Dubby Saw Sled

[Dick Heifner]

Hi all,
Has any body used the Dubby miter sled on their table saw?
Good or bad?
Thanks, Dick

[Lee Schierer]

Despite the demos that they do at the wood shows, they really aren't all that accurate. I found with mine that they are okay for short frame pieces, but the longer the piece being cut, the less accurate they are. Small angular errors get multiplied by 8 when making a picture frame just by the four courners. The length can then multiply that error several times over. The error really adds up when you go all the way around aframe of any size.

I get nearly as good a result with my OEM craftsman miter gage and a $3.00 plastic drafting triangle.

[Don Carkhuff]

A pal bought one. I copied it and made one for right and left of the blade. It works just great! The reason it works so well is, the scale is 16" from the pivot point. Each degree on the scale is about 1/4" apart. Splitting one degree is easy. I use it every day.
By the way, I followed the mfg's suggestion. I intentionally made the miter runner/(fits miter gauge slot) a tad narrow. When I make a cut, I push the sled toward the blade as I cut, before retuning the sled to it's start position, I pull the sled away from the blade. The Table saw blade doesn't touch the pristine cut that was just completed. This is good advice. A miter runner doesn't have to be a perfect fit. Why fuss when you don't have to? I used phenoic strips for runners BUT in the past have had excellent results with rock maple and lignum vitae too.
I made the scales on C.A.D. and used Mirror Copy for the scale on opposite side of the blade. I have reproduced the plans with paper scale and given them out to members of 2 woodworking clubs.
Before I contact cemented the paper scales to the Russian Baltic plywood sled, I had them laminated at a copy service store. I "inlayed" this laminate in a shallow rabbet to make the scale flush with the plywood surface.
Be sure and get left and right Dubby's so you can cut material that might have a complete contour on one side.

[John Bush]

Hi Dick,

I've had one for over 10 years and have used it a bunch for repetitive cuts for both angles and lenghts. Accuracy of the angles was not a problem and consistency of lenght cuts is a breeze. I saw the newer version at the Portland show and I think I saw an alum. arm for angle adjustment and some other nice features. I'd like to have the plans to make a right side sled too, so
don CarKhuf, If you are still out there, let me know the specs and technigues.
I recommend getting / making one. Good luck, John.

[Don Carkhuff]

You can contact me at
Don Carkhuff
8509 Creekside Lane
Darien, Il 60561
Enclose a self addressed and posted envelope for 81/2" X 11" paper for return to you.
I'll send you the plans, free.
I really don't understand why Lee thinks it's inaccurate.
Seeing is believing. Right at the show, I witnesses the guy cut and assemble polygons with many sides. sometimes he assembled a 7 sided one and sometimes an 11 sided one. He used masking tape to hold them together and all joints were perfect with a Forrest blade. I have duplicated the same in my shop many times.
There are however, several competitors now and I'm sure all will equal the Dubby. All that is required is to have a scale that is far from the pivot point.

[Dave Avery]

I have one and like it pretty well.

[mike lucas]

Hi all,
Has any body used the Dubby miter sled on their table saw?
Good or bad?
Thanks, Dick Only since 1989!

[mike lucas]

Despite the demos that they do at the wood shows, they really aren't all that accurate. I found with mine that they are okay for short frame pieces, but the longer the piece being cut, the less accurate they are. Small angular errors get multiplied by 8 when making a picture frame just by the four courners. The length can then multiply that error several times over. The error really adds up when you go all the way around aframe of any size.

I get nearly as good a result with my OEM craftsman miter gage and a $3.00 plastic drafting triangle. I guess my eyes are a tad bit better then yours:p I don't have any problem with accuracy using the dubby, and I have made many 8-16 sided frames.

[David LaRue]

I have both the Right and Left side Dubby's. I like them quite a but. Here is a picture of my left hand sled.

http://home.comcast.net/~mywoodshop/assets/images/Dubby-From-Op-Side-300.jpg

I added the board on the right so the cutt-off's don't come zinging back at me, and I added the blade crown to prevent a board from hitting the blade accidentially from the top. When cutting melemine, on melemine, it gets quite slippery. The crown is added protection from what happend to Jack’s Loganbill’s http://www.thewoodshop.20m.com/howto_splitter.htm

[Earl Reid]

I bought mine the first year they were sold, as Jerry said, perfect miter, first time every time. I would recommend it to anyone (and have) I recently made some 16 sided frames , all joints were right on.
Earl :)

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Dick,

I have the SmartMiter from Jointech and have been very pleased with it. Just something else to look at.

[Mike Tempel]

I too have the SmartMiter from Jointech. If you are in the market you might consider looking at this one as well for comparison purposes if nothing else. I have had mine for about 3 years and absolutely love it. I find myself using it more and more each time I am at the saw. In fact, the only time I use my OEM miter gauge is.........man, I don't remember using it lately.

[Aaron Heck]

For you guys with the Dubby's and Smartmiters, what do you think of the Woodhaven Deluxe Sled?

http://www.woodhaven.com/detail.aspx?ID=1610

It looks a lot like the dubby, and even has a cool taper jig attachment. I have been wanting to pull the trigger, but I end up doing a lot of my crosscuts and miters on my Makita 10" slider miter saw, so I've been a little weary about spending $180 on it.

[Greg Griswold]

I have both a right and a left. I am very happy with mine.

Greg

[Earl Reid]

I don't know much about the other ones. I got mine for about $80.00 at the time.( they cost more now) Several companys have tried to copy the Dubby. I remember one that boasted that it wasn't necessary to cut your angle very close because 2 wrongs made a right?? I have purchased a total of 4 Dubbys over the yrs. I gave them as gifts to others.
Earl

[mike lucas]

I believe that the Dubby is the first of its kind to be marketed, It came out in 1986 or 1987, I bought mine in about 88-89. Other then some rust on the sliding stop, the thing still looks new.

Many have made copies, and a few may even be better. I like the Jointech one, but with the indents at 1/2* marks, it could make it difficult to make fine adjustments between the indents.

If I were buyine new now, It would be either the Dubby or the Jointech. I don't like the Incra at all. It just don't look like it is designed the best it could be. But it would be my third choice. Other then those three, I'd make one in the shop before considering any of the others.

[scott spencer]

Hi Dick - I plan to build one this spring. Take a look at these plans.
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Paradise/2000/