Length of Miter slides for TS Sled

[Arthur Wood]

I'd like to make a crosscut sled that has a cross cut capacity of about 27-30"; however, i have a pair of 24" miter bars (Incra) handy. . . .is it dangerous or ill-advised to use slides that are shorter than the cross cut base?

Art

[Mark Singer]

I just make mine out of hardwood...they should be longer in front so they enter before the table of the sled does...On the wide ones use a roller stand to support the sled...you should brobably have another one for smaller width boards.

http://www.leevalley.com/images/item/Woodworking/Assorted/50u0101s3.jpg

[Paul Comi]

Actually, you may be able to get by with those slides. Put your slides on the leading edge of your sled so that as you begin cutting your widest stock, the sled has slides on either side of the blade. By the time you sled has passed through half of the blade the slides will probably be not far in front of the blade and will still have at least 15" buried in the table saw slots to maintain the registration of the sled.

[Dan Cameron]

For years sled designs have included two sliders, but I suspect this has become a case of one sheep following another. There is one, and only one surface which keeps the sled from moving to the left and one surface that keeps it from moving to the right. These two surfaces may both be on one slider or may be one surface of each slider, but in no way do the two sliders "share" the job of keeping the sled from moving in one direction. This assumes the slider(s) is(are) made out of a relatively hard material and not a spongy one. I like to use hardwood with a piece of UHMW tape on each side.

Dan

[Joe Steckel]

I built a sled with about a 30" capacity using the 24" Incra sliders. I mounted the sliders flush with the front of the sled. When the sled reached the rear of the sled where there were no sliders underneath, I would get a slight side to side movement, no matter how snug I had the sliders in the slots.