one from quartersawn oak and the other from walnut. All the stock has been thickness planed to 1/2". The Junior Set handles stock from 7/16" to 11/16" thick.           At the router table, Maureen chucks the first bit that she will use to cut the end profiles on the two rails.    (Note, if  you have been to the wood shows and have seen Marc demonstrate this, you will remember that he doesn't have to remove the router to change bits. We hope to be able to show his table setup on this site, real soon.)   With the bit installed, Maureen adjusts the router bit height using the stock to help estimate the position. We learned from the video that you want the back (top) rabbet to be about 1/8"—which is what Maureen is setting.    Of course, once she has the right height, she will cut a scrap piece that can be used to streamline future setups.       She uses the straight edge of a cabinet scraper to set the fence to be even with the bearing.    By the way, the fence we are using is the one we made for use with the locking miter bit. The cut out happens to be very close to all three bits of the Junior Set.    In Marc's demonstration you can see the use of his fence that has replaceable center inserts—a real great  way to have exact, zero clearance fence openings for each bit. This worked very well.    The rails and stiles can be small, so in his video Marc uses some very simple, but clever, hold downs. Maureen's hand is on a stock plastic push stick which has been screwed to a comfortable scrap block (6" X 8"). That block will push the rail through the cutter and serve as a backer board to minimize tearout.    In her left hand, Maureen holds another scrap which she will use to hold the rail down flat on the table...as Marc says, this is much better than having fingers anywhere near the cutter.          This close-up shows Maureen actually making the cut. The two easy fixtures makes this cut safe and fast.    While the router is still unchanged, Maureen makes another cut on a scrap and marks it. This will serve as a setup piece anytime we want to make this cut on similar thickness stock.        With the rail end cuts made, she can install the bit for profiling the rails and stiles. She sets the height of the bit to match what she has just cut in the end of the stile.    Marc shows in his video that all the bits are matched for height. So, having set the first one, the other two will automatically match if you insert the router bit to the same depth. Marc uses two 1/2" O-rings that he places in his collet so that each of the bits bottoms on them. A great idea, that we will do as soon as we can get the O-rings. Note: you never want to insert a bit all the way into a collet. Main Menu           Next Page