Tablesaw crosscut sleds - what is the simplest/easiest one you've seen or built

[Howard Rosenberg]

I'm getting to that point where a TS crosscut sled could be a very practical addition to my shop.

Do you have any suggestions or videos/posts/pics for the simplest and easiest one to build?

[ChrisA Edwards]

William Ng on Youtube. Simple accurate and effective.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbG-n--LFgQ&t=483s



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbG-n--LFgQ&t=483s

[Ken Fitzgerald]

William Ng on Youtube. Simple accurate and effective.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbG-n--LFgQ&t=483s



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbG-n--LFgQ&t=483s

Plus one on William Ng and this 5 cut method for accuracy! I used it and I love the results on the cross cut sled I built!

[lowell holmes]

A 1x4 x 24" attached to an Incra M27 miter gage is my sled. You could make it as long as you want.
https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&type=E211US739G0&p=incra+miter+gauge

[Rich Engelhardt]

I like this one for a small sled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McXJxYLXq-E&t=42s

You can download plans and a material list - as well as go over step by step instructions from Tamar's web site.

One thing I really like about Tamar & her videos is the fact that she's got training & schooling making videos.
It really shows. She delivers a lot of useful information in a professional manner.

[Howard Rosenberg]

These are great. Thank you all.

I've got an Incra mitre gauge - it's great - I'm now looking for something more substantial.

And thanks for pointing out Tamar, Rich. She definitely has a great touch - I'll prob buy her pland and simplify even further.

[Jim Becker]

Relevant thread for me. Because I"m back to a cabinet saw in my temporary shop, I need to do the sled dance, myself, for safe cutting of smaller components, etc. It's on my list and I appreciate this thread bringing it back to the forefront. There was another recent thread on this subject, too...probably scrolled by several pages back from number one at this point.

[Howard Rosenberg]

Thanks Jim. I'll check for that thread too.

[Derek Arita]

It can be as easy as using a carpenter's square to set 90* to the blade. Will it be as accurate as you want? Ng's method is complicated, to me, but doable and leaves you with a very accurate sled.

[Edwin Santos]

I like this one for a small sled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McXJxYLXq-E&t=42s

You can download plans and a material list - as well as go over step by step instructions from Tamar's web site.

One thing I really like about Tamar & her videos is the fact that she's got training & schooling making videos.
It really shows. She delivers a lot of useful information in a professional manner.

Thanks for that link. Tamar's is one of the most versatile sleds I've seen yet, and yes, her video making is significantly better than most. I find myself learning from the fresh and creative work that a lot of the younger woodworkers are putting out. Especially on the design side.

[Thomas McCurnin]

+1 on William Ng. I had the pleasure of taking some classes from him a while back.

[Robert L Stewart]

William Ng makes it look easy as well as being a great teacher. 15 years ago I made a large sled (28" wide X 74" Long cut capacity) to fit on a dedicated unisaw.
The need was to trim doors for butt hinge flush inset application. The sled still works as it did when new and cuts perfect 90 deg crosscuts.

Recent needs inspired me to make a mini sled to cut .25 thick bamboo. 1000 pieces 4" x 4" with no tear-out, a challenge for that material.

One important feature was the replaceable throat plate. The temporary 3 small Bessy clamps are holding the movable tear-out backer.
Still perfect after cutting 560 parts.

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[Johnny Barr]

If you want absolute simplicity then my latest sled took 20 minutes to make and most of that was getting the runner to fit snuggly. I made sure that the right edge went past the blade and was cut by the sled. That way I had a reference edge to square the fence. I made a fall off piece to prevent tear out. The toggle clamp keeps my fingers away from the blade. Its light, it cuts perfectly square and is easy to store.
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I've made a sled with the works like the ones mentioned above. Hold down clamps, T Track, dust collection, replaceable inserts etc etc . It ended up so heavy I tended not to use it.

[Jim Becker]

Howard, I threw together a quick and dirty crosscut sled yesterday as I needed it for a project I've been working on...all scrap material and it worked just fine. I put a replaceable face on the front crosspiece made with .25" MDF so that if the slot gets worn, I can refresh it. The zero clearance for the blade is an important reference point to maintain. The only downside to this particular sled is that it's only about 24" wide or so and that requires placing some scrap plywood on whichever side the workpiece hangs over to support it up off the saw table. 'Nature of the beast. Oh, I also now have to raise the saw another quarter inch or so off the floor so that the runners in the miter slots will clear the CNC table when the sled is pushed all the way forward for a wider cut. But that's a constraint of my temporary shop situation and how close things are together, not the fault of the sled.

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[Alan Lightstone]

Jim:

I see you put two runners on your sled for the miter tracks. I've got two on mine also, but I've read posts with plusses and minuses to two vs one runner.

Everyone's thoughts?

[Jim Becker]

I see no downside to double runners unless the saw table's slots are not parallel. As long as the runners move smoothly without any slop, there's no downside that I can think of. Only run runner on a sled like I made would likely result in deflection if there's any resistance to the forward movement to the side. But that design might be better for a panel cutting sled...

