Making Mitered Crosscuts in Panels

[Jamie Jackson]

Is there any good way to make mitered crosscuts in panels on the TS? I'm sure I could make a sled, or something, but don't foresee any future use for it, beyond the ~10 cuts I need to make for this project. My panels are 16 and 22" wide, and I have to cut them at 45°. If there's a quick and dirty solution that's better than using an extended face on my miter gauge, please let me know.

I'll probably resort to the circular saw, but frankly, I'm not all that good at getting smooth cuts from one.

Thanks, Jamie

[Tom]

Make the sled. No big deal, as you can always dismantle the thing afterwards. But I'd save it. Tom > Jamie Jackson [e-mail]

Someday, it'll all be over....

[Jamie Jackson]

[Tom]

Someday, it'll all be over....

[Jamie Jackson]

So I made the sled last night and made all my cuts. It's a cheesy beast (flimsy hardboard surface, softwood runners, pine 2*4 fence), but it did the trick accurately and quickly. Thanks for the push. :)

That sled you linked to is pretty neat. I hadn't thought about a crosscut sled with the fence on the forward surface. That seems like a great way to defeat the traditional sled's problem of having to back it way up to start the cut.

Jamie

[Lawrence Wasserman]

My advice would be to go ahead and make a sled or panel cutter. One that just sits on one side of the blade, using only one miter slot. You'll surely find future uses for it. But, if your panels are long enough that the end extends over the edge of the table, you could clamp a straight edge to the panel to ride against the side of the table as a guide.