Choice of Coping Sled for Router?

I want to start cutting Cope & Stick joints for small cabinet doors on my router table.

My training for this was on a shaper table. But I want to use the router table I have. Who makes a good coping sled? What would you suggest as a minimum for router horsepower? (these will be cabinet doors)

Gary Curtis
 
If you have some scrap 1/4" plywood and a scrap piece of 3/4" wood and a toggle clamp you can make one really easy and for little cost. Below is one that I threw together and it works fine for me. You will not need much horsepower to do what you want to do. It would be a guess for me as I have the big Milwaukee 5625 in my table but I would say that any router around 2 hp would be more than enough. I would think that 1 3/4 hp would be enough.

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If you want to really spend some bucks take a look at this. I have not seen it in person but I have not been dissapointed in anything that I have bought from Infinity. It must be first class. http://www.infinitytools.com/prodinfo.asp?number=COP-100

MLCS has some pretty good stuff also. I cannot vouch for their sleds but you might want to take a look here. I would not hesitate to buy one from them as I have had good luck with their Katana bits. http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/accessorysafe.html
 
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Here's another shop made idea. I have a miter bar and use the slot on the RT but some folks just use the fence as a guide. Personal preference:

Rail and backer small.jpg

I run a 15amp Milwaukee 5625 (called 3 1/2HP in router-speak). Extremely happy with it.
 
Hi Guys.

Sorry for jumping in, but my woodworking english vocabulary is rather short, and sometimes I have problems trying to understand what is being said.:huh:

Although I think I have an idea of what sort of joint are you talking about from Glenn's picture, I'd like someone to enlighten me, any contribution will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
 
toni, a "cope-n-stick" joint is used to assemble cabinet doors, or any type of frame and panel construction. the "cope" cut is the counter profile to the profile ran on the long sticks and is cut into the endgrain so as to resemble a miter while offering the strength of a stub-tennon. tod
 
Choice of Coping Sled

Allen, the sled I was looking at is, in fact, the Infinity. I was thrown off a bit because their's rides along the fence instead of being guided by a miter slot. I'm over-tasked right now putting an entire new shop into order so I'll buy instead of build. And with the Infinity, I save the trouble of having to install a miter slot into my router table.

The router I intend to use is a Milwaukee 5616 (2 1/2 hp). I learned to make doors using a shaper. It had 7hp. While checking up on this stuff I telephoned Pat Warner (of router book fame). He said he wouldn't make a coping cut using a router. It beats the hell out of the machine. But with very small, incremental cuts, it is ok, and lots of people do it, according to Pat.

Tony, it is easiest to understand a Cope if you look at a frame and panel door. The sides (vertical) are the Stiles, and these are given a Stick edge with a router or shaper. Then, to join the Rails, you make a Cope on the 2 ends. The Cope is like a "hand in glove" fit to the profile of the stick. It really serves as a stub tenon joint to the Stick or Stile. Very pretty to look at. Not quite as strong as a real Mortise & Tenon, but fine for doors in cabinets.

The challenge is cutting across that end grain on the Cope. It is hard on the machinery, the cutter. And somewhat dangerous as well.

Gary
 
Allen, the sled I was looking at is, in fact, the Infinity. I was thrown off a bit because their's rides along the fence instead of being guided by a miter slot. I'm over-tasked right now putting an entire new shop into order so I'll buy instead of build. And with the Infinity, I save the trouble of having to install a miter slot into my router table.


Gary

I am very confident that the Infinity will be first class quality.
 
Woodhaven makes a nice coping sled, 3 sizes available, very heavy duty...

However, depending on how much you'll use it, it's very easy to make your own, someone already showed a good example, about $5 and some scraps, you can make your own...
 
This is my version of the one that Rockler sells. The handle is made of left over Fiberon composite decking, from my deck. The piece of wood that is right infront of the hold-down is replaceable, in the event that I use different Rail-n-Stile bits. The purpose of this replaceable piece is to prevent blow out, as the bit exits the piece being cut. This, like Rockler's, is made to ride along the fence on the router table.
 

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Coping Sled

Thanks for all the suggestions. The Infinity sled is currently on sale, so that will be my choice. My phone conversation with Pat Warner led me to conclude that sheer mass, plus clamping power, and user protection would be deciding factors.

The Infinity has 3 clamps. It weighs 5 lbs ( 1/2 inch aluminum) and has a Lexan safety shield for protection. Pat Warner wasn't real confident about using a router for this task in the first place. But I'm not about to go out and buy a shaper, just to do Cope & Stick profiling.

I'm a little worn out setting up a brand new shop (and moving at the same time) to be crafting accessories.

Gary Curtis
 
The Infinity has 3 clamps. It weighs 5 lbs ( 1/2 inch aluminum) and has a Lexan safety shield for protection. Pat Warner wasn't real confident about using a router for this task in the first place. But I'm not about to go out and buy a shaper, just to do Cope & Stick profiling..

Gary Curtis

Did he say you would be okay taking light passes? or can you do that with rail/stile bits?
 
Coping Sled

Light passes would be OK, he said. I felt that his objection was strong, primarily because it beats up the router. He said if I were doing anything close to production work, to get a shaper.

If this sort of cutting is hard on a router, it demands a rock-solid sled. That's why I'm opting for the heaviest I can find, and with triple hold-down clamps.

I don't want to put words in his mouth, but Coping is an end cut, afterall, and Bill Hylton's book on routers also suggests caution.

Gary
 
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