# Rails and Stiles ... Which is which? I can tell you how to never forget.



## spaids (Apr 15, 2008)

I could never remember which parts were the rails and which were the styles. This is going to seem very silly but it works for me and it might work for you so here we go.

The word "styles" has an "s" on the left and the right side of the word. So does the word "sides". I remember rails and styles by thinking that sides and styles both start and end with the letter "s" while "rails" doesn't have the two "s" and neither do the the words "top" or "bottom".

So (s)tyle(s) are the (s)ide(s)

So from one newbie to another, I hope this helps. Us ronin wood workers gotta stick together.


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## Russel (Aug 13, 2007)

An interesting observation. I'll this tidbit to the thumb/finger router direction tip.


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

Styles or stiles, Spaids?


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## spaids (Apr 15, 2008)

HA! Thats funny! I spelled that wrong OVER and OVER again. HA HA. Hey I said I was a newbie didn't I? HA HA!

Well I corrected the topic but I'm going to leave the rest of the misspelled "styles" as punishment to myself.


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## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

HandRAILS and railroad RAILS run horizontally (mostly).


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## BigTim (Jan 17, 2008)

Railroad rails is how I remember--Dad was a switchman.


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## Kjuly (May 28, 2009)

Fence rails run horizontally is how I remember.
Keith


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## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

top, bottom and sides…i will mess it up, always do…even when filming with it wrote down….but you got a good way to remember….


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## spaids (Apr 15, 2008)

holly cow! If you can't remember Charles then the newbies like me don't stand a chance.


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## DaleM (Feb 18, 2009)

I don't know where I heard this but I didn't make it up myself. "Stiles" sounds and is spelled sort of like "stilts" and of course stilts are used vertically (unless I'm using them because I fall down a lot.)


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## getneds (Mar 18, 2009)

hand railings are horizontal, 
so are rails 
that easy

stiles and stilts just like dale says.

easy as pie from now on


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## tooldad (Mar 24, 2008)

this is being relayed as it comes from the mind of a 17 year old boy. Stiles and stripper pole both start with ST and a stripper pole goes up and down Take it as you want. I told him it was a little off the wall, but no one in his class got them mixed up on the final exam, go figure!


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## tooldad (Mar 24, 2008)

by the way, I do teach the method that rails are horizontal and refer to hand rails. I will also start using the railroad rails example. Just to clear my name at least, lol!


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## spaids (Apr 15, 2008)

The handrail example makes since to me but I don't understand the railroad rails. Who says the go horizontal? If you on the train then the rails go vertical.


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## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

Well, I can't recall ever seeing a train go up a wall…. ;-)


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

I find that a Google search is a great way to get the right answer.


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## spaids (Apr 15, 2008)

I've never seen a train go across the wall either.


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## thelt (Feb 23, 2009)

Sort of like remembering "port and starboard" on a ship. Port has four letters and so does left. Ergo port equals left and starboard equals right. Of course this only works if you are standing facing the front (bow) of the ship.


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## spaids (Apr 15, 2008)

Ok thats very good! I have NEVER been able to remember port from starboard. Thanks


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

A very senior and highly respected naval officer would begin every morning by sneaking off to his desk, unlock a drawer read something on a little piece of paper and then lock it back up. After many years he retired and his successor (a junior officer who'd seen him do this odd ritual numerous times) was promoted and took over the old officer's desk. The first thing he did was unlock the drawer and read the mysterious piece of paper. On it was printed "Port is left, starboard is right".


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

the rocks up ahead are whats important , so you allways direct by the bow or front of the ship !
when i make stiles and rails , i allways cut the longest first .
and i allways put an x on all the rails , to tell me they need the tenon !


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## Kindlingmaker (Sep 29, 2008)

...and I think of stiles as stilts, the tall stuff. Rails as a road.


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## BTKS (Nov 30, 2008)

Mark Shymanski, that one was a laugh out loud, almost fell off my chair. Reminds me of the Army Lieutenant holding a clip board. The way he so intently staring at it, everyone thought it said, breath in…breath out…repeat. The sad part, the LT was me.
BTKS


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I think of it as a ladder the rails are the rungs and that leaves the stiles going up the side.


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## KentS (May 27, 2009)

Wow! My head hurts.

I understand stiles and rails, but now I have forgotten my name.
Actually, it's interesting to see how people remember things. I know I do the same thing sometimes.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

A stile is used to climb over the fence rails. Hence stile/vertical-rail/horizontal.
Bill


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

It's like port ans starboard port has four letters so does left.Motrice and tennons mort means death and if you think of the mortice like a little grave you've just dug then you can't go wrong LOL who said I cant fathom things out Alistair


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

this is great. What is a stile and rail?? 

and I've already forgotten the wonderful router finger/thumb tip!


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## pommy (Apr 17, 2008)

bill has the right idea with the stile you climbe over so vertical the rail is the step over so horizontal

Andy


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## Zinderin (Jul 24, 2012)

You know why this is being pulled out of the archives (1157 days since the last post as I write this)??? Because I just Google'd "rails and styles" to make sure myself and this post came up at the top. Which means its googled a lot.

As someone who comes from the computer world, it always amazes me how we make our lives so much more complicated by giving bizarre and obtuse names to things, and then judge people by how well they use the names/terms.


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## JK0702 (Jul 25, 2012)

Russell, Thumb/Finger router direction? I haven't heard that one before, care to elaborate? My understanding is you router left to right, that works on your right hand I guess. Left hand thumb/finger goes right to left. Just curious.

JK


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## Oldtool (May 27, 2012)

I don't pay any attention to this, just make the frame, then turn it 90 degrees if necessary!


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

I relate rail with a hand rail which is usually horizontal (some rails are vertical). If the rail is horizontal, then the stile can only be what is left and that is the vertical component of the door.


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## spaids (Apr 15, 2008)

I'm not sure what the thumb and finger router trick is that we are talking about but I do have one that I use. I make a finger gun with my right had and put my thumb on the edge that is getting routed. Then I move either the router or the wood in the direction of my pointer finger. It can not fail. The problem is we are wood workers and not all of us have those fingers.


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## darkroommike (Oct 8, 2016)

stiles stand, rails rest


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## Jimmy2x (May 31, 2020)

I have a simpler way ( I think)

RaiL - Rail spelled out goes from R to L , as in Right to Left ( horizontally).

You'll never forget now. Maybe.


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## mdhills (Mar 12, 2011)

I associate "rails" with railroad rails, which suggests it would be the long sides on the frame.
then I have to tell myself "no, it is the opposite"

*sigh*

Matt


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## newwoodbutcher (Aug 6, 2010)

The way I remembered it is that the stiles are on the side S&S


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