Show Me Your TS Cross Cut Sled

[-MIKE-]

I wouldn't argue with that. :-)

'preciate it.

[StephenM]

First, I think melamine is a mistake. You want the top side to be grippy, not slippy. melamine also offers a low strenght to weight ratio. I used a (full) 1/4" plywood product and tt has served me well. Not sure what it's called but it's a 5 or 7-ply floor underlayment product that goes for a about $20 for a 4x5 sheet. Sand an wax the bottom for "sliption"

My first couple were like Morris' but I found them too bulky for most use. I still have a big one, but my the sled that I reach for for 95% of my crosscutting need has the following properties:

• a single runner, * about 20 wide by 16 deep

• fence is a lamination of 3 layers of 3/4" cabinet-grade plywood scrap (stable, free and consistent)

• fence has a "dust gap" cut in the bottom front edge. This sled operates best with the fence in the back and the right edge flush to the blade, but it can be used fence-forward to the right of the blade when necessary.

Think multiples....one sled will not do it all (well).

-Steve

[Russ Stanton]

Stephen

[-MIKE-]

I hear you on the slippery of the melamine. I guess it's 6 for one and a 1/2 dozen for the other. You wax the bottom of plywood and I use stick-on sandpaper for the top of melamine. In other words, you start with grip work for stick, and I'm vise versa.

As for strength, it's really a moot point in this application.

a fan. It works fine, but it's too difficult to hone in the width. Next one I buy (if I do) will have the the little nubs that push out from one side, like this one...

I already made my own out of hardwood and found them to be superior to the factory made ones, and very easy to make from shop scraps, which are "free."

That's what I'm aiming at, right now. BTW, the melamine was "free," too.

Thanks for the input!

[StephenM]

OK

My point was more about weight than anything else. My big sled probably weighs in over 15 lbs ... it's just awkward. But, I'm all about "free" too.

You either have better skills or better hardwood that I have. IME maple works fine for dual runner sleds but it's either seasonally sticky or sloppy in a single-runner application. Your milage apparenty varies.

Cheers,

Steve

[-MIKE-]

Understood. But I also like some mass to things like this. The weight holds it down to the table. I like the mass on my tenoning jig, too. I don't what it is... it just feels better to me to push something with some mass. It's like it doesn't feel any different to push whether you have a big or a little piece of stock in it.

I don't know about better skills. :-) I had a long strip of poplar or hickory close to size. I ran it through my planer until it was a good height, then again to get a perfect width.

And you're right, there seems to be more play with double runners. Even though both runners fit perfectly, I'm prepared to deal with some seasonal change, by employing something similar to this technique...

[StephenM]

Posted to ABPW.

Subj: "Yet another sled"

[Andy Dingley]

Never use the things - too dangerous.

Mine (inspired by Kirby's "Accurate Table Saw" book) is a cross-cut _box_, not a sled. This has tall walls front and back, so I can't get my fingers any where near the nasty part. It's also stronger and more rigid, as there's a tie-bar between them above the saw blade, which also acts as a further guard. Yes, this does limit the height of what I can fit into it, but then it's taller than the cut height anyway.

Using a box with walls and a tie bar above is also simpler to make than a sled, as it makes it easier to connect the two side halves together past the sawcut.

There's an enclosed box front and back to hide the saw blade, as it emerges from the main cut area. There's an inch of spare wood here too, just in case I slide it a bit too far.

[Russ Stanton]

[RonB]

This is a great string of information. I need to build one of these too and there is some great info here. Especially enjoyed Swingman's page of ideas.

This is why this group is such a great resource. Thanks guys.

RonB

[-MIKE-]

Hate to be a PITA, but any chance you could post them on the web to any number of the dozens of free picture sites.

Several of us use one of the following...

[-MIKE-]

Semantics. You built a sled with a lid.

[Neil Brooks]

GREAT line from the TV show, "House:"

You anti-semantic bastard :-)

[Puckdropper]

-MIKE- wrote in news:hja4i7$vos$ [e-mail]- september.org:

Take a look here:

guy who owns the site used to post here. I haven't seen a post from him in quite a while, though.

Puckdropper

[Lew Hodgett]

This one from the WoodSmithShop is simple and neat.

[StephenM]

I see one huge flaw in that design:

The stop has to be completely unthreaded and removed to accommodate a board longer than the sled is wide. An F-clamp with a block arguably less fuss.

Maybe if the back corner of the stop block were radiused so that it could rotate up and out of the way of 1-by stock it would be better.

-Steve

[Lew Hodgett]

---------------------------------------- Not sure I'd call it a "huge" flaw, but more of a minor inconvenience.

As built the sled would allow at least 30" long repetitive cuts using the stop.

Beyond 30" wide(long) pieces, the stop would have to be removed.

My guess is less than 5% of my cross cut pieces are more than 30" long.

YMMV

Lew

[Larry Blanchard]

But the other end needs to be squared before you cut it to 30"

[-MIKE-]

[-MIKE-]

Rough cut with any saw to 30+"