insert cutters for 5 piece doors

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Just wondering, what brand and what are the pros and cons of the insert tooling are you guys using for your five piece doors? Also what type of equipment are you using to make them as well? Have you have any success with heads that can use multiple inset profiles (are my heads are pretty much dedicated to one profile) I have an older panel cutter that the inserts are no longer availible. I had insert custom made but by the time I bought them I could have bought a new head. I also bought my first insert style and rail cutters form the company that cuts my knives and sharpens my saw blades, little did I know that it was a "pripriortory" set and although it was from a major manufacturer it was a different radius from there other standard heads. it was 1/2" larger than their standard heads and every time I use it I have to add 1/4" shims to the fences. Live and learn I guess. So I am going to retool now and it is a good size investment and I just wanted some input before I pull the trigger

Bill

We use tooling from Great Lake Custom tool. We are very pleased with it. We have been using it for years with no problem. It is not cheap but it is something you should only have to buy once.

Alex

Member

Hi Doug,

I work at Rangate (we're a solid wood tooling and equipment company).

We do a 'stacked' set which you switch between coping and profiling by moving the spindle up and down.

PROS:
- It cuts down on the amount of time you spend on the setup, since you're moving up and down instead of remounting tools between cuts.

-The inside diameters are the same, so the fence doesn't move between cuts.

- The shims/spacers are stacked up inside the tool assembly so you don't need to re-shim it between cuts as long as you stay at the same material thickness (it can go from 3/4" to 1")

Aside from having dedicated shaper setups for the cope and profile, this is probably the quickest way to get your stiles and rails done manually.

- As far as multiple profiles, it's an insert system so you can order different profile knives to do different cabinet styles as the jobs require.

CONS

- We're one of the more expensive options out there, because we're a premium company. Fortunately, we have a new program called CutterShare which lets you get our tools for 1-3 months for less than the cost of a brazed set. A brazed edge set is going to go 'off' on the dimensions once you sharpen it and loosen the joint, so you might as well work with the best set for the money, is our thinking.

As far as how it works, we put together a pretty good video you can check out at the link. Feel free to message me if you have any questions!

Alex

Cabinet Setup Video

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door shop guy