Coping sled, DIY preferred

[Bob Jones 5443]

Apologies in advance for opening a new thread when this topic has very likely been well discussed over the years.

I’m going to try my hand at incorporating two doors and four drawer fronts into a cottage kitchenette built-in cabinet set. The style will be Shaker. In the past I’ve always improvised a setup with a dado set for tenons and a plunge router and jig for mortises. It’s worked well enough for structural frames, but these won’t be load bearing, so…

This time I’d like to go with a rail and stile (cope and stick) router bit set to get clean, spare lines and that little indent reveal along the top edge. I’ll use 3/4” hard white maple with 1/2” pre-finished maple ply for the panels.

I’m not wild about buying a commercial coping sled. I’d prefer to make one that’s simple, stout, and safe (of course), with repeatable results.

After a bit of YouTubing, I’m leaning toward this one by MWA Workshops on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/QoybZ9A485Y?si=hYaU8M0QbMt9y_ju

Before I forge ahead with it, I’m looking for ideas from cabinet makers here. What shopmade coping sled design do you recommend?

[andrew whicker]

Mine is simply a piece of plywood as the base, a piece of lumber as the fence and a homemade cam lever out of wood to hold the rail against that fence. I change the wooden fence per changes in shapes so that it's shape matches the cut of the rail... i.e. little to no break out.

The assembly above rides against the shaper (or router) fence, perpendicular.


I found it really helpful to make a sacrificial fence for the shaper / router.. turn the machine on and back the fence into the bit so that only the cutting portion of the bit is protruding. You never have a gap in the fence that way. I'm not sure if this is possible with a router as the bits are so small in diameter, but it's pretty nice if so.


Many more on here are more experienced, but the method above pretty much matches books, other's experience, etc. if you are keeping it simple.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I made a simple one - like the video - out of 3/4" Baltic Birch.
It was too thick and I ran into issues getting enough of the router bit into the collet to make me comfortable.

I switched over to 1/2" thick Baltic Birch and had issues with it bowing/flexing under the pressure of clamping the work in place.

Either a slab of phenolic, aluminum or acrylic was probably going to be required - so - when I went searching for sources and prices on that idea, I just said poo to that and ordered this one from Rockler (https://www.rockler.com/rockler-rail-coping-sled?sid=V91023&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7OqrBhD9ARIsAK3UXh1WbYrTC83pmvWnhNsA fF958JQhoNKoxDaxlt5PhGejwUlXLzZISsgaAswlEALw_wcB)a nd have been happy ever since.

Sleds are all well and good, but, you don't really need one. Just a scrap used as a backer is fine. Worlds better actually than a sled that has any flex in it.

[Tom M King]

Here's one of the ones I use for sash. Both ends are used against a fence. Backup piece in this case is Boxwood. It's made hundreds or parts with no wear.

[George Bokros]

I have the same one Rich Englehardt has an I too am happy with it.

[Jared Sankovich]

My old sled and my current sled.
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[Alan Lightstone]

My old sled and my current sled.
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Jared, that is very impressive. Can you go into a few more details about your sled - especially the pneumatics?

[Jared Sankovich]

Jared, that is very impressive. Can you go into a few more details about your sled - especially the pneumatics?

It's just a copy (loosely) of a Ritter coping sled. Just some parker air cylinders with a generic flow control valve to keep them from slaming and a push pull valve for clamping control.

This is an old video before I added the rear cylinder.
https://youtu.be/6xcpJ8wXGxc?si=CEJG1k6z_lqlB4cw

[Bob Jones 5443]

I made a simple one - like the video - out of 3/4" Baltic Birch.
It was too thick and I ran into issues getting enough of the router bit into the collet to make me comfortable.

I switched over to 1/2" thick Baltic Birch and had issues with it bowing/flexing under the pressure of clamping the work in place.

Either a slab of phenolic, aluminum or acrylic was probably going to be required - so - when I went searching for sources and prices on that idea, I just said poo to that and ordered this one from Rockler (https://www.rockler.com/rockler-rail-coping-sled?sid=V91023&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7OqrBhD9ARIsAK3UXh1WbYrTC83pmvWnhNsA fF958JQhoNKoxDaxlt5PhGejwUlXLzZISsgaAswlEALw_wcB)a nd have been happy ever since.

Sleds are all well and good, but, you don't really need one. Just a scrap used as a backer is fine. Worlds better actually than a sled that has any flex in it.

Rich, fair point about a sled that flexes. Defeats the purpose. But your comment about being satisfied with the Rockler sled got me out of my chair. I picked one up today, along with my very first cope and stick bit, the Freud tongue and groove. First day of the rest of my life.

Next step is milling the maple into frame and drawer box parts, and on to using my new tools.

Re: sled or no sled, I’ll just be more comfortable using a sled with a 1-1/2” rail moving over my 7518 beast of a router (love that thing). It feels like too many degrees of freedom with only a backer board pushing the part along the table. Similarly, I don’t remember the last time I used the Delta miter gauge that came with my Unisaw. I’ve had a crosscut sled pretty much forever. I just don’t like a part moving at right angles to its length or dealing with even the slightest friction on the table.

Taking a good look at the Rockler coping sled, I wouldn’t say it’s impossible to mess up with it, but it seems to have enough safeguards and hold-downs to be able to let me turn out precise, identical parts, as long as none of the knobs slip.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I hope you're as happy with yours as I've been with mine, Bob.
Nothing has slipped on mine so far and I've made a few hundred stiles with it so far.

I had originally wanted the Infinity sled, but, they were on back order everywhere.
Same with the Woodpecker's. That was my 2nd choice but back ordered everywhere.
The Rockler was my third choice. It's worked out so well, I have no reason to replace it.

[Mike Cutler]

Mine is nothing exotic. Here, hopefully is a photo.
I use mine with a shaper, but no reason it wouldn't work with a router table also.
The 2"x2" walnut piece, positioned below the two clamps, is the piece that was being profiled. The shaper cutter is rotating counterclockwise, so the material would be moving right to left. The pine board, under the single clamp is the sacrificial piece to prevent blowing out the walnut.
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I had previously made one pretty much like the one in that video, but the shaper cutter applied more force than those plastic knobs could be tightened down for, and the material would move. I also tend to do projects that the material is thicker and wider, than 1x4, so I needed some adjustability for material.
Everything mine is made from, minus the clamps, was just scrap material lying about the shop.