Thread: Waldo's coping sled

Originally Posted by Waldo

G'day,

This is my first time, I'm no longer a virgin (changed spelling so as not to bring Forum into disrepute - and I couldn't think of another meaning for the word) I did it, I finally made a jig for my router table.

I'd been looking at the Infinity coping sled, for a short while I thought about buying one, but then I figured I could make one. I already had a few bits from when I made my r/table, namely the Incra Mitre Slider 450mm, which I had bought in preparation of making a different jig altogether.

My first thought was what material to make the sled base from. I thought about aluminium plate, but it'd be pricey and I wanted a decent size, so I went shopping for a plastic chopping board. It had to be perfectly true on all axis, so there I was in a House shop, pulling out all the chopping boards and looking at them individually. Finally I found one 450mm x 295mm x about 15mm.

So after near a whole day today carefully measuring and tapping all holes with a M5 tap I finally had it near finished. Near finished, because I now have to work out if I put in a sliding fence to clamp on the left side of the stock. I'm not sure if it needs one, if I do (see pic 3) I'll route two slots on the underneath where I've roughly marked in blue, with the toggle clamp roughly where it is now.

I did forget one thing, to drill two access holes for a the track adjustment. I can easily do that tomorrow. (that's also the reason that the track runs out from underneath the sled to the right, the one of the adjustment holes falls a bout 5mm to the right of the acrylic, to the other side by about 5mm is one of the fastening points into the track)

Hello Waldo you have done a great job . I am making the shopnotes version coping sled Thanks to a fellow woodworker I my self would rather make it also instead of buying . yours is identical to rocklers . there is on sale 69.00 + ship . waldo I do have a question are you going to use an bit extension it looks like the board is a 1/2" thick . anyway I think you for your pics and i will be starting on mine

Originally Posted by kenwho

... yours is identical to rocklers . there is on sale 69.00 + ship . waldo I do have a question are you going to use an bit extension it looks like the board is a 1/2" thick . anyway I think you for your pics and i will be starting on mine

G'day Kenwho,

I looked at a lot of coping jigs before I settled on making it myself. I looked at the Rockler, but can't remember what it looked like I did however very much like the Inifinity one, which I was tempted to buy.

The cutting board (love 'em for jigs) is about 1/2", so far I haven't needed to use an extension bit, although I do have one if needed ( ) So far my Hitachi TR12 and Dj's little Triton has got me out of trouble.

Glad my thread and pics has helped someone.

Nice work Waldo - missed it earlier. So when is the commercial PWS version coming out?

Hey Waldo,

Love your work. Now that I'm copying your table, I just have to look for your posts and copy the rest of your work. Your making my life so much simpler. What else are we going to build???

/M

G'day Stuart,

A commercial version, might mean I could give up my day job, trouble is Grahame already has one in his lineup.

SeafuryMike, copy away as much as you like. Building next? External housing for my Dusty and a cabinet/bookcase x 2.

Looks good Wally!

Missed this before. Great design and great job Waldo.

Thanks Harry72 and Artme. I like it when things work. It's often the simple things that do the biggest things. Without having made this jig there's no way I'd be able to run the stock through to rout the stiles.

G'day Waldo,

You have now had it use for a while, how about an update, as you now have had an opportunity to use it in "anger".

Have you had to make any additions to make it work like you wanted or does it work as you expected?

Regards,
Bob

Waldo,

Missed this thread originally. Nice work. This one is filed away for construction on a rainy day....

Steve

Originally Posted by Bob38S

G'day Waldo,

You have now had it use for a while, how about an update, as you now have had an opportunity to use it in "anger".

Have you had to make any additions to make it work like you wanted or does it work as you expected?

Regards,
Bob

G'day Bob38S,

It's been used a fair bit now, it'll really get a work out in a week or two. It's worked as well as I had hoped. Ideally I would've liked a plate of aluminium for the sled as the cutting board has some very slight flex, but I found by adjusting the toggle clamps that this was overcome.

Thanks for the Bleeder.

Thanks for the info.

I bought the Rockler sled when it first came out - it is nowhere near as good as Waldo's & needed considerable modification before I found it useful - it is basically just a flat bit of plastic with one handle & a hold down clamp bolted on - no guides & no provision for fitting one. I made a simple guide from a bit of MDF to fit my Triton router table, then had to drill holes & figure out how to fit it up.