VIDEO - Shop built Mitering and Crosscut Sled

[John Nixon]

I'm sorry for the re-post if some of you saw this topic a few days ago. I'm grateful to be a part of this forum, and will do what it takes to stick around. I've received permission to post a link to the video series up on Youtube.

Watch the Video:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C4A361A90F1D9C8F

Project Description:

I just completed a two part video series on how I made my new table saw sled. I've named the new sled the "Super Sled".

The Super Sled combines two of my best shop jigs!

I love my original crosscut sled, so when the voters at Eagle Lake asked me to make a video about how to make that sled, I started to think of ways to improve upon the existing design.

I regularly use two different sleds in my shop:
1. My crosscut sled which I use mainly for crosscutting, and cutting shoulder cuts on tenons.
2. Wood Magazines Universal Tablesaw Jig which I use exclusively for mitering.

While contemplating ways to improve on the design of my crosscut sled, I started to focus on the concept of combining the two sleds. I spent a lot of time modeling the new Super Sled in Google Sketchup and I feel I have come up with one of the most versatile crosscut / mitering sleds around. When you see the video for the construction of the sled, I think you'll be surprised at how easy it is to build for yourself!
Features:

Crosscutting
The Super Sled has all the benefits of my original crosscut sled, including a t-track for adjustable stop blocks. The new sled uses a flip stop, so you can keep the stop in the same place, but flip it up out of the way to make other cuts in between.

With generous capacity to the left and right of the saw blade, the Super Sled can handle just about any crosscut. The main fence is extended out farther on the left side of the blade allowing you to use the flip stop for long cuts.
http://www.eaglelakewoodworking.com/projects/supersled/pagepics/ss_crosscut_close.jpg

Mitering
I really love mitering with Wood Magazines Universal Tablesaw jig which is why I wanted to incorporate all the features of this jig into the Super Sled. The Universal Tablesaw jig needs to be switched from one side of the blade to the other when doing complementary miters. With an identical setup on both sides of the blade, you can easily miter on either side of the blade.

The fence used for mitering has a t-track for mounting a stop block or hold downs and can be positioned any where from 0 to about 70 degrees.
http://www.eaglelakewoodworking.com/projects/supersled/pagepics/ss_mitering_from_top.jpg

Versatility
I designed the Super Sled with versatility in mind. The four slots in the main board of the fence function the same as t-tracks, and allow for the inclusion of stop blocks, the miter fence, and other add-on jigs like a tenon or box joint jig.

The main board for the super sled is 1/2 inch plywood. I went with 1/2 inch plywood so I wouldn't loose very much blade height capacity. The four slots in the main board are 3/8 inch wide from the top, and have a 3/4 inch wide shallow recess in the bottom and will accomodate a standard 5/16 inch t-bolt.
http://www.eaglelakewoodworking.com/projects/supersled/pagepics/ss_bottom.jpg
Pictures:

http://www.eaglelakewoodworking.com/images/mailing/ss_vidcap1.jpg
Smiley dude:
http://www.eaglelakewoodworking.com/images/mailing/ss_vidcap2.jpg
Setup for crosscutting
http://www.eaglelakewoodworking.com/images/mailing/ss_vidcap3.jpg
Setup for Mitering
http://www.eaglelakewoodworking.com/images/mailing/ss_vidcap4.jpg
Angling tenon jig:
http://www.eaglelakewoodworking.com/images/mailing/ss_vidcap5.jpg

[Brian Peters]

Very cool thanks for sharing that here. He did a nice job making that sled.

[Heather Thompson]

Glad to see this back!

Heather

[jim sauterer]

great video john very well done.

[John Nixon]

Very cool thanks for sharing that here. He did a nice job making that sled.
Thanks Brian. I have another video in this series planned that will show how to make the accessories and use the sled.


Glad to see this back!
Heather

Thank you. P.S. - Love your signature Heather!


great video john very well done.
Thanks Jim

[Stephen Edwards]

I'm glad to see this thread back on the Creek! It's very informative and useful.

