Lee Valley Router Sled Kit

[Mike Henderson]

I received a Lee Valley Spring 2020 catalog in the mail to day. One thing that caught my eye was the Router Sled Kit (https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/power-tool-accessories/router-accessories/110746-router-sled-hardware-kit) ($69.50) for flattening a slab. I don't work with slabs so I don't need this kit, but I thought it was a ingenious idea at a very reasonable price.

I'm impressed that Lee Valley does these kind of products.

Mike

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[Will Blick]

I 2nd your thought...
LV is really utilizing CAD, CNC machines and intelligent sourcing of bits n pieces to design / build / deliver useful and cost effective products for the ww community....
Kudos to Rob Lee! Keep up the great work.
I also love the recent release of the router plane accessories and email blast offering users tips on use. I just got my order of the box and of course, some additional accessories ;)

[Dan Friedrichs]

I saw this and was impressed, too. I just finished flattening my workbench using a shop-built router sled, and building the jig/sled was painful. I would have never thought to use EMT for the "rails", and those U-bolt bearings are neat.

[Jim Becker]

That really is a clever adaptation to what is an essential tool for folks who work with slabs and other similar large constructions.

[Doug Garson]

Wonder if you could add some stops and use it to cut dados or inlays also?

[Jim Becker]

Wonder if you could add some stops and use it to cut dados or inlays also?
It's very likely that with a little creativity, you can do interesting things like that.

[Jamie Buxton]

I saw that too, and was immediately concerned about sagging and bouncing on those rails. They're not part of the kit, but Lee Valley suggests that they be EMT. The long rails in the pic look to be 8' long by maybe 1" diameter. With only a little pressure I can bend that stuff an eighth inch. So you're not going to get a flat face.

[John Gornall]

1 1/2 inch EMT

[Robert L Stewart]

Not exactly portable they433137 are very stiff, 2" diam with 1/4 wall thickness by 72" long steel tube. I bought them years ago to build a panel router. Wondering what to do with them now.

[Dave Sabo]

I saw that too, and was immediately concerned about sagging and bouncing on those rails. They're not part of the kit, but Lee Valley suggests that they be EMT. The long rails in the pic look to be 8' long by maybe 1" diameter. With only a little pressure I can bend that stuff an eighth inch. So you're not going to get a flat face.

Perhaps a closer read was in order. The kits is sized for 1-1/2" EMT.

You are not going to bend or flex that in your hand !

Plus, Lee Valley isn't in the habit of turning out trendy junk that guys collect and don't use. I'm sure this was tested and retested before being put in the catalog.

[Ben Rivel]

An interesting solution for the price. Lately it seems like LV has recently discovered a CNC router. They've been pumping out simple but creative CNC'd products out of plywood like these left and right.

[Ron Selzer]

out of stock, earliest available July 31st,
ordered one
what bit in 1/2" shank is recommended by people on here? will be used with a PC 690, not a lot of use planned and will not be in a hurry when using it
thanks in advance
Ron

[lowell holmes]

I am surprised that Rob Lee has not commented.

[Jamie Buxton]

Perhaps a closer read was in order. The kits is sized for 1-1/2" EMT.

You are not going to bend or flex that in your hand !

Plus, Lee Valley isn't in the habit of turning out trendy junk that guys collect and don't use. I'm sure this was tested and retested before being put in the catalog.

Yeah. Lee Valley generally is a reliable supplier. However, I braved a big box store today to find an eight foot piece of 1 1/2" EMT today. It didn't take a lot of force to flex the middle by an eighth of an inch or so. The issue for this face jointer technique is that you don't want the router bit to bounce up and down, because you have to sand a bunch to take out the gouging. In my use of shop-built rigs, bouncing can happen from changing how I'm holding the router, or how much weight I'm putting on it, or from changing direction (pushing or pulling). It also can happen from running into a knot or a board edge.

[Jim Becker]

out of stock, earliest available July 31st,
ordered one
what bit in 1/2" shank is recommended by people on here? will be used with a PC 690, not a lot of use planned and will not be in a hurry when using it
thanks in advance
Ron

PC690 is a little light for this application relative to power. That said, to your specific question, I like the Amana insert tooling for this kind of application and you shuold be able to swing something like the 1.25" one that I own.

[David Utterback]

Has anyone completed the sled and used it? I have quite a bit of oversized black walnut to process including several crotch pieces. I bought the kit and am looking at options to build the frame and sled. Looking at 4' x 10' which will allow flattening of pieces up to 8' long and 2' wide.

I wonder about getting suitable quality 2 x 6 or 2 x 8 lumber, i.e. straight and stable, to make the frame. Anyone have suggestions on how to proceed? The big box lumber would appear to be out of the question. I have a lot of 12" x 60" long pieces of baltic birch at least 1/2" thick that I could laminate with overlapping joints to make some 10' long sections. Anyone see a downside except for the time and glue needed? Thanks for any insights.

[Doug Garson]

Looking at the photo Mike posted, it doesn't look like the frame needs to be anything but sturdy so any 2 x lumber should work. You can shim between the workpiece (which won't start out flat )and the frame and adjust the risers to get the pipes level.

[Alan Lightstone]

Considering that Woodpeckers Pro version is $1,149, and Woodhaven's planing sled is $329 (amongst others), I'd say that's a screaming good deal. Those look nicer, but all that really matters is ease and safety of use, and the finished product.

You still have to buy the pipes and such, but still...

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I checked this out and went to HD to look at the metal parts. They did seem fairly sturdy, but I was concerned with flex. I decided to make my own the way I have always done it- a box beam.

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[Steve Catts]

While 1-1/2" EMT might be a little lightweight for this, 1-1/2" rigid conduit would be more than stiff enough. Much, much heavier than EMT.