Cross Cut Sled Base Material...

[Greg Cuetara]

I built a cross cut sled a few years ago for my old craftsman TS. I just picked up one of the R4511 deals a few weeks ago and need to build a new sled. Never really like what I had done previously. I used particle board for the base and some planed down 2x4's as the front and back rail.

I have found a few plans but nothing really talks about what material to use for all the pieces. I have a piece of 3/4" poplar plywood but it does not sit flat on the TS. The middle bows up about 1/32" over 4'. With very minimal pressure I can push it down flat on the table.

Also not sure what type of material to use for the back rail. I could laminate some pieces of hardwood together, use some pine I have and laminate that together...laminate some plywood pieces together...

I found a good plan which has a little handle in the middle which sticks up to hold and push the sled. I was also thinking of putting in two t-track rails one on each side of the blade to provide a good hold down or a place to fix jigs to the sled.

Any help would be appreciated.
Greg

[Greg Hines, MD]

I used 1/2" MDF for mine, which is about 20" x 28", and it is acceptably flat and slides well on my saw.

Doc

[Tim Null]

There are a couple of trains of thought here.

One is 3/4" Baltic Birch ply. Make sure it is flat and put some kind of finish on it to keep it that way. I used Danish Oil.

The other is MDF. This is much better than the particle board you used for the last one. It is stable, but heavy.

Hardwood is a great choice for the fences. I used maple, it is what I had around. Joint it to be perfectly flat and square.

[Glen Butler]

I use birch ply for sleds, but I think MDF would do a fine job also. MDF, though softer, is more stable. A sled will stay true better if the front and rear of the main sled piece is still intact. You can see from the pic below that I have laminated a piece of 3/4 birch onto the 1/2 inch birch, which stays uncut. When you simply have a front and back rail the the two halves can shift independent of each other.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=136938&d=1262417714

Don't use maple for the fences. It moves too much with seasonal changes. I used MDF on my fence, joined to a piece of poplar.

[Peter Quinn]

I have one made with a 1/2" baltic birch base and another with a 3/4" MDF base. Either seems to work well.

[glenn bradley]

3/4" BB ply on all my current sleds. Less weight and plenty durable; I haven't killed one yet. Can't say that for my PB and MDF sleds of the past. I shellac several coats, sand to 400 and paste wax. Been running the current ones for over 3 years.

[Bill Huber]

I am an MDF guy, it is a little heavy but I like the mass. I used 1/2 inch and the front and rear fences are 1 1/2 red oak.
I put a good thumb guard on it and that's about it, plan and simple.


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[jim gossage]

BBB or MDF. But if you plan to put in tracks or T-slots to accept holddowns or other types of jigs (which I recommend doing), you should use 3/4". 1/2" would be too shallow.

[ken gibbs]

I used 3 /4" plywood, Rockler miter slots, and scrap hardwood for the fence and gussets. To keep the jig from absorbing moisture, use a lot of paste wax on all surfaces. You have to wax the hell out of all wood surfaces with Johnson's Paste Wax or Bowling Alley Paste Wax, and the plywood will soak up a lot of paste wax. The Rockler miter slot runners are adjustable so you can keep the miters reasonabley tight.