Main Content

I’ve made lots of frame and panel doors just using my table saw. You can make a simple clean door using just one tool! However you are limited to making a simple door with no profiled inner edges. To really up your game and achieve a more decorative door you need to use rail and stile router bits to cut the grooves,profiled edges and most importantly the cope cut that allows the rails to “mate” perfectly with the stiles. One of the most useful jigs you can have for the router table is the coping sled. It can help make the cope cut much more efficient, accurate and safe.

The coping sled has but one purpose but it’s an important one! Helping the woodworker make a cut across the end grain (short end) of a work piece to create a joint that allows you to build frame and panel (also called rail and stile) doors.This is a precarious cut at best and without support to back up the cut, you can easily hurt yourself or at the very least ruin your work piece.”

Link to article