A joinery method used primarily for cabinet doors and wainscoting. The stick cut creates a decorative profile and a groove along the inside edge of the stiles and rails to hold a panel. The cope cut is milled across the end grain of the rails, creating a negative profile that fits tightly against the stuck molding of the stile. This interlocking profile increases the glue surface area and aligns the frame parts without needing complex mortises.
I'm setting up the router table to run the cope and stick profiles for the kitchen cabinet doors.
Always mill the cope cuts on the ends of your rails before routing the stick profile along the edges. This sequence helps prevent the router bit from tearing out the delicate end grain.
Also heard as
- stile and rail joint
Related terms
Mortise-and-tenon joint
A traditional wood joint connecting two pieces at a right angle by inserting a peg into a hole.
Dado
A flat-bottomed trench cut across the grain of a board.
Rabbet joint
A simple woodworking joint formed by fitting the edge of one board into a recess cut along the edge of another.