Shop made Router Table Sled

[Don Stanley]

Some of you may have noticed my previous post on the ShopNotes Router Table Sled (Vol. 15 Issue 87). I was inspired by the article, and after a lot of thought and deliberation, decided to make my own version.

http://members.ai5.net/~kc7cn@ai5.net/main/routersled/RightFront814.jpg

The plywood base on the prototype was 1/2" thick plywood. Initial testing indicated there was to much deflection between the base and the fence when the stock was clamped down. The deflection pulls the stock away from the backer board! The second and final version has a 3/4" plywood base, which works much better! The rear cross-clamp was added to apply additional pressure for the backer board. The combination of clamps provide good support, and a tight fit between the stock and backer board The fence is 2" angle Aluminum. The hold down clamps are from Harbor Freight. Adhesive pads were added for a soft touch. The base has eight T-nuts space 1-1/2" for mounting the hold down clamps and handle assembly.

More pictures on my Web Page:


http://members.ai5.net/~kc7cn@ai5.net/main/routersled/index.html (http://members.ai5.net/~kc7cn@ai5.net/main/routersled/)

-Don

Not sure why the link doesn't work! I added "index.html" to the string - hope this will work.

[Corey Hallagan]

Link didn't work for me but that is a good looking sled Don. Nice job.

corey

[jonathan snyder]

Don,

The link did not work for me either. Nice sled, Did you make the knobs?

Jonathan

[Roy Clarke]

Link worked fine for me. I'm using Firefox 1.5.0.9.

[Pete Harbin]

Nice job Don. That is cool.

Pete

[Don Stanley]

Link worked fine for me. I'm using Firefox 1.5.0.9.

Thanks for the tip Roy. I also use Mozilla Firefox, and was unaware the link did not work with Microsoft Internet Exploer. I found the problem in my index file. The link should work now.

-Don

[Dave Kettler]

worked for me . that is a really nice jig. good job

[Peter Pedisich]

Don,

That is really excellent, thanks for sharing all the pics. I'm actually making one right now...not nearly as substantial as yours...and its great to see other peoples ideas and methods.
Real nice job on the shop made knobs, too.

Thanks,

Pete

[Larry Turner]

Link Worked for me. I use Microsoft IE. Great job. Did you follow basically the same design as Shopnotes?

[Jack Ganssle]

Don,

Very nice work - especially the shop-made knobs! What did you use for threaded inserts?

Jack

[Don Stanley]

Here's some answers to your questions:

Corey, Jonathan, Roy - Thanks to Roy, I discovered the link did not work with the Microsoft Internet Browser. I also use Firefox. I fixed the problem - should work now.

Yes, I made the knobs. I'm retired, so I have the time to do something just for the fun of it. It would be far more cost effective to buy knobs, but I live in a small town, and would have to travel to three different stores to buy more than one. I used threaded metal inserts.

Peter - Be sure to post pictures of your sled. I really enjoy my shop fixture projects.

Larry - The ShopNotes plan got me started. The basic dimensions are similar, but that's about all. I really enjoy ShopNotes because so many of the articles are creative.

Additional notes:

I purchased the HF Hold Down clamps at the Tacoma, WA Harbor Freight store, nearly two years ago. However, I can not find them on the HF Online Catalog.

I intended to laminate thin pieces of Oak for the handle assembly - otherwise the handle would be very weak in the narrow cross-grain areas. However, I got so involved with the design that I forgot to do the lamination step. Rather than toss it out and make a new handle, I mounted it in the new sled, and used a slot cutter for splines.

[Jerry Evans]

yes indeed...that is really a work of art...congrats

[Mike Zozakiewicz]

Great looking sled. Thanks for sharing. I am working on my router table right now and will have to add a sled to my todo list.

Thanks again.

Mike

[Tim Malyszko]

Very cool Sled. I like the knobs.

[scott spencer]

Dat's definitely darn dandy Don!

[Jim Becker]

Very nice, Don! Great solution.

I'm curious about why you are using the "screw down" clamps rather than toggle clamps for holding the stock down to the sled?

[Don Stanley]

Very nice, Don! Great solution.

I'm curious about why you are using the "screw down" clamps rather than toggle clamps for holding the stock down to the sled?

I thought about toggle clamps, but I would have had to order them on-line, and they are more expensive than the HF Hold Down clamps. Toggle clamps would provide more flexability with regard to reaching out to hold down odd shapped parts.

-Don

[Jerry Olexa]

Don, excellent jig/sled. Nice job...

[Dewayne Reding]

I need to make one of those this weekend before you get down to the patent office. That's a very nice sled Don.

[Mike Steinhilper]

terrific! can you tell me a little more about why the 1/2" plywood didn't work? I plan to build something like this, but I'd like to have a thinner base.

[Ted Miller]

Dan, That is an awesome piece, I love to see others jigs and fences that are homemade, I wish I had more room to store more homemade jigs, it only makes my machines 100 times more efficient...

[glenn bradley]

Hi Mike,

Slight hi-jack here. I used 1/2" BB ply and don't have a problem with deflection. The toggles can't put the kind of pressure the screwdown's are capable of. If you need any thinner you may want to look at phenolic. Dan's sled is a cool approach though, eh?

Mine's here:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=40640

[Don Stanley]

Mike - The first base was made from good, but not Baltic Birch, plywood, and it did not have the additional cross-brace. The idea was to hold the stock firmly against the backer-board, then tighten the clamps to hold both pieces firm against the fence. The reality is when you apply enough pressure to hold the stock firmly, the base deflects and pulls the stock away from the backer board.

Glenn - Thanks for posting the link to your jig. Very nice! I searched Google Images looking for examples of router sleds but didn't find much. I discovered, after the fact, "coping sled" may have been a better search term.

All - Thanks for all your nice comments. This forum is a great source of information with a great group of members.