My new sled with upgrades....

[Mark Marzluf]

Well.... I thought this previous sled was everything I ever needed..

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL96/791874/1553822/128035884.jpg


Well...... it turns out there were some further options that I wanted / needed, so I made this newest version a couple weeks ago.

I'm still using a ZCI system that I incorporated in to the last one. Being able to use the sled for dado cuts has been very handy. I have inserts for 1/8", 1/2", and 3/4". The only problem I had was some tearout on the exit end of the piece. After making a dado cut - the fence no longer had a zero clearance. In this new sled, I made a split fence system that allows me to adjust for blade thickness as well. You can see in this pic, the 1/2" dado insert is installed and the fence is set acordingly.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL96/791874/1396915/214665734.jpg

I also began to cut through the safetyblock of my old sled. Those small bumps of the blade add up after time and finally penetrate the block. With it glued on, there was little to do except cut it off and apply a new one. Now, I've gone to an adjustable block. If I start to cut through it, I can slide it over to a fresh spot. Once it's all worn out, I can simply remove it and make a new one to slip on.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL96/791874/1396915/214665707.jpg


Also..... not wanting to make a HUGE sled that took up a bunch of room and weighed a ton, I usually keep the stop block at about 24" max cut. Finding myself wishing for wider cutting capabilities I also added a telescoping stop block system to this new one.. I now have standard 24" to the left of the blade or anywhere up to 36" with the stop block extended. A simple allen bolt through the top of the fence locks the telescoping fence in place.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL96/791874/1396915/214665733.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL96/791874/1396915/214665730.jpg


The last upgrade I made was to add a removable miter fence. I have an incra 3000 so I'm not trying to add a precision miter or anything, but for irregular pieces or when I want to make sure the cutoff stays put - this attachment should come in handy. Simple enough to add, I burried a threaded insert under the formica for one end, and a T slot cutter with circle jig made a nice track for the other end.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL96/791874/1396915/214665718.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL96/791874/1396915/214665737.jpg

Finally...... here's a couple over all shots. Thanks for taking a look.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL96/791874/1396915/214665726.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL96/791874/1396915/214665702.jpg

[Bob Huddleston]

Dayum...that's a piece of furniture, not a jig! Nice work and thanks for showing it!

[Mark Singer]

That is an amazing sled! My 2 sleds are simple an accurate and I love them....you have the ultimate sled there!

[Matt Day]

Where's the T1 connection? ;)

[Kyle Kraft]

WOW! I can only imagine the junk projects you can turn out with that rascal!!!;)

[Doug Lindley]

I see what you mean about your first sled, who would ever want to use that thing :D. Seriously, that new sled is a beautiful piece of equipment, certainly looks like a marketable item. Great work.

Doug

[Mark Marzluf]

Made this one for a friend.... Course, he didn't get the updated version. I had to make one for myslef first. ;)

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h20/bpnoble/Wall_Shots002-1.jpg

[Mike Weaver]

Very Nice!!

Definitely gets added to my jigs-to-build list!

Thanks for sharing,
-Mike

[Ron Blaise]

to use! Best one I've seen yet Mark! Ah,, beings as were buds,, where's mine???? :D

[Jim Becker]

What an incredibly well-thought through and executed sled system! VERY kewel! Thanks for posting that, Mark. I agree with Ron...the "best" I've seen yet, and that pretty much includes the expensive commercial ones, too.

[Al Navas]

JUNK, JUNK, JUNK, MARK !!!!









Please send it to me and I will burn up that sucker!!!!!!!!!







Gotcha, I hope :D . Super sled. I wish I had the time to make one. How much for a new one?????? Shipped to 64505. Just plain old hardwoods, nothing too fancy.


.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Wow! I wish my furniture projects turned out that nice!

Thanks for posting.
-Jeff :)

[jonathan snyder]

Mark,
That is great! I never would have thought of the telescoping stop block system. Can you please explain how you did that?

