Cross cut sled for plywood?

[keith ouellette]

I just watched the video john made about cross cut sleds and intend on building one but right now I need something To cut multiple 3 17/32" strips of plywood to use as supports for my table saw extension/router table.

I did a search but didn't find what i was looking for.

What's the best way to make a 48" long cross cut multiple times?

[John Sanford]

You don't, not if you can avoid it. I'm assuming that you have a table saw, since you're talking about making a crosscut sled.

Bust the plywood down into easily manageable chunks and RIP the strips on the tablesaw. From a cutting ease standpoint, plywood has no grain. Rip, crosscut, it's the same, the blade moves through at the same rate. A "rip" cut will be much CLEANER on the face plys, but it doesn't cut any easier. Since this is likely hidden structural utility work, how much does tearout on the face of the plywood matter? You can just as well "crosscut" if you want. ;)

[Mike Gager]

a circular saw and a straight edge should work

[keith ouellette]

I need to make multiple pieces all exactly the same. If I jut rip them on the saw without a sled I will have to reset the fence each time and I'm pretty sure I will make at least a slight error with each reset.

thats why i was thinking of a large sled and a stop.

[Joe Scharle]

I suggest as has been said, to cut your sheet down to manageable sizes with a circular saw and straight edge. Set the fence, and rip out your work from these smaller pieces. Don't move the fence until all your work pieces are cut. i.e., manageable sizes for me are about 3' wide.
A full sheet sled is a very large sled, requiring a very large table or very precise in/outfeed arrangement. Most people who cut a lot of sheets will have a slider for that purpose.

[brian rohland]

maybe i am misunderstanding but wouldn"t the easiest way be to cut yoyr sheet to 4 feet set the fence to 3 17/32" and start ripping do not keep setting the fence

[keith ouellette]

maybe i am misunderstanding but wouldn"t the easiest way be to cut yoyr sheet to 4 feet set the fence to 3 17/32" and start ripping do not keep setting the fence

The only way i could do that is if the fence was on the side of the 3 17/32 so I would be pushing against the kerf to try and keep pressure against the fence.

I didn't know you could make cuts that way. Doesn't the kerf close on the blade?

[Lee Schierer]

The only way i could do that is if the fence was on the side of the 3 17/32 so I would be pushing against the kerf to try and keep pressure against the fence.

I didn't know you could make cuts that way. Doesn't the kerf close on the blade?

Measure your saw blade kerf (probably 1/8"). Add that measurement to the 3-17/32 and multiply that times 4 (gives you about 14-5/8") and cut off a piece (s) that width from your sheet of plywood. Add a 1/4" if you aren't sure of your measuring accuracy. Make as many as you need for the total number of strips you need. Place a feather board to hold the 14-5/8" strips to the fence just in front of the blade. Then rip 3-17/32 strips off the 14-5/8" piece without moving your fence. With a little care you should get four equal sized pieces from each large strip and be able to cut them safely without pinching your saw blade. You should only have to move the feather board.

[frank shic]

get an exaktor or excalibur sliding table off of craigslist for ~$500

[keith ouellette]

get an exaktor or excalibur sliding table off of craigslist for ~$500

Thats the best idea I ever heard. Not as good as the idea of you giving me the money for it though. (never hurts to ask)

[keith ouellette]

Measure you saw blade kerf (probably 1/8"). Add that measurement to the 3-17/32 and multiply that times 4 (gives you about 14-5/8") and cut off a piece (s) that width from your sheet of plywood. Add a 1/4" if you aren't sure of your measuring accuracy. Make as many as you need for the total number of strips you need. Place a feather board to hold the 14-5/8" strips to the fence just in front of the blade. Then rip 3-17/32 strips off the 14-5/8" piece without moving your fence. With a little care you should get four equal sized pieces from each large strip and be able to cut them safely without pinching your saw blade. You should only have to move the feather board.


That is a little like what I ended up doing. What i did is cut all the strips i would need oversized. I jointed an edge of each strip (marked jointed to go against the ts fence) and then set my fence to the width I needed and ran all the strips through. more waist that way but they are all exactly the way I need them now.

[Mike Gager]

get a circular saw and cut 4-5" wide strips out of your plywood

then take those strips to your table saw and set your fence to 3 17/32" and cut them to size

[Michael Pyron]

go buy a 1/2" sheet of plywood...very carefully make 12" rip off of the factory edge (make sure the edge is straight)...then make a very careful rip of 2" off of the ripped edge you made on the 12" piece...glue and screw, with 3/4" screws, the 2" rip to the center of the now ~9 7/8" piece of ply....make sure this is VERY straight..then take your circular saw and put the fence against the 2" strip and run it through the ply....do both sides....you now have a cut off guide....I usually make 2 of the above at a time..I leave one @ 8' and cut the other so that I have a 5' and 3' guide, for a total of 3 guides for various lengths of cuts....note that for proper use of this tool you must use the same saw and blade as you used when you made it...when doing cross cuts the piece that is covered by the guide will have no tear out of veneer because the guide is holding it down...since you are cutting such small strips they will be on the opposite side of the guide and you will need to do a little math using the thickness of your blade to determine exactly where to make your pencil marks which you will align the guide with....

[frank shic]

lol keith you've got guts ;) seriously though, if you ever try one of these larger sliding tables on just one sheet of plywood you'll never want to go back to using circular saw guides or crosscut sleds! it works great for crosscutting solid wood stock to repeatable lengths as well.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

What's the best way to make a 48" long cross cut multiple times?


Not to put too fine a point on it but, I'd toss it on my slider.

In the past with my older conventional TS I'd break the sheet stock down with my circular hand held saw and rip 'em. Or sometimes just set up a rail to support the sheet stock as I ripped the stock using the rip fence.

That latter trick often caused binding against the blade cause it's so hard to get a smooth action.

If you were fortunate enough to have a big table area built around your saw as some guys do you could just rip 'em from the sheet.

[Eric DeSilva]

get a circular saw and cut 4-5" wide strips out of your plywood

then take those strips to your table saw and set your fence to 3 17/32" and cut them to size

+1

That's how I'd do it... I've got a TS55 and a long guide, so I'd probably go straight to 3.75", but otherwise, the same. Seems safer. Size of stock much more controllable. Consistent cuts.