That said, I truly miss my slider when it comes to stuff like this and am impatient for being able to get a shop building up and buy another sliding table saw once I have room for it.

[Mark Wooden]

If you want absolute simplicity then my latest sled took 20 minutes to make and most of that was getting the runner to fit snuggly. I made sure that the right edge went past the blade and was cut by the sled. That way I had a reference edge to square the fence. I made a fall off piece to prevent tear out. The toggle clamp keeps my fingers away from the blade. Its light, it cuts perfectly square and is easy to store.
466490

I've made a sled with the works like the ones mentioned above. Hold down clamps, T Track, dust collection, replaceable inserts etc etc . It ended up so heavy I tended not to use it.


Ive been using a sled like Johnny's for years now; my only differences are- 1) I later cut the blade edge back 3/8" back an glued a piece of hardwood to it that I replace from time to time when it no longer cuts zero clearance and 2) I made the fence pivot on a bolt so I can cut angles if needed. I just use a wood screw to hold it in place.
It's ugly, crude, intended to only be temporary, but it works so well that I never made another.

[Ray Newman]

Back in the last century, I made a cross cut/panel cutting jig after watching Norm on the New Yankee Workshop -- my Saturday late afternoon staple. See the first 10 minutes or so of the below linked video. It is very similar Johnny Barr's jig showed in post #13.

https://www.newyankee.com/product/jigs/

[andrew whicker]

I'm in the quick and easy camp. (I've actually become a fan of simply using a straight pc of wood on my miter gauge vs an actual sled.) Use a block and a clamp to set cross cut length. One thing I have thought about is looking for long runners made of metal so that my backstop can overhang the table saw towards the user by a foot or so with no loss in side to side accuracy. One of the very limiting factors in a sled is that you can realistically only slide it so far from the blade before it wobbles too much for any accuracy.

One quasi trick is to put the fence of your tablesaw up against the side of the sled to keep it straight, but then you are, of course, limiting your cross cut length. If you have a Unisaw fence you can use the narrow fence edge and get a few more inches (?) while doing this.

As Jim says, all of us just need to own sliding saws : )

[Dan Cameron]

I see no downside to double runners unless the saw table's slots are not parallel. As long as the runners move smoothly without any slop, there's no downside that I can think of. Only run runner on a sled like I made would likely result in deflection if there's any resistance to the forward movement to the side. But that design might be better for a panel cutting sled...

That said, I truly miss my slider when it comes to stuff like this and am impatient for being able to get a shop building up and buy another sliding table saw once I have room for it.

Jim, there really is no upside to double runners. A single, well fitted runner has all the precision of any double runner setup without the downside introduced by the expansion/shrinkage of the sled base due to humidity changes. The double runner configuration must have more slop lest the sled jams up.

[Jim Becker]

What you say makes sense and I'm going to give that some more thought.

[Dwayne Watt]

Jim, there really is no upside to double runners. A single, well fitted runner has all the precision of any double runner setup without the downside introduced by the expansion/shrinkage of the sled base due to humidity changes. The double runner configuration must have more slop lest the sled jams up.
i resolved the wood expansion/shrinkage problem by using aluminum. No issues that way, just some expense. I had a cross-cut sled (Norm version) that was serviceable for many years but was not as precise due to set up via framing square. Using the Ng or Tom McLaughlin methods gets a near perfect cut. I use an Incra miter gage for some work as well. Different tools for different tasks.

[Wayne Cannon]

Thin Masonite sheet with a milled-straight 2"x2" or 2"x4" fence, one side of blade only --simple, light, easy.

Downsides? Limited downward clamping, no holes for accessories, off cuts may occasionally need a piece of Masonite underneath for support, poor blade coverage for safety. Still simple, light, and easy.

[Dan Cameron]

i resolved the wood expansion/shrinkage problem by using aluminum. No issues that way, just some expense. I had a cross-cut sled (Norm version) that was serviceable for many years but was not as precise due to set up via framing square. Using the Ng or Tom McLaughlin methods gets a near perfect cut. I use an Incra miter gage for some work as well. Different tools for different tasks.

Dwayne, the expansion/shrinkage to which I was referringis that of the sled base, which changes the distance between two runners. Yes, plywood dimensions do change with humidity variation.

[Alan Schwabacher]

If you have a large humidity swing (10%) in your shop, plywood could change as much as 0.002" in spacing between the runners.

[Matthew Hills]

Jim, there really is no upside to double runners. A single, well fitted runner has all the precision of any double runner setup without the downside introduced by the expansion/shrinkage of the sled base due to humidity changes. The double runner configuration must have more slop lest the sled jams up.

