# My el cheapo Coping Sled



## KenBee (Jan 1, 2011)

I just finished this yesterday and thought I would post a pic of it along with the cost of the various parts. It is modeled after one I saw somewhere that was priced for $120.00.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Nice job Ken. I really don't think you need the miter bar, coping sleds usually guide off a fence.


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## KenBee (Jan 1, 2011)

Mike said:


> Nice job Ken. I really don't think you need the miter bar, coping sleds usually guide off a fence.


Thanks Mike. The pic I modeled this from had a miter bar and a couple of others I saw didn't, so from a safety standpoint I decided to use this one. It has a keeper on the front of the miter bar like my Incra miter gauge to keep the front from jumping up and I think the sled has more side to side stability with the bar keeping everything dead on when routing. Another advantage I envision is that it can be used as a small parts holder in certain situations. I beat my feeble mind to death trying to figure out a way to prevent tear out, but finally it came to me. I cut several 1/4" thick hard board sections that I can sandwich in between the rear stop and the piece a I am routing. Yes I am old as dirt and I have mind blanks frequently and I stay  more often than not.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Ken, the coping sled was pioneered by Bob and Rick Rosendahl of the Router Workshop. Many companies have jumped on the band wagon with copies of the original sold by Oak Park as well as copies of their box joint jigs and the EZ Link System. The coping sled is one part of the Raised Panel System which is not available at this time. You will find several episodes of the show featuring this system being used to create raised panel doors quick and easy. The fence on the sled should be flush to your table fence and acts as a backer board to prevent tear out. It also acts as a quick set up guide for your bit.


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## istracpsboss (Sep 14, 2008)

Ken Bee said:


> I just finished this yesterday and thought I would post a pic of it along with the cost of the various parts. It is modeled after one I saw somewhere that was priced for $120.00.


Well done! I'm never sure why anyone pays a lot of money for these as there is nothing complicated about them. In any case, they aren't available locally here and freight, etc., would make them astronomically expensive. 
Mine is in MDF. I also put sandpaper on the insides of the jaws. I did without the wingnuts, as I'd none the right size at the time and just tighten up the hex nuts with a socket wrench. The yellow handle is cut off a cheap plasterer's hawk and has a bolt epoxied up the centre. The jaws are double thickness MDF glued and screwed. The handle is also MDF, secured with barrel nuts, which avoids the problem of screwing into the edge of MDF. The T-bolts securing the movable jaw are coach bolts with flats filed on them.

Cheers

Peter


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## dutchman 46 (May 23, 2007)

The sled that You made is better called Not el cheapo, but smart Coping sled! I don't buy any jigs , I make them! My woodworking is now hobby, and making jigs is a big part of the hobby! I build the first one, then try to make it better. It is a good hobby for any hobbyist


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## KenBee (Jan 1, 2011)

istracpsboss said:


> Well done! I'm never sure why anyone pays a lot of money for these as there is nothing complicated about them. In any case, they aren't available locally here and freight, etc., would make them astronomically expensive.
> Mine is in MDF. I also put sandpaper on the insides of the jaws. I did without the wingnuts, as I'd none the right size at the time and just tighten up the hex nuts with a socket wrench. The yellow handle is cut off a cheap plasterer's hawk and has a bolt epoxied up the centre. The jaws are double thickness MDF glued and screwed. The handle is also MDF, secured with barrel nuts, which avoids the problem of screwing into the edge of MDF. The T-bolts securing the movable jaw are coach bolts with flats filed on them.
> 
> Cheers
> ...


Nice job Peter. I had thought about using sandpaper on the jaw facing and possibly under the sliding jaw but finally used a piece of 1/4 inch hardboard with sandpaper glued to each side and placed under the toggle clamp. I used the UHMW and acrylic is because it was handy and had decided to not use it for the purpose intended. Also there is a large flea market here that is open from Wednesday through Sunday and like the old cliche goes, "one mans junk is another mans treasure".


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## locoboy (Sep 7, 2008)

Peter, Your coping sled looks fantastic although i dont understand how it works...........

If you run it along the fence of your table you will take a lump out of the base of your jig or the workpiece support blocks, depending on the height of your cutter.

If it was designed to run in the T track on your table, i cant see how it slots into your T track...........

Any clues as to how its used?


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## istracpsboss (Sep 14, 2008)

locoboy said:


> Peter, Your coping sled looks fantastic although i dont understand how it works...........
> 
> If you run it along the fence of your table you will take a lump out of the base of your jig or the workpiece support blocks, depending on the height of your cutter.
> 
> ...


Hi

The photo was taken soon after it was made. Both 'jaws' are sacrificial and now have relevant profiles cut into them !

Cheers

Peter


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## ggroofer (Apr 29, 2011)

*ken bee coping sled*



Ken Bee said:


> I just finished this yesterday and thought I would post a pic of it along with the cost of the various parts. It is modeled after one I saw somewhere that was priced for $120.00.


Hi Ken,'very impressed with your coping sled,I plan making one myself yours looks as if it's designed to run down A mitre track,is it?. . . .the idea I had was to do the same thing but some members say I shouldn't use the mitre track but instead use the fence on the table as A guide.....dont know what idea to go with now!...any tips? thanks Philip.


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## KenBee (Jan 1, 2011)

Yes mine is designed to use the miter track and as you indicated most say they should be used against the fence. To be perfectly honest with you I don't use it as a coping sled, but rather as a small parts holder and to square up scraps for my small projects. Actually it is beyond my understanding of how it would work against the fence without it contacting the router bit to begin with.


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

Ken Bee said:


> Yes mine is designed to use the miter track and as you indicated most say they should be used against the fence. To be perfectly honest with you I don't use it as a coping sled, but rather as a small parts holder and to square up scraps for my small projects. Actually it is beyond my understanding of how it would work against the fence without it contacting the router bit to begin with.


Hi Ken - the way I see it is either way, fence or miter slot, works just fine. You just can't really use them together. I typically will use a large push block against the fence and I use a sacrificial block clamped to it to reduce tearout. Woodpeck has a nice design that guides the sled on the fence but keeps the base away from the bit by placing the guide edge above the work. Guiding the sled in the miter track is another way of keeping the base away from the bit and, in my opinion, a logical approach.


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