Coping (joinery)
Encyclopedia
Woodworking
Woodworking is the process of building, making or carving something using wood.-History:Along with stone, mud, and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked by early humans. Microwear analysis of the Mousterian stone tools used by the Neanderthals show that many were used to work wood...
technique of shaping the end of a moulding or frame component to neatly fit the contours of an abutting member. Joining tubular members in metalworking
Metalworking
Metalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewelry. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills,...
is also referred to as a cope, or sometimes a "fish mouth joint" or saddle joint
Saddle joint
In a saddle joint the opposing surfaces are reciprocally concave-convex.-Movements:...
.
Most English speaking countries outside the United States use the terms scribe and scribing.
Coping is commonly used in the fitting of skirting
Skirting
Skirting can refer to:*in construction it can refer to Baseboards or Molding *protective devices like lift table bellows*mobile homes skirting refers to the vinyl elements that covers the crawl space...
and other mouldings in a room. It allows for clean joints between intersecting members when walls are not square to each other. The other method of fitting these mouldings that is commonly used is the mitre joint
Miter joint
A miter joint , sometimes shortened to miter, is a joint made by bevelling each of two parts to be joined, usually at a 45° angle, to form a corner, usually a 90° angle...
but this technique relies upon knowing the precise angle between the walls for neat results. Coping is only ever used for internal corners. External corners are always mitred.
The main reason that scribed joints are used is that timber shrinks in width far more than it does in length. By using a scribed joint rather than an internal mitre joint
Miter joint
A miter joint , sometimes shortened to miter, is a joint made by bevelling each of two parts to be joined, usually at a 45° angle, to form a corner, usually a 90° angle...
the effect of shrinkage is minimised. Also it is possible to arrange the scribed joints pointing away from the most common viewpoint (usually the doorway of a room) and so present the best appearance.
Coping is also commonly used in cabinet making
Cabinet making
Cabinet making is the practice of using various woodworking skills to create cabinets, shelving and furniture.Cabinet making involves techniques such as creating appropriate joints, dados, bevels, chamfers and shelving systems, the use of finishing tools such as routers to create decorative...
for mouldings and frame components. The rails in frame and panel
Frame and panel
Frame and panel construction is a woodworking technique often used in the making of doors, wainscoting, and other decorative features for cabinets, furniture, and homes...
construction are commonly cope cut to fit the profile of the stiles. The technique is also common in the construction of doors and windows.
Scribe joinery is also commonly used in the building of log homes. The shape of the log underneath is scribed into the bottom of a log to be placed on top. This provides a tight seal between the two adjacent logs. It is also commonly used in the building of boats since there is rarely a straight edge but frequently many curves.
Traditionally, coping would be performed using a coping saw
Coping saw
A coping saw is a type of hand saw used to cut intricate external shapes and interior cutouts in woodworking or carpentry. It is widely used to cut moldings to create coped rather than miter joints. It is occasionally used to create fretwork though it is not able to match a fretsaw in intricacy of...
. There are also mechanical means of producing coped joints, including matching rail and stile cutters for the router
Wood router
A router is a tool used to rout out an area in the face of a relatively hard workpiece, typically of wood or plastic. The main application of routers is in woodworking, especially cabinetry....
as used in frame and panel construction.