TS jig material

[Christopher Kanda]

what is a good material for a table saw sled? I want to make sure it will stay accurate over time.

[David Christopher]

I have always used a good quality plywood for mine, and some of mine are several years old

[Joe Scharle]

I use Baltic Birch (BB). Varnish (wiping) all over and wax.

[glenn bradley]

BB ply, shellac and wax for the base. UHMW or straight grained hardwood for runners. Extra thick hardwood for the fence (if it loses 'straight', a quick pass of the jonter will put her back). Three sleds have been dead on for several years. I check them now and again and did have to adjust the large one's fence once but that was a long time ago.

[Bruce Wrenn]

BB ply, or 1/2" melamine coated MDF. Before spending a lot of time building a sled, I suggest that you look at a Dubby from In-Line Industries. Peachtree sells then on their web site. You can buy either left, or right models, plus you can connect two together for a cross cut sled.

[Bill Huber]

I am cheap, I use MDF, give it a good coat of finish and then wax it down.

[Prashun Patel]

3/4" MDF and melamine are stable and cheap, but heavy - especially for an x-cut sled that you'll want nice and big.

I've made a few of these and honestly, the one I use most is the LIGHTEST one. My favorite is a one-sider, has a base of 1/4" hardboard with a 1 1/2" oak fence screwed in from the bottom, and an oak runner.

One thing I also find lacking in most 2-sided sled designs is dust collection. Since you gotta use these things w/o the blade guard, dust is an issue. To combat that, I'd attach a hinged 'lid' from your rear fence and screw a blast gate or adapter into the lid to accept a hose.

[Bill White]

I have been using an exterior grade mdf called EXTERA (brand name). Seal the fixture with shellac and wax. Strong and stable.
Bill

[Howard Phillips]

I was under the impression that hardwoods would make good jigs if you wanted them to last, is this true? (however I'm not sure if you'd want to invest as much hardwood as a sled would need)


I just finished an M&T jig that I couldn't use plywood or mdf for (too many moving parts attached near edges where these material wouldn't be strong enough) so I used some spare oak.

Do you guys think it's more likely to warp over time than mdf or BB ply?

How should I finish it to help prrevent movement?

[John Pratt]

Sometimes it can get pricey, but I made most of my TS jigs (including the Scarificial fence) out of Phenolic plywood. No complaints yet. it is super slick like melamine but a little more durable. Red oak for the runners and fence on sleds.

[Rod Sheridan]

One thing I also find lacking in most 2-sided sled designs is dust collection. Since you gotta use these things w/o the blade guard, dust is an issue. To combat that, I'd attach a hinged 'lid' from your rear fence and screw a blast gate or adapter into the lid to accept a hose.

Not if you use an overarm guard......Rod.

[Jerome Hanby]

Made my first one from MDF. Was very flat, and once waxed moved smoothly. Unfortunately, MDF is not all that strong. Had a little dropping mishap and nos have two smaller sleds held together by the fence:(

Next one will be BB. Actually EBBB (Even Bigger and made from Baltic Birch);)

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I've used Oak ply, birch ply, and scrap ply off the floor for a variety of sleds.

I've even used MDF but I don't like it. The cut edges crumble and screws don't take so well.

I have a few MDF fixtures. I had to decide whether to outfit 'em with strips of wear material or make the MDF tougher so the edges would tolerate use. I prefer to saturate the wear edges with epoxy. It works fairly well.