Thanks
Jonathan

[Brad Noble]

Made this one for a friend.... Course, he didn't get the updated version. I had to make one for myslef first. ;)

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h20/bpnoble/Wall_Shots002-1.jpg

Dang gone it, I have one that looks exactly like this one! I even have the incra fence system on my saw. And, as much as I hate to admit this, I have a cabinet with those floral designs on the sliding doors. :(

WAIT!! Is that mine? Why, I believe it is! I'd better go check the shop to see if its still there!

Kiddin' aside, its a super sled. I love it. I told Mark the only way it comes out of my shop is in trade for one of his new ones or to pry it out of my cold dead hands.

Brad

[Mark Marzluf]

Thanks everyone.

It really is a joy to have in the shop. The telescoping end is an incra scale t-track that i fit into the end of the fence. First I cut a dado in the bottom of the fence. After that, it's just a matter of fitting a filler piece for underneath the track.

It may be showing up in a popular magazine in the next couple months. Can't give you the name but I can give you a hint. FWW. ;):D

Not sure if they'll publish it or not, but they said they really liked it, that the editors were going to discuss it at their next meeting, and they would be in touch within a month. We'll see.......

[Don Bullock]

That's the most beautiful and functional jig I have ever seen. Your craftsmanship is fantastic.

You need to submit your plans, pictures and text to a magazine. This would make a very fine article.:D

[Mike Heidrick]

Can I buy the first old version?

[Paul Douglass]

My wife is lucky I can't make anything that nice. It would be sitting in the muddle of the living room with my TS until everyone I know saw it and commented!!!:D

[Al Willits]

Very nice, if there were plans to make this I'd really like to try to make it.
The plain Jane one I just built works nice and is accurate, but if I could build something this nice, I'd leave it just sit on the saw and put a display case over it...:D

Thanks for posting it.
Al....who thinks someday.....

[Dan McGuire]

Mark,

beautiful sled, If I made something that nice, I would have to put legs on it and put it in the living room, I would be too afraid to scratch it in the shop. Nicer than most stuff that I build for the house

[Benjimin Young]

If I had a sled that nice I'd use it for my coffee table!

WOW, nothing quite like the beauty of a craftsman displaying their ability and pride in the detailed construction of their tools.

envy, envy, envy :o

ben

[Norman Hitt]

Mark, That is Beautiful and exceptionally functional. I hope it does make the Mag, as it sure does deserve to be "SEEN" by everyone. What is the dark wood you are using, walnut, cherry, or....?

I will pass along a little method I came up with to "Protect" the Safety Block. I first used a stop made with aluminum angle attached to the underside of the end that hung off the edge of the saw, but later came up with a simpler method.
If your outfeed table is attached to the saw so it cannot move, you can just make the grooves that the sled runners go into on the outfeed table the proper length so that the sled's runners hit the end of the grooves at the point where you want the blade to stop in the Safety Block, and you never have to worry about cutting on through the Safety Block.

Thanks for posting this.

[Nick Clayton]

Mark,

That is an amzing jig you have there. You need to render a scale drawing in the design forum!

Cheers,
Nick

[Rich Torino]

Mark,
that's just an outstanding piece of work.. Well thought out and well executed..
Now tell the truth... you don't use it to cut anything do you???

[Brad Noble]

Mark,
that's just an outstanding piece of work.. Well thought out and well executed..
Now tell the truth... you don't use it to cut anything do you???

Yes it is, and yes it was, I will to the best of my ability and Yep, he sure does. Been there and seen him do it.

;) ;)

Brad

[J D Thomas]

Mark, 2 questions:

Is your tablesaw a left tilt?

Can you elaborate on the details concerning the inserts? How is it supported underneath, etc.?

Very nice piece of work!

[Bruce Page]

Wow! I thought my sled was cool, your’s is incredible!

[Jim Dunn]

All right this looks more like a serving tray used to measure the length of steaks. Not any stinking cooking class's here:)

To pretty to use in anything closely resembling a shop. Real nice workmanship!

[Mark Marzluf]

Thank you very much guys.

