Coping jig for baseboards

[jbergstrom]

I came across this cool router jig (http://www.thecoper.com/) for coping baseboards:cool:

Looks like it could be a real time saver if you did trim for a living or had lots of baseboard to install...

Here's an introduction video (http://www.thecoper.com/intro.mpg)

Cheers:cool:

[Newman]

That's a toy.
This is what you want...
http://www.copemaster.com/copemaster_main.html :p

[jbergstrom]

That's a toy.
This is what you want...

The only difference is price:cool:

Cheers!

[Newman]

Only a little... :D

[jbergstrom]

Newman, very cool coping machine:cool:
It could be worthwhile if that's what you specialized in... ($2295.00 us) cuts crown:)

The jig though would really speed up a tedious procedure and would pay for itself within a job or two. You can make permanent templates out of acrylic for it... ($150.00 cad) too bad it doesn't work for crown:(

Cheers!

[Newman]

Newman, very cool coping machine:cool:
It could be worthwhile if that's what you specialized in... ($2295.00 us) cuts crown:)

The jig though would really speed up a tedious procedure and would pay for itself within a job or two. You can make permanent templates out of acrylic for it... ($150.00 cad) too bad it doesn't work for crown:(

Cheers!




I do my fair share of crown installation, but not enough at this time to justify purchasing this machine. I usually just miter, or sometimes cope the inside corners with a jig saw.

[The Wood Meister]

I have never understood the need for coping when doing crown or base. Can someone please explain it to me?

Why go to the trouble of cutting the miter only to cut the miter off the end so you have a profile of the edge? Why not just skip all that stuff and cut the miters and put it up!! LOL

I don't do much crown or base, but when I do, I just miter it. I"ve seen some coped in base and inside crown and it looks like a lot of work to me. If it was getting painted, it always needed caulking. I suppose if you just made up a bunch of ends and then added the runs inbetween them, it would be ok, but again, that seems like a huge waste of time too. Why not just make one long stick with the correct miters on the ends?

I also like the ad where it says it makes it easier for un-skilled workers to take over the job.....LOL Reminds me of the insurance commercial...."So easy, a caveman can do it."

Mark

[garager]

I agree with the Wood Meister, rarely do I ever cope, and almost all the crown molding I install will be painted anyhow. Base boards I might cope, and theres usually 4 or 6 cuts to most rooms, and it doesn't take long to do buy hand.

[jbergstrom]

I have never understood the need for coping when doing crown or base. Can someone please explain it to me?

Why go to the trouble of cutting the miter only to cut the miter off the end so you have a profile of the edge? Why not just skip all that stuff and cut the miters and put it up!! LOL

I don't do much crown or base, but when I do, I just miter it. I"ve seen some coped in base and inside crown and it looks like a lot of work to me. If it was getting painted, it always needed caulking.

I agree with the Wood Meister, rarely do I ever cope, and almost all the crown molding I install will be painted anyhow. Base boards I might cope, and theres usually 4 or 6 cuts to most rooms, and it doesn't take long to do buy hand.

Gentlemen we cope because we are after quality:cool:
After all quality is job one:D

Seriously though, professionals cope crown and baseboard because it looks better in the short term and especially in the long term. Wood expands and contracts more across it's width and thickness then along it's length. That's why mitered inside corners sometimes open up after time. To be fair though todays glues when used properly usually overcome this.

If the moldings are being painted then a properly glued and mitered corner (remember almost no corner is exactly 90°) done by using a bevel gauge and protractor or similar should be fine. Read the angle then divide by two. When you have to caulk the corner that means it doesn't fit properly and will almost surely open up over time because most caulks are not glues. The proper fit and glue is especially important on the outside miters.

If you ever work with hardwood moldings that are finished "brite", that is natural with a varnish or varathane finish, you will almost certainly going to want to cope the corners because caulking in this situation would be unsightly:o.

The coping jigs and coping machines are just ways to speed up the tedious task of coping by hand. They will also do a much better job.

While I think of it another tip when installing moldings, especially crown, is to avoid fastening the ends until you have fitted both sides of the joint. This can really help when you're trying to get rid of the gaps etc. Sometimes the spring angle can be slightly off on one of the pieces and this lets you correct that before final fastening.

Cheers!

[Newman]

I have never understood the need for coping when doing crown or base. Can someone please explain it to me?

Why go to the trouble of cutting the miter only to cut the miter off the end so you have a profile of the edge? Why not just skip all that stuff and cut the miters and put it up!! LOL

I don't do much crown or base, but when I do, I just miter it. I"ve seen some coped in base and inside crown and it looks like a lot of work to me. If it was getting painted, it always needed caulking. I suppose if you just made up a bunch of ends and then added the runs inbetween them, it would be ok, but again, that seems like a huge waste of time too. Why not just make one long stick with the correct miters on the ends?

I also like the ad where it says it makes it easier for un-skilled workers to take over the job.....LOL Reminds me of the insurance commercial...."So easy, a caveman can do it."

Mark




As you know most inside corners are never a perfect 90. Coping the ends of the crown allows them to fit perfectly in this case. It's difficult to get a tight fit with a mitered joint when you're dealing with a non-square corner. Once the wood expands and contracts, you will have an open miter which looks crappy. With a coped joint the gap will be half the size, and if you install the first length of crown wall-to-wall with butt cuts, on the most visible wall, the joint will be less visible.

[acmax2]

My boss uses that first coping jig. it works awesome. I am going to be adding one to my collection. No more trying to get those corners to fit. Just cope them there tight and keep moving.

[premiumbath]

i haved coped for a few years now by using the same concept with a tool called a table saw it work great everyone who i talk to thanks that i am crazy until i tell them to race me on a 4 inch or greater crown

[woodenstickers]

i haved coped for a few years now by using the same concept with a tool called a table saw it work great everyone who i talk to thanks that i am crazy until i tell them to race me on a 4 inch or greater crown

Please explain in detail. I would love to start coping instead of mitering this crappy prefinished crown I have to use on crappy soffits everyone has in their kitchens.

[HomeHandyGuy]

I have been using The Coper for about a year now and would recommend it to anyone who wants pro results in about half the time. The acyclic templates last for about 100 cuts and you can use a laminate trimmer or small router to cut. Take a look at their website for a video demo.
http://thecoper.com

Harvey

[km703]

How would someone learn the fundamentals of real trim work by using these things?
And if used long enough, could one actually forget the basic math involved?

I guess I'm from the old school.

Give me the coping saw, stanley knife and pencil anyday.

[jbergstrom]

How would someone learn the fundamentals of real trim work by using these things?
And if used long enough, could one actually forget the basic math involved?

KM703 the jigs are not for learning carpentry skills... they're for accurately and quickly repeating very tedious time consuming cuts...

If you get to the point where you are thinking of a faster easier way then you have already cut your share of coped joints by hand, know the techniques and understand that there is no math involved at all except for setting the miter saw between 45° and 90°. The jigs if used properly and carefully can increase the quality of the work while increasing the profit margin on the labour end of things.