John, you mentioned that you used 1/2 inch plywood for the base of the sled. Any particular type of plywood? Is it just the standard BORG birch?

[Clifford Mescher]

Good to see your thread back, John. Educational. Clifford.

[John Nixon]

I'm glad to see this thread back on the Creek! It's very informative and useful.

John, you mentioned that you used 1/2 inch plywood for the base of the sled. Any particular type of plywood? Is it just the standard BORG birch?

Hi Stephen,

Yes, BORG, but I looked through EVERY sheet they had to made sure I had the best one. My son got a kick out of helping me find the best one. I was trying to teach him how to site down the edge of the board. 30 or 40 boards later (and a few splinters), we knew we had the best of the pile.

I used 1/2 inch (to keep the sled light), but you can certainly go thicker if it helps you find a board that dead on flat.


Good to see your thread back, John. Educational. Clifford.

Thanks Clifford, I appreciate it!

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

John - well done!

I have a question - I used 1/2" MDF for the base of my sled, because I was worried about 1/2" ply warping (and I didnt want to go to 3/4" due to the loss of cutting depth). I'd like to add in the slots in the base, as you did for hold downs and jigs - but I'm worried about MDF's ability to hold a T-bolt well. anyone have any suggestions?

[Quesne Ouaques]

Hi John:

Thanks very much for posting the videos. It's helpful to see each step in the process so plainly. Also, there were a few real "ah ha" moments for me, like using a fence attached to the workpiece on the router table. Very much appreciated!

[John Nixon]

John - well done!

I have a question - I used 1/2" MDF for the base of my sled, because I was worried about 1/2" ply warping (and I didnt want to go to 3/4" due to the loss of cutting depth). I'd like to add in the slots in the base, as you did for hold downs and jigs - but I'm worried about MDF's ability to hold a T-bolt well. anyone have any suggestions?

Hi John,

The bigger slot in the bottom of the sled only needs to be a little more than an 1/8 inch deep, so that leaves you almost 3/8 inch left in the narrow through slot. After you cut the slots, you can "treat" the slots using yellow glue. I've often used yellow glue to seal up the edge of MDF, and it does a great job. A couple of coats and the cut edge is sealed and strengthened by the glue.

John

[John Nixon]

Hi John:

Thanks very much for posting the videos. It's helpful to see each step in the process so plainly. Also, there were a few real "ah ha" moments for me, like using a fence attached to the workpiece on the router table. Very much appreciated!

Thanks Quesne. The "ah ha" moment you speak for sort of a light bulb moment for me. When I realized I couldn't use my fence, I started exploring other ideas. I really don't like using a router handheld for the lack of control, poor dust collection, and inconvenience. So any time I can do something on the router table, I will.

Thanks for watching, and commenting here!

[Don L Johnson]

John,

Any chance of getting a copy of you SketchUp file? Thanks

[John Nixon]

Sure thing Don, here's a link to the file:

Super Sled Sketchup File (http://www.EagleLakeWoodworking.com/projects/files/SuperSled.zip)

[Peter Paulson]

Thanks for the post, I am new to woodworking and trying to set up my shop. The video is very clear and well done.

[Jim Eller]

John,

Once again you have shared some great info that I really appreciate.

I have been putting off this sled building thing for years and just keep gettin' by without. As said before the "ah ha" ideas you show are great and many. I sometimes see them as "duh" ideas, like, I can't believe I was dumb enough not to think of that.

I really like your website and again, I appreciate your caring and sharing.

BTW, Did you notice the belt guard fell off of your table saw?:):rolleyes:

Thanks again,
Jim

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

After you cut the slots, you can "treat" the slots using yellow glue. I've often used yellow glue to seal up the edge of MDF, and it does a great job. A couple of coats and the cut edge is sealed and strengthened by the glue.
John

Nice tip - thanks!

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

John - two items.

following a suggestion I read somewhere, I put a small rabbet on the bottom of the face (that holds the workpiece) - this prevents any dust or anything that gets wedged under the bottom corner of the fence from impacting the aligbment of the piece.

