Coping sled question please.............

[Mark Rios]

I recently bought a coping sled from Eagle America, model 2100, and Rockler's coping sled to do a comparison of the two.

I got them set up and ready to use today. I'm ready to start making the cope and stick cuts on the door parts for a cabinet job and the bit set is a chamfer tongue and groove set. As I got ready to run the first piece of test wood through the bit on one of the jigs, I realized that I would also be cutting into the edge of the sled/jig base. Is this correct? The cutter/bit will cut the sled until I get to the end of the cut right?

There is no pre-drilled holes or any other means of/to attach(ing) it to any sort of miter slot guide as shown in the pic link below. I would run the piece across the bit with the sled flush/flat against the fence.

I"m not sure what the base is made of but it seems to be some sort of composite plastic. Will this material damage or be too hard on the bit? I can't remember the name of the type of plastic but you folks have mentioned this type of plastic before.

Here's a pic of the Rockler jig: http://www.rockler.com/gallery.cfm?Offerings_ID=16416&TabSelect=Details

As an aside, can someone please tell me what this joint is being made in this pic? http://eagleamerica.com/pop_alternate_view.asp?t=l&pif=V400-1235.jpg

The bit set is this one. Whiteside calls it a "Vee Panel Tongue and Groove". It's in the "Glue Joint" section. http://www.whitesiderouterbits.com/catalog.html

Is this maybe a finger joint of some kind? It's not important, I am just curious.

Thanks very much for your advice and information.

[Chuck Nickerson]

Their sled edge does not ride against the fence! Although they don't show it, you can fasten a sacrificial edge just a bit wider than the bit's cutting depth.

[Norman Hitt]

Mark, I haven't really looked at either sled you mention, so I'm going to have to give a Generic answer to your question. When you use a sled with a bar to run in a mitre slot, the end of the workpiece would extend past the edge of the sled and the cutter would not contact the sled, (as is shown in the picture that you gave the link to). When using a sled that has NO mitre bar to guide it, it has to run against the fence, therefore you would place it against the fence, and then place the rail on it and clamp it down with it's end against the fence also. Now, you would adjust the router bit high enough to make the appropriate cut on the workpiece but the bit would be "ABOVE" the base of the sled, therefore not cutting into the sled's base.

As I mentioned above, the picture in the link you gave, appears to be showing a "cope" cut of some style being made on a wide door or panel Rail.

[Mark Rios]

The bit set I mentioned above has the chamfer cutting on the bottom, well below the bottom of the cope piece. The only way to keep from cutting the base with this bit would be to use a miter slot rail. In the picture however, they have no means of backing up the cut to prevent tearout. I don't want to use a miter rail. In the pic, they show a screw next to the handle that looks like it may be fastening a miter slot rail but there is no pre-drilled hole in the base for one in the base that I have.

I remember the name of the material, it's phenolic. I woldn't mind cutting the base but would it hurt the bit to cut into the phenolic base material?

When I've used a quick and dirty homemade wooden jig, the bits have always cut into the base material. I guess that I've just always used coping bits that cut down lower.

[Mike Tempel]

If it is what I have seen in the past the back of the sled is a replaceable block of plastic that is meant to be used as your backer board. In this case the sled would ride against the fence and the backer board (plastic block) would receive the same profile as your work piece.