I planed down the width on my uhmw runners to move freely; they aren't perfect and are probably a hair undersized. Each is biased towards the outside of each miter slot. I've been really happy with this setup and haven't seen any practical movement over time, although our area is not prone to crazy humidity swings. My impression had been that the double runners gave better tolerance to any error in the runner setup, but after a quick check of the geometries it is a pretty minor improvement. Maybe helps with torquing? Not sure, but I plan to continue with double runners when I build my next sled. I hang my sled on the wall, so double runners does help it lie flatter, but I wouldn't pivot a design around that.

To OP--building a dead-square sled is one of the most useful table saw accessories. I'd recommend keeping the size modest on your first one. This will make it much easier to grab and use. If you need to start crosscutting wider panels, I'd recommend making that as a separate sled. I'd keep this first sled dedicated to square cuts; build additional sleds/jigs if a cut will screw up the kerf in the sled (dadoes, bevel cuts, a different kerf blade, etc.)

When building a table saw sled, you need to think about where the blade is at the end of your cut. In most designs, the blade will be coming through the back fence, which could be a natural place to have your thumb as you push the sled. Figure out how you're going to avoid that situation.

[Matthew Hills]

And make sure none of the screws go below the bottom of the sled (all heads are sunk; no tips protrude).

[Derek Arita]

I live in NorCal where it can get pretty wet in the winter and pretty dry in the summer and Fall. Never had an issue using 2 hardwood runners on my sled. I used the NG method and it's always been dependable.

[Dan Cameron]

I planed down the width on my uhmw runners to move freely; they aren't perfect and are probably a hair undersized. Each is biased towards the outside of each miter slot. I've been really happy with this setup and haven't seen any practical movement over time, although our area is not prone to crazy humidity swings. My impression had been that the double runners gave better tolerance to any error in the runner setup, but after a quick check of the geometries it is a pretty minor improvement. Maybe helps with torquing? Not sure, but I plan to continue with double runners when I build my next sled. I hang my sled on the wall, so double runners does help it lie flatter, but I wouldn't pivot a design around that

Yes, the double runner setup can compensate for undersized runner width if the spacing of the runners is different than the spacing of the slots (either wider or narrower).

To OP--building a dead-square sled is one of the most useful table saw accessories. I'd recommend keeping the size modest on your first one. This will make it much easier to grab and use. If you need to start crosscutting wider panels, I'd recommend making that as a separate sled. I'd keep this first sled dedicated to square cuts; build additional sleds/jigs if a cut will screw up the kerf in the sled (dadoes, bevel cuts, a different kerf blade, etc.)

When building a table saw sled, you need to think about where the blade is at the end of your cut. In most designs, the blade will be coming through the back fence, which could be a natural place to have your thumb as you push the sled. Figure out how you're going to avoid that situation.

The sweet spot (lowest friction) for two runners is unfortunately halfway between the runners, right where the blade exits. For a single runner the sweet spot is right behind the runner. Oh with a single runner you can place the runner in either slot. I have a ZC kerf for saw blades and a wide slot for bevels and dadoes.

[Curt Putnam]

Cjeck out the MicroJig sled designs on YouTube

[Buddy Brewer]

Look up Dubby. I have one and it is extremely accurate.

[Robert Engel]

I’ve thought about double runners that don’t fill the whole slot and run only against the inside (or outside) of the slots.

Anyone see a problem with this?

[Ray Newman]

The December 2021, #292, Fine Woodworking, pp 44ff, has an article on fabricating a sled. A torsion box made from 1/8" hardboard/Masonite for an overall thickness of 3/8".

[Alan Schwabacher]

I’ve thought about double runners that don’t fill the whole slot and run only against the inside (or outside) of the slots.

Anyone see a problem with this?

That works fine. Some years ago a guy in Poland named Niki described sleds made this way (as well as a huge variety of other jigs). Niki is no longer with us, and I hope someone has kept all his clever constructions.

He made double miter bar sleds by making the halves separately with loose bars, holding them to the side of the miter slot closer to the blade as each was trimmed, then using the fences (front and back) to mount them together so they were square and slid smoothly. I'm sure he had a simple and clever way to attach the fence square.

My own approach to squaring a fence is to use a framing square referencing the kerf, and to glue it on solidly. When dry I check squareness using the 5-cut method, shim with tape the amount indicated, and screw on a fence face leaving 1/8" dust gap below. By screwing on the face, it can be easily replaced to freshen the kerf, there's no need to chamfer the bottom, and it's very easy to shim.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Niki is no longer with us, and I hope someone has kept all his clever constructions.Sadly - no. Many of his works were stored somewhere other than on the SMC server and have been lost forever. :(

Thankfully - a few gems - like his sled survive:

[Peter Mich]

Steven Woodward, a fellow Creeker, has a video describing his method of ensuring that the sled runners fit tightly against the inside of the miter slot on the table saw. I tried his method and am very happy with the results. Check it out.

https://youtu.be/twEc6LZHlJQ

[Alan Schwabacher]

Rich: Thanks. I had searched without success for Niki on this site, and the your link didn't work for me. But after digging a bit I found that Niki's name was Nissim Avrahami, and that led me to his sled description here:

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?64448-Crosscut-sled-different-way

I hope this link works.