Let's see if I can answer some questions.

I DO in fact use this sled on a daily basis. That's half the reason I put some time into them. If you can't enjoy something that you use daily, then what's the point, right?

My TS is a left tilt. If you have a right tilt, the inserts would then be to the left of the blade.

The inserts are sitting on a rabbet that I milled into the sled base. I don't have a picture from my newest one, but it's the same as this pic from my previous version. Once the insert is in place - A dowel (attached to the square blocks you see atop the fence) is inserted that penetrates the insert to hold it into position. Although they fit sugly under the fences - I don't want any chance of them walking into the blade and ruining the ZC effect.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL96/791874/1553822/128038007.jpg

[Ben Roman]

I want one !!! Where do i send the paypal and how much and when can it be here !!!

Great work

Ben

[Mike Jobe]

Unbelievable workmanship and design... "standing O"

[Dave Harker]

But I don't see anywhere to hook up the iPod!

One speaker on each side, mounted to the far end of the sled for a proper soundstage, with a recess in the far fence for the iPod... now you have an excuse to make V3.0 :-)

Gorgeous sled, makes my 1/2" plywood version look quite lame.

Dave

[Mike Waddell]

Mark -

A very well thought out piece of shop furniture you have there! I'd be proud to use anything that nice, and even more proud if I could think up and make something like that!

Well done!

Mike

[John Gornall]

Mark, well done!

However jigs like this are never really finished - there's always another idea.

Here's one to keep you going:

You need another 90 degrees of miter to cut many frame mouldings.

You can cut a flat moulding that can be flipped but not a round top or other complicated-non-flat shape. For these you need another 90 degrees of miter on the other side of the blade to cut the other end. This way you keep the flat back of the moulding down against the sled table.

[Don Bullock]

Thanks everyone.

It really is a joy to have in the shop. The telescoping end is an incra scale t-track that i fit into the end of the fence. First I cut a dado in the bottom of the fence. After that, it's just a matter of fitting a filler piece for underneath the track.

It may be showing up in a popular magazine in the next couple months. Can't give you the name but I can give you a hint. FWW. ;):D

Not sure if they'll publish it or not, but they said they really liked it, that the editors were going to discuss it at their next meeting, and they would be in touch within a month. We'll see.......

Mark, is there any news about possible publication of your TS sled?:D

[Cary Swoveland]

Beautiful design and execution, Mark. It motivates me to give more thought to the jigs I make. After all, if one is using a jig daily, why not strive to make it attactive as well as functional?

Cary

[Keith Outten]

Way to Go!

[Ted Miller]

Mark, Awesome, nice piece of machinery you have there...

[Brad Noble]

Mark, is there any news about possible publication of your TS sled?:D

Well, could be, might be, maybe there is, Oh well, I'll keep my mouth shut and wait for Mark.

:p :p :p


Brad

[John Wagner]

Beautiful, but could not see where it connected to the computer. Thanks for sharing. John Wagner

[Justin Henry]

Ahhhhhhhhhhh ummmmmmmmmmmm

beautiful!
What a marvolous sled.

[Lori Kleinberg]

Mark, that is one great looking sled. Would love to make one just like that. Has it been published yet? If so which mag? I can't believe I would have missed the buzz about it.

[Rich Torino]

Mark,
that's just an amazing piece of work.... How can I get to be your friend..??? I could use a better sled...

[Ted Miller]

Mark, Great idea for the inserts. I normally just pitch the sled when it becomes to messed up or out of square. But now I think its time for a major one, thanks for the ideas...

[Zahid Naqvi]

Made this one for a friend.... Course, he didn't get the updated version. I had to make one for myslef first. ;)


Mark, I have this sudden urge to become your friend :cool:
nice job, the sled is better than some of my furniture projects.

[Ron Blaise]

Purdy to use Mark and,,,, I didn't see any dust, anywhere :rolleyes: You don't really use them do you? Still waiting for mine too.

[John Petsche]

great idea and craftsmanship, thanks for showing the pics.