crosscut sled question

[Bob Riefer]

Ok, this one is probably really dumb:

If I have a miter gauge that I know to be true (in my case the Incra V27) at 90 degrees as well as the other stops... And that miter gauge has an extension fence/board affixed to it permanently...

Could I devise a simple sled that would just hook over the edge of my miter gauge fence and thus I'd get a sled, as well as the accuracy of the Incra? (as opposed to affixing runners to the bottom of the sled)

I've only used a sled once, during my woodworking course to trim the table top to final dimensions, so perhaps I'm not thinking through the various applications well enough.

Thanks!!!

[Gene Howe]

You'll have the same amount of time in devising and building what you describe, as you would in building a sled.
You can build a rudimentary one in 30 minutes, a fancy one in a few hours.

[Ben Hatcher]

For small parts, a sled and your miter gauge do essentially the same thing. For larger pieces, the miter gague will tend to rack due to the uneven friction forces. The sled is less likely to rack because it has two runners and you can push from the center.

[glenn bradley]

+1 what Ben said. A decent sled can be built pretty quickly. I have a few different sizes. All were built in hours and have been used for years. Take a Saturday morning and build one. You'll wonder how you got along without them.

[Cary Falk]

http://www.incrementaltools.com/v/vspfiles/photos/MITEREXPRESS-2T.jpg

[Keith Westfall]

Cary,


What am I missing?

That seems like it would be a one use sled... :eek:

[glenn bradley]

Cary,


What am I missing?

That seems like it would be a one use sled... :eek:

The catcher board on the left in the photo is separate and does not move along with the assembly on the right. this is a pretty cool rig but, you don't get the benefit of a two rail sled.

[Jim Heffner]

In my opinion, the main reason for having and using a sled for crosscutting
is better control of extra large work pieces that are difficult to cut with a miter gauge. The crosscut sled makes it safer, easier, and produces a better
quality finish cut in the end. As far as attaching a sled to a miter gauge
it would seem to provide an easy way of insuring accuracy to make the cut,
but I don't think it would work well for long. I think that after a while the
miter gauge would eventually move out of adjustment or its proper position
relative to 90 deg. setting and then you would have an out of square cut as a result.

If you want to be able to re-adjust the miter bar on the sled to the saw miter track...use the Incra miter bars sold at better woodworking suppliers. I have one on my sled and it has been there for years and stays right on adjustment
where it has been set since I installed it....and I like to!

For what it is worth....something else to think about when building a sled.

[Phil Thien]

There was a tip to FWW or some other magazine where the user had sandwiched a piece of laminate (like Formica) between his miter bar and the miter protractor. He put the slick side down, so it slides easily, and the rough side up, to grip the stock better.

For a quick and dirty "sled" I thought it was a pretty clever idea.