Not woodworking but close (2023 Update)

[Leon]

Soooo some time back this year coping sleds for a router table were being discussed.

I was wondering why anyone used a coping sled, the only one I had ever seen used the miter slot to guide the sled. For decades I used a square piece of plywood to square the work against the fence and it did not use the miter router table slot to guide the sled.

I also recently use this exact same process to run both ends of 160 pieces of parts for trivets to add a bull nose to both ends. So 320 passes.

The pieces were about 6" long by 3/4" wide and 1/2" tall when being process the on the router table. My fingers were toast after holding all of those sharp edged pieces.

Soooo I have changed my mind about a coping sled for the router table. However the one I have ordered works like mine. It references off of the fence and does not use the miter slot.

And it is remarkably less expensive than the competition, especially the $370.00 diamond encrusted version that Woodpeckers tries to sell. ;~)

The one I ordered. I got it for $69.99 at $20 off with free shipping.

[krw]

This one puts Woodpeckers' to shame

I bought these at a the end of a woodworking show for $225. They're blue instead of red so may have been branded Kreg.

[Leon]

s thinking about replacing my router table fence. I have the Bench Dog Pro fence. Compared to the Jessem, the clamping/attachment method differs. The Bench Dog squeezes the table top on the sides and has sacrificial MDF fences. My fence slipped a time or two during the process describe above and I thought the Jessem would have a better grip.

I think some PSA sand paper on the bottom of the new Jessem phenolic top will work.

And I looked closely at both of the Jessem miter sleds. Both the one you pointed out and the newer Mite R Slide II.

BUT neither would address the reason for me buying the sled. I don't see a way to quickly fasten the work in place. And that was my issue, holding the work tightly with my fingers. It is not often that I will need to use the sled at an angle, and if I do I will do it the old way with a piece of plywood cut at the proper angle.

For the fences, the method of attachment is the only real difference between my current fence and the Mast R Fence II and III I decided to not get the fence. I also wanted the micro adjust attachment so I am looking in the $400 range and basically to be able to micro adjust. I have lived with out micro adjust for 40 years...

The newest TA Jessem router fence looks to be a collaborative effort from Jessem and Woodpeckers. Way way over engineered. I some times wonder if these tools, both companies, are designed by actual woodworkers. Instead of the twin bars that go into slots behind the out feed fence it uses 2 micro adjustments. And aluminum fences on the cutting side!

[whit3rd]

I went the other way for edges; instead of a router table, make a two-screw type vise to hold the board vertically, with the end clamped flush to an attached table with a fence.

Two-screw vise like this

was too much work, so I did a pair-of-wedges equivalent; just slide the moving wedge a bit to the left with a mallet to clamp, mallet applied to the right releases the board... The table top and fence attach to a fixed jaw (plate, really) underneath, the board goes up to an aperture in the top (usually positioned flush with the top). Plate/board/wedge-that-presses/wedge-that-slides/fixed-to-plate frame completes the undercarriage of the system.

Pix here

I used two wedges because that way you can cut 'em both from a single parallel-sides

2x4, and slide 'em against each other with no endgrain to complicate matters. The table aperture is good for 10" width boards, and the wedges allow for minor variations in board thickness (probably 0.5" to 1.5"); the router base has plenty of surface to engage. Nothing I've wanted to edge failed to fit.

[krw]

The Jessem has sacrificial MDF fences too. They're laminate of some sort, perhaps Formica but it's replaceable. Perhaps UHMW.

Decent fences aren't cheap. JessEm has a micro-adjuster.

You could probably get a Woodpeckers to work too, though not saving any money, I'm sure.

They're trying to make a jointer out of a router table.

[Leon]

Yes but no clamp to hold the work from slipping. My last milling job was putting a bull nose on both ends of 160 small pieces of wood, so 320 passes.

I thought about that. Since there is no track, like the Jessem, the micro adjuster would not have anything to clamp down to. My current fence uses a pivot type clamp, not the typical t-bolt that fits a t-slot.

Most all fences these days have the feature to use the router table as a small jointer. Although this one, the TA allows minute adjustments vs. a fixed 1/32" or 1/16". And the aluminum fences on the TA do not seem like a good idea.

[krw]

I just walked over to take a look at it and I don't see a way of adding one, without pretty much adding another complete sled to it.

I'd rather have the fence guaranteed to be coplanar than to have a dial go wonky. Particularly if both infeed and outfeed are on different adjusters (added imprecision).

[Leon]

"MAYBE" adding a sacrificial fence with a toggle clamp attached.

Agreed. A known fixed adjustment seems more predictable then 2 adjustment dials on the outfeed. Unless they are trying to create an arc.

[Jay Pique]

I had to replace an old Shaker style milk door so I just picked up a TF 130 PS. No regrets. Couple big fences to hide behind, too.

-JP