Crosscut sled

[Steve Gojevic]

I am building a crosscut sled for my TS and have 2 questions:

1) What is a good width to accommodate? I am thinking it should at least allow material 24" wide to fit in it.

2) Some plans use a single miter slot and some use both miter slots. Any advantages to one over the other? It would be easier to use only one because you don't need to align two, but I'm thinking using both slots would be more stable.

Steve

[Phil Thien]

I suppose it depends a little bit on what you'll be using the sled to cut.

In my case, I made a one-sided sled that will accommodate 24" wide material, and it has an adjustable (approx. 43-degrees to 92-degrees) fence. I used 3/8" thick Baltic birch which makes it fairly lightweight, not a chore to lift onto or off of the saw.

Where a two-sided sled that straddles the blade and uses both miter slots would excel would be better control of the waste. Right now my waste has to fall by the height of the sled (3/8"). If you expect a large cut-off, you have to add a 3/8" piece of material to the other side of the blade, to make things safe. But I don't find I have to do this very often. I have a piece with a hook on the front that just hooks the front of the table saw's table, it works pretty well.

Oh and another benefit of the two-sided sled is that you get better splinter control on both sides of the material.

[Matt Meiser]

I built a big one for my Unisaw that could accommodate just under 24". Frankly it was a pain to use and a pain to store because of its size. It had double runners and I'd think you'd want that to give you the best chance of a straight cut with 18" of the sled hanging over the front of the saw.

When I bought my Sawstop and sold my Unisaw I gave the sled to the buyer. I bought runners to build a new one but doubt I ever will, but I've gone to using a quality track saw for handling large panels.

[Steve Gojevic]

Thanks for the suggestiuons.

I am building many cabinets for our kitchen out of prefinished 3/4" maple plywood. I plan on breaking down the sheets using my circular saw and a homemade edge-guide to slightly oversize. Then I will cut it accurately using the sled on the table saw. The widest parts will be the base cabinet sides at 22 3/4" wide. Actually, the 1/2" backs will be larger but I don't want to make the sled THAT big.


Steve

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Steve,

I have one built with 1 miter slot guide. I have a small parts sled that uses 2 miter slot guides. My next full sized crosscut sled will probably have 2 miter slot guides for improved accuracy and I will use it with an outfeed extension on my t/s. A lot depends on the material used for the miter slot guide.

[Matt Meiser]

Having now built 2 houses full of cabinetry and doing it first your way and my current way, I can tell you that's a lot of extra work. But my way cost about a second table saw's worth of money to outfit so there's a definite time/money tradeoff there.

[Al Launier]

I prefer the sled to be able to accommodate a 24" length of cut with two slot bars. The 24" capacity accommodates a lot of projects & the double miter bars add better "solidity", long term wear, repeatability, and accuracy. When using the sled there will be some slop in the fit, so you could make a habit of always "pushing" the sled to the same side of the miter slot for consistency. If the resulting cut from the saw blade is not quite what you want, say a width that didn't come out wide enough, you could make the cut by pushing the sled first against the regular side of the slot, then while holding the work piece in the same position on the sled, make a second cut by pushing the sled against other side of the slot. This will add the "slop" in the fit to the width of the cut.

As for alignment of these two bars:

Make the bars extra long,
Place the bars in the slots, if there is any "slop" in the fit you could temporarily wrap the bars in wax paper, or a sheet of paper, shims, etc, i.e. whatever fits right,
Then lay the sled on top of the table & bars,
Orient the sled square to the front edge of the table & clamp in place,
Drill pilot holes, countersink the sled, and screw the sled to the bars. You could also first pin nail the sled to the bars & then screw things together.


If your saw has a miter slot with a wider, secondary slot at the bottom, say ~1/16" high, you could add a washer to the bottom of the bars. Countersink the washers to accept a flat head screw so it doesn't protrude below the washer.

Good luck with your sled, you'll find it to be an extremely useful tool.

PS Remember to use the "5-cut" method to adjust the sled square.

[Scott Reed]

I use a double bar sled but I approached the construction a little differently. I essentially made two sleds, one for the left side of the blade and one for the right. I used two pieces of 3/4" MDF and maple for the runners. I routed a dado on each sheet of MDF and glued in the runners. With the MDF sized to be slightly larger than the blade clearance on each individual sled, I trimmed the edge on each piece separately for zero clearance. I then lightly clamped the two sled halves together so that they would be putting a little pressure on the inside walls of the miter slots and I then attached the back fence to join the two halves together. Then I predrilled all the holes to attach the front fence and attached the fence with one screw, finishing it off by aligning it using the 5 cut method. This way of making a sled guarantees a smooth sliding sled with no slop and is much easier to make than using on full sheet.

[Val Kosmider]

There is a FWW article in the last 12-18 months which lays out how to build a sled. It has lots of good suggestions. I built mine 'along those lines' and it has served me well. It will hold a 14" panel which suits me fine---most of my 'issues' are for holding a LONG board and keeping it square to the blade. Beyond 14" I use my skill saw and lay a guide down. My only real suggestion is that I found it was worth it to spend a few bucks to buy Incra guides for the runners.

