MLCS Mitered Drawer Frame Bit

[George Bokros]

Has anyone bought one of these bits? If so how do they work?

If you have one do you have a piece of scrap that you ran with this bit that you would be willing to send me, just a piece about six to maybe eight inches long,I will reimburse you for the postage. I would like to see the actual profile and size. I know you need to use stock 1 1/2" wide but am also curious about how thick it has to be.

http://www.amazon.com/MLCS-8778-Mite.../dp/B004X5U77Y

Thanks

[mreza Salav]

I have that bit (and the larger shaper cutter for the doors) but have never used them. My shop isn't setup to use it unfortunately but if you want I can take measurements for you.
I think they are designed to work with 3/4" material.

[Ed McEowen]

Maybe this will give you some idea of what the bits can do. These were made using one of the MLCS mitered drawer frame bits, don't exactly know which one - 3/4" stock.

[Ed McEowen]

And here:

[George Bokros]

Very nice Ed. Many questions for you on this build. Not sure if I should ask the questions here so all can lean or in a PM.

Did you use the round biscuits MLCS sells for this application? I have never seen the #11 round biscuits before.

Did you build the drawer fronts the same way as building raised panel doors?

The drawers you built are overlay drawers, do you think the mitered drawer fronts would work as inset drawers? I would still use them as false fronts.

Did you buy all the bits they show in the video, the slot cutter and the cutter for the biscuits from MLCS? I have a Whiteside raised panel bit with back cutter so I would plan to use that bit for the raised panel.

How tricky / difficult was it to assemble the doors and drawer fronts and keep the square and tight fitting with the band clamp?

Do you use space balls for clearance in the door assembly?

Do you have any scrap pieces (6 - 8 inch piece) of the rail and stile profile you could send me, I will reimburse you for postage.

Thanks for your help.

[Ed McEowen]

The bit is MLCS #8778 (used on 3/4" stock). I used a standard 1/4" slot cutter, a standard raised panel bit w/undercutter (on 5/8" stock), an R3 mini-biscuit (1" x 1/2") with a Ryobi DBJ50 Detail Biscuit Joiner, and a Merle Band Clamp. I built a jig to hold the mitered ends steady while cutting the biscuit slots (pretty essential). The raised panels are just like regular except the profile is not as wide due to thinner stock. I don't see why inset drawers wouldn't work except the center of the panel would be even smaller. The Merle clamp did a good job of making the miter joints pretty tight or, at least, repairable when done; however it was a real wrestling match keeping everything lined up while simultaneously checking for square and cleaning up glue squeeze-out. I didn't use spacers; in fact, the joints are tighter than I'd use for a bigger door. I will send you a sample for the price of postage if you PM me with your address.

[Jim Dwight]

Ed,

Congratulations on some great looking doors and drawers! How do you think the mitered doors compare to regular rail and stile doors? I've built lots of the latter but never the mitered ones. Wife loves the mitered, of course. Was the molding hard to sand? It seems the entire frame of the door would need hand sanding which is never my favorite part of a door. But your results look great.

Jim

[Ed McEowen]

Thanks, this was my most ambitious project to date. Mitered doors are a lot more work than rail & stile (those just slip together if you do the millwork correctly). Without wifey, I wouldn't have done them either. They needed a bunch of sanding and careful corner pruning and filling to look their best. Here's a bigger picture taken on my daughter's cell-phone (so it's a little grainy):