Pickets....and small inconsistency

[Ryan W Taylor]

So, here is the deal. Working on my first pieces of furniture and it is coming along. I have been taking my time. I noticed on my dry fitting with the pickets that some of them show a small gap between the picket and wood, where the tenon slides into the mortise. I cut all of the tenons at the same time so I am a bit perplexed. I am using a contractor saw with a cross cut sled that has a wee bit of slop as it travels up the slot. I suspect this might be the issue? If so, is the best way to fix this to have a proper cabinet/hybrid/slider saw and better crosscut sled?

[Ryan W Taylor]

Sorry...slats.

[Mike Henderson]

If you lay the slats side-by-side to check for length, are they the same length (not including the tenons)? If not, you'll have to trim the longer ones to match the shorter ones, or remake the shorter ones.

Mike

[Lee Schierer]

I am using a contractor saw with a cross cut sled that has a wee bit of slop as it travels up the slot. I suspect this might be the issue? If so, is the best way to fix this to have a proper cabinet/hybrid/slider saw and better crosscut sled?

You have properly diagnosed your problem. Side to side movement in a crosscut slide is a bad thing. You can use UHMW tape (https://www.mcmaster.com/tape) to shim the side of the miter bar on your sled to eliminate the slop. It comes in various thicknesses so you should be able to find something to fit your needs. Apply the tape the full length of the miter bar and trim it top and bottom with a razor blade once it is installed.

[Jim Matthews]

Is the problem that the slats don't fully seat into their mortices, or that they don't cover the width of the nmortice?