[Prashun Patel]

Lots of ways to skin this cat. Personally, I have 2. For trimming large panels, I have a single runner sled that only has a rear (leading) fence. I don't know anyone who uses something like this, and I'm surprised. By registering on the leading face of the sled (vs the trailing edge like a normal sled) it's easier to register in the slots and prevent tipping with large panels.

I have a smaller sled that accommodates 16" wide stock. It's 1/2" plywood. A smaller, lighter sled is easier IMHO to use, so I use it more often for most cross cuts

[John TenEyck]

Mine is huge by most people's standards, made from a half sheet of 1/2" plywood, with two runners. It can handle most any long and wide cabinet door with no problems. Yes it's heavy but that has no bearing when it's actually up on the saw where it slides very smoothly. No matter how large or small you make it, I suggest you include a blade guard at the back and an eye/hand shield above the blade. I made my shield from 1/4" plexiglass, about 6" wide, supported by two 3/4" x 1-1/2" strips of wood, that spans from the front to back rest of the sled. It keeps sawdust from hitting you in the face and provides a visual reminder of where the blade is.

John

[Jerry Olexa]

2 minor thoughts:
2 runners give you more stability/accuracy
Keep weight in mind as you design/build...1/2" stock might be sufficient.

[Noel Poore]

Lots of ways to skin this cat. Personally, I have 2. For trimming large panels, I have a single runner sled that only has a rear (leading) fence. I don't know anyone who uses something like this, and I'm surprised. By registering on the leading face of the sled (vs the trailing edge like a normal sled) it's easier to register in the slots and prevent tipping with large panels.

I have a smaller sled that accommodates 16" wide stock. It's 1/2" plywood. A smaller, lighter sled is easier IMHO to use, so I use it more often for most cross cuts


Prashun

You just described exactly what I have (and was about to write about until I saw your message :)). 95% or more of my crosscuts are done with the small sled.

Noel

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Lots of ways to skin this cat. For trimming large panels, I have a single runner sled that only has a rear (leading) fence. I don't know anyone who uses something like this, and I'm surprised. By registering on the leading face of the sled (vs the trailing edge like a normal sled) it's easier to register in the slots and prevent tipping with large panels.



Picture holding my hand up yelling......"I do Mr. Patel!" LOL.

[Rod Sheridan]

Prashun, great minds think alike...........LOL.

That's a very common style, when I owned a cabinet saw, I had one.

It's based upon how a sliding tablesaw handles larger pieces..................Regards, Rod.

[Judson Green]

I've got one for each side.

[glenn bradley]

My medium sled accommodates 20" and is too often too small. If it would take 24" I would use my 40" large sled less often. I use both slots and see little improvement in a single rail sled over a quality miter gauge. YMMV.

[Kelby Van Patten]

Check out this video by William Ng. It's the holy grail of guides to cross-cut sleds.

http://wnwoodworkingschool.com/5-cuts-to-a-perfect-cross-cut-sled/

[Pat Barry]

I prefer the sled to be able to accommodate a 24" length of cut with two slot bars. The 24" capacity accommodates a lot of projects & the double miter bars add better "solidity", long term wear, repeatability, and accuracy. When using the sled there will be some slop in the fit, so you could make a habit of always "pushing" the sled to the same side of the miter slot for consistency. If the resulting cut from the saw blade is not quite what you want, say a width that didn't come out wide enough, you could make the cut by pushing the sled first against the regular side of the slot, then while holding the work piece in the same position on the sled, make a second cut by pushing the sled against other side of the slot. This will add the "slop" in the fit to the width of the cut.

As for alignment of these two bars:

Make the bars extra long,
Place the bars in the slots, if there is any "slop" in the fit you could temporarily wrap the bars in wax paper, or a sheet of paper, shims, etc, i.e. whatever fits right,
Then lay the sled on top of the table & bars,
Orient the sled square to the front edge of the table & clamp in place,
Drill pilot holes, countersink the sled, and screw the sled to the bars. You could also first pin nail the sled to the bars & then screw things together.


If your saw has a miter slot with a wider, secondary slot at the bottom, say ~1/16" high, you could add a washer to the bottom of the bars. Countersink the washers to accept a flat head screw so it doesn't protrude below the washer.

Good luck with your sled, you'll find it to be an extremely useful tool.

PS Remember to use the "5-cut" method to adjust the sled square.
I did virtually the same as described here and it was a HUGE improvement over the single rail system I had originally. Much more accurate and repeatable. My single rail required me to try and compensate for the inherent slopiness of the guide

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I have two, a large two runner sled and a smaller one runner sled which just has the one fence on the back side. It's like a large sled cut completely in half. I use it most of the time because I don't have to remove the guard and splitter to use it.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

This is the crosscut sled I use most because I don't have to remove the blade guard. Its bare bones, but easy to use since the right edge lines up with the left edge of the blade.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q320/bmcdonau/IMG_0606_zps5d452a6f.jpg

This is the two runner sled and I don't use it near as much unless I have a lot of panels to cut.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q320/bmcdonau/IMG_0610_zpsc4de495f.jpg

The other side--it has a tape and stop for repeat cuts.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q320/bmcdonau/IMG_0611_zps3ebca0c6.jpg

[Guy Belleman]

It hasn't been mentioned, but I would recommend using metal bar track for the runners. I once built a two runner sled with some oak runners and found the expansion/contraction due to humidity/temperature either made the sled stick or sloppy, rarely tracking smoothly. Using metal runners has almost made me forget that experience.