Also - I've seen some people attach the fence with one screw on one end, and then "pivot it" during the squaring process. I used this method, and it does make it a little 'easier' to get it clamped down without throwing the alignment off....

Overall, great sled! I'm going to add the slots in the base of mine (using your 'glue' tip to seal the MDF).

[J. Z. Guest]

Great work John.

Not sure if it was a good move to publish that rather than patent it.

If you could devise a way to mass produce them, then sell them to those of us who are too lazy to make our own....

Maybe make a few and put them up for sale here and on ebay?

Edit: I about fell out of my chair when I saw that old Shopsmith 10ER as your drill press. Nice piece of machinery. I had one, but it wasn't versatile enough to earn a place in my shop at the time. Heavy beast, that was.

[John Nixon]

John - two items.
following a suggestion I read somewhere, I put a small rabbet on the bottom of the face (that holds the workpiece) - this prevents any dust or anything that gets wedged under the bottom corner of the fence from impacting the aligbment of the piece.


Hi John. I considered that little dust relief, but left it out for one reason. I have this 12 inch digital protractor that I plan on using to set the miter fence. The protractor has some magnets along it's edge. I plan on installing some small screws to match up with where those magnet will hit when the protractor is placed against the rear main fence. If not for the protractor, I probably would have added the dust relief.

The dust relief would have also thrown off my method for squaring the fence with the drafting squares, and I just couldn't get past that.



Also - I've seen some people attach the fence with one screw on one end, and then "pivot it" during the squaring process. I used this method, and it does make it a little 'easier' to get it clamped down without throwing the alignment off....

No doubt, a good method. I had seen the same method, and considered using, but when I put the rulers in the kerf and added the drafting squares, I had a high degree of confidence that I could secure the fence in that exact position. My method is definitely a bit riskier becuase it would be a mess if you had to adjust it.

I appreciate your feedback and suggestions on improvement!

[John Nixon]

John,

I have been putting off this sled building thing for years and just keep gettin' by without. As said before the "ah ha" ideas you show are great and many. I sometimes see them as "duh" ideas, like, I can't believe I was dumb enough not to think of that.


Hey, thanks Jim!
After I built my sled (David Marks was my inspiration for building the first one), I quickly realized how nice it was to use. It just felt so much better to have a sled carrying the wood through the saw blade, rather than pushing it through with the miter guage. The same goes for the angling tenon jig I added to the crosscut sled. It's nice to have your wood clamped to something that is moving it through the saw without the friction of something scraping along your tablesaw top.



BTW, Did you notice the belt guard fell off of your table saw?:):rolleyes:

Thanks again,
Jim

So you saw my red link belt back there? When I got behind the saw to put that screw in the runner, that was the first time I had seen the back of my tablesaw in a long time. Boy, was it dusty back there...couple of dead bugs, and other misc. crap.

Anyway, the outfeed table using tucked right up to the back of my tablesaw...thuse serving as a giant blade guard.

Thanks for your nice comments.

[John Nixon]

Great work John.

Not sure if it was a good move to publish that rather than patent it.

If you could devise a way to mass produce them, then sell them to those of us who are too lazy to make our own....

Maybe make a few and put them up for sale here and on ebay?

Edit: I about fell out of my chair when I saw that old Shopsmith 10ER as your drill press. Nice piece of machinery. I had one, but it wasn't versatile enough to earn a place in my shop at the time. Heavy beast, that was.

Hi Jeremy,

The Shopsmith belonged to my Grandfather (it's a 1951 10ER), and it'll stay in my shop forever for sentimental reasons. I have it permanent drill press mode, which is IMO it's greatest abillity.

There was a fancy crosscut and mitering sled that I saw on Amazon. It looked like they were made by someone (not mass produced that it). They were no longer available, but never-the-less seemed like a nice sled.

I appreciate your sentiment that the idea is worthy of manufacturer and sale, but I consider the idea a culmination of other good ideas and a bit of ingenuity to bring it together. It's a lot like music - there isn't much originality anymore, we're all just borrowing bits and pieces from other bodies of work.