Oak Guides for Sled?

[John McKissick]

Making a table saw sled with Micro-jig dovetails/clamps on the top. Main plate 3/4" MDF. Front and rear supports two (glued) 3/4 plywood, 4-5 inches tall.

Will I regret making the runners from red or white oak which I have on hand? Have Micro-Jig adjustable guides but they are a little short for my sled size. Or should I go get longer plastic or metal guides maybe Incra Miter Slide SE? My slots are on the wide side with Micro-jigs guides almost maxed out

My "garage" is unheated and no mudity control in New England.

[bill epstein]

For a long time I had maple runners on several sleds. Recently, I built a sled with whatever aluminum runners Rockler sells. The aluminum were more trouble than they were worth to install but they work well. I'd go with whatever hardwood you have.

In the My 2 cents dep't., your better served with 1/2" Baltic Birch for the base, far more durable, especially the kerfs and edges, than MDF and you never know when that silly little 1/4" of blade travel will be needed. I would add in regard to the Micro-whoosits, you should have been here yesterday when I used a bowed 6 foot long piece of 2x8 SYP, all I had with the needed length, to set up a stop block to make repeated cuts of some 30" legs. :)

[Charles Taylor]

I suppose if I had a set of commercially made runners on hand, I'd be inclined to use them, because I suspect the adjustability is hard to beat. I certainly appreciate that feature of my miter gauge and tenoning jig. Every sled or jig I've made on my own, however, has used wood runners. As long as I'm not sloppy in the construction and tuning, they work well.

If you can cut your runners such that the horizontal faces are quarter sawn, you will minimize the effects of seasonal movement.

[Rod Sheridan]

Quarter saw the white oak, orient it so the major expansion/contraction will be on the vertical dimension.

Wax the sled bottom thoroughly......Regards, Rod

[John McKissick]

For a long time I had maple runners on several sleds. Recently, I built a sled with whatever aluminum runners Rockler sells. The aluminum were more trouble than they were worth to install but they work well. I'd go with whatever hardwood you have.

In the My 2 cents dep't., your better served with 1/2" Baltic Birch for the base, far more durable, especially the kerfs and edges, than MDF and you never know when that silly little 1/4" of blade travel will be needed. I would add in regard to the Micro-whoosits, you should have been here yesterday when I used a bowed 6 foot long piece of 2x8 SYP, all I had with the needed length, to set up a stop block to make repeated cuts of some 30" legs. :)

I had a sled with baltic birch, had it dialed in and sat for a few weeks, came back and it was off by a fair amount, maybe 1/2 a degree. So trying again with MDF which seems more stable based on a chunk I left laying at an angle over a few years and still very flat.

Trying to use on hand materials if possible not counting my labor..

1/2 would be great for blade reach and weight but not well for the dovetails I like for the clamps.

Probably use the Micro-Jig slides I have on hand. Just have to be careful with placement to maximize crosscut capacity

[ChrisA Edwards]

My sled has red oak runners, been great, no signs of wear or slop. Been that way for several years.

In fact, when I made the runners, I made several spare ones for just in case I need them for other sleds or jigs down the road.

At some point, some of them will get used when I make a bandsaw circle jig.

[Keith Outten]

Because its always humid in Virginia I make sled runners from solid surface countertop scraps. Once I get the right fit I never have a problem.

[Carroll Courtney]

I have oak guides,but was thinking that nylon bars would be better.I also sprinkle little baby powder on table top before using slide

[Michael Drew]

I used oak. Replaced once already.

If I were to build another sled, I'd use the Incra metal slides.

I also used melamine, and it worked quite well, but I think some laminate would be even better. I may use MDF and stick laminate to it for my next sled. I find that if I take the time to build a quality jig or tool, and build it to last and function well, I take care of it and use it more often than my "quick and dirty" tools/jigs. A table saw sled can be pretty damn handy, so I'd take the time and build a nice one that will last many, many years.

[glenn bradley]

I have sleds with wood, UHMW and Incra bars. They all work fine. I used quartersawn white oak on a sled I have been using for over a decade. One nice thing about the wood or UHMW is that you can tune the fit with a card scraper. I say, forge ahead aslong as your wood is nice and straight grained..

[Larry Frank]

I use the Incra Miter Slider which run smooth and adjustable. I reuse them when a sled is worn out. I have tried other materials but not as good for me.

[John Sincerbeaux]

I’m a fan of metal on metal. What I have done is find a machinist, take him the miter gauge that came w the saw and have a couple of sets made for a few different sleds (different functions). Have them drilled and counter sunk.

[Mark Daily]

My sled has red oak runners, been great, no signs of wear or slop. Been that way for several years.

In fact, when I made the runners, I made several spare ones for just in case I need them for other sleds or jigs down the road.

At some point, some of them will get used when I make a bandsaw circle jig.

Mine too- I made it about 15 years ago and it still works fine. No issues with expansion/contraction or accuracy.

[Paul Ruud]

3M High Performance Industrial Plastic Adhesive 4693HI have used red oak, UHMW, and aluminum (with adjustable nylon set screws). The miter gauge that came with my saw also has plastic set screws. I tried putting my own set screws into the red oak with a slightly undersized runner and that worked well for humidity changes.

With UHMW, I have found that cutting a shallow slot in the bottom of the sled helps to get the runner perfectly straight. UHMW is prone to bending when I am cutting the runner off a larger piece. And, because it is parallel to one side, the slot makes my sled base sides parallel and square to the miter slot before I even put it on my tablesaw. No need for pennies in the miter slot, glue on the runner, and using the fence to keep the base square.

And I have found 3M High Performance Industrial Plastic Adhesive 4693H to work well for gluing UHMW to wood.

[Bob Hinden]

I have made runners out of 1/4" baltic birch plywood. They seem to be stable.

[Warren Lake]

going way back, 1/2 baltic birch sled base with Hard maple runners. Hard maple front and rear on the top of the sled. Left the baltic full width so the sleigh would cross cut 4 x 8 's if your runners shrink at some point you keep the sleigh to one side and it still cuts square.

[Jon Grider]

My sled has plain sawn red oak runners. Never had a problem with seasonal movement making them too tight or loose.

[Tom M King]

Another vote for Corian. I still have some special purpose sleds that were made in the '80s that still work fine. They don't get used often, but they still slide nicely.