[Phil Thien]

It hasn't been mentioned, but I would recommend using metal bar track for the runners. I once built a two runner sled with some oak runners and found the expansion/contraction due to humidity/temperature either made the sled stick or sloppy, rarely tracking smoothly. Using metal runners has almost made me forget that experience.

My UHMW runner method has served me well.

Single runner with zero play. No seasonal changes.

And slides so smoothly.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?82788-Finally-a-better-sled-runner/page3

[Steve Gojevic]

Thanks, everyone for the very useful suggestions.

I am going to make the sled today, hopefully.

The plan is to make it 48" long with a slight offset to the left so it will support material 30" to the left of the blade and 18" to the right.

The width will accommodate 24" wide material, so the sled opening will be about 25" to make sure. I don't want to make it real wide because then it would need an infeed support also.

I'm still up in the air about the base material. It might be 3/4" MDF that I have around because I'm not too concerned with weight. I do have 1/2" BB plywood but that is reserved for the cabinets.

There will be 2 runners that I can make out of either oak or hard maple, both of which I have in the shop. I would really prefer steel, but i don't have any and also the Craftsman miter slots are less than 0.750" wide which means sanding or milling the metal to fit. Buying runners means waiting for them to arrive. Right now I need to make the sled ASAP so i can start the project. Later on I might upgrade the runners if there is a problem.

I will also put a safety cover where the blade exits the front fence and/or limit the sled travel to keep the blade too exposed. I'm also thinking about a clear lexan cover over the entire cut line to keep dust and debris from blowing towards me, and it would also be a safety cover to keep hands away.

I really like William Ng's 5-cut method for squaring the sled, so I plan to do it that way.

Steve

[Dave Zellers]

I vote for 1/2" BB.

Be sure to align the grain of the runners vertically to minimize seasonal changes.

[Phil Thien]

Right now I need to make the sled ASAP so i can start the project. Later on I might upgrade the runners if there is a problem.


Rarely do people make one sled. You make a sled, learn what you like and what you dislike, then you make the next sled.

[Michael Mayo]

I just picked up some 1/2" ply today to make a new sled. My current sled has worked but it doesn't slide very smoothly as I used Purple Heart for the runners and I could never get them dialed in just right. I stopped at the steel place down the street today and looked through the bargain barn where they sell all of the remnants of their commercial jobs. I looked in the steel barn first and picked up a 10' section of 3/4x3/8 flat stock. That cost $1.00 per pound and it was 10 lbs. then I went to the stainless/aluminum barn and found a 12' section of machined SS 3/4x3/8 SS flat bar. This usually sells for $5.00 per pound but the owners son couldn't find a magnet to check if it was SS or not so he said you can have it for $2.00 lb. that cost me $24.00! So I made a couple of 27" runners late this afternoon and they fit the miter slots like a glove and slide like butter. Can't wait to finish the cross cut sled tomorrow gonna be so nice to cross cut stock with a sled that is easy to slide. Then I am going to use the rest of the metal to make a miter sled.

[Alan Lightstone]

I bought the full-sized Woodhaven sled. It's made out of 3/4" MDF, and by the time you add the weight of the MDF, plus the extruded aluminum, and clamps, and it weighs a blood ton.

I eventually got tired of hurting my back while lifting it up to the saw, and I installed a Harbor Freight overhead hoist, and now I lower it down from overhead. Crazy - maybe. It is a very nice sled, but I think 1/2" would have been just fine an weighed far, far less.

I've added a second runner to it recently, as well as Incra guides so that it doesn't tip over (a real issue for it before). The second runner adds significant friction to it, but using the 5 cut method I've been able to dial it down to 0.001 accuracy, which is crazy good.

I like the 27" capacity a lot. There have been many times where 24" was not enough.

[Aaron Berk]

Threw this together just the other day, had to rig an in feed support on the bench top saw to hold it up.

Amazing how quick u can throw something together when time is of the essence.
Took about 30 min, including had planing the oak runners.

[Greg Peterson]

Here is my crosscut sled.

This sled uses two runners and 1/2" plywood. I incorporated above blade dust collection.

[Jim Neeley]

Prashun

You just described exactly what I have (and was about to write about until I saw your message :)). 95% or more of my crosscuts are done with the small sled.

Noel

+1 on a dual-sled approach. One thats convenient to use and one for when the small one is too smal.

Jim

[Alan Lightstone]

+1 on a dual-sled approach. One thats convenient to use and one for when the small one is too smal.

Jim

+2, although I find I use the bigger one more.