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dadsalmon

I guess I can forget purchasing the Oak Park panel raising system since there are no longer approved bits...I see 5 of the stacked stile and rail bits available from MLCS, but am fearful of purchasing any of them as they may not be useable. If I could be sure of a raised panel bit and a stacked stile and rail bit would work, then it would be worth my while

Mike

No longer approved bits? For your peace of mind these Freud bit numbers were supplied by Oak Park. They are approved. Any bits matching all of their dimensions will work. I thought I stated clearly that those Freud bits were the ones to use with the system.

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Mike

dadsalmon

I cannot find a Freud catalg. Can you help? I want the stacked rail and stile bit as originally offered, not a two bit system... When I just asked Oak-Park about whether or not they had checked out the MLCS bits, I was told they were revamping the system to accept other bits, but not any time soon.

Woodnut65

Hi, the raised panel bits used with the Oak-Park system are made to the same set up as bits by Freud, MLCS, and CMT. If the bit has a 1/2" bearing on the top it is on the same set up. I have used other bit sets with the Oak-Park system with no problem.
However, if you use some one elses stile and rail bits you could have a problem, because the single cutter used to make the with the Oak Park system is made so that which ever one you are cutting has the face down. This was done to eliminate unevenness of thre face side which would reqiire sanding. I believe that Infinity has both cutters on one bit and it references the face side. If you buy a separate stile and rail set with two cutters just be sure that the cutting is being done with the face side to the table. That way you will have fewer poblems. On the tape that I got with the raised panel system Bob goes into the same details about having the face side down. Hope this helps out..Woodnut65

Mike

Dadsalmon, The easiest way to get a Freud catalog is to PM member Charles M (who works for Freud.) If you have your heart set on getting the original bit PM member BrianS. Brian's buddy has one for sale and he can help you with the deal.

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Mike

dadsalmon

Thanks for the info Woody, but without exact specifications it is difficult to make comparisons between the different bits. As a former senior buyer for UPS electronics I am very cautious about specifications, and most catalogs and Oak Park do not provide enough to make absolutely certain. When you are retired on a limited income you can't afford to make mistakes. I can't see any bearings to the top of these bits either.

Charles M

From the Oak Park page, they say the bearing must be 7/8" and the distance from the bearing to the outer edge of the cutter 3/8". The Freud catalog you requested has 1:1 scale drawings of the bits with the key dimensions listed.

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Charles M
Freud America, Inc.

Mike

When I made this posting it was not intended to be a debating society. Wendy at Oak Park told me these Freud bits were the recomended replacements for the original cutter. It just does not get any simpler than that.

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Mike