Panel sled -maximum size?

[Brian Penning]

Any ideas as to what the maximum depth a panel cutting sled could be?
Norm's is fairly deep(21") in his video below but I would like mine to be as deep as possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZFOX9kUKm4

[Jon Farley]

Mine is 24-1/2 inches wide and it works just fine. It is heavy to lift (made out of 3/4" MDF), but I feel the weight actually is advantageous when it is in use.

[Matt Ocel]

Brian - I have been procrastinating on building a sled. I am waiting for David Marks on Woodworks to show the dimensions of his. Norm's sled just doesn't compare to David's.

[Bruce Page]

Brian, mine’s 25” between the uprights X 40” wide. The width was based on what I could fit under my crosscut table. So far, I haven't needed more than 25".

You might get some ideas here, mine's the 9th & 15th one down.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5915 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5915)

[Robert Payne]

I have two crosscut sleds -- one small one that rides in the left miter slot and has a second runner that holds it straight on the left wing of my Grizzly G1023SLX -- and one large one that will handle a 30" cut. The small one only has a 30" long fence on the push side as the blade runs just to it's right (it is 22" x 33" wide and made of 1/2" Baltic Birch). The large one has 5/4 hard maple fences and is also 1/2" BB. It measures 36" wide x 33" front to back (30-1/2" between the two fences). Both have waxed white oak runners.

[Greg Hines, MD]

Brian - I have been procrastinating on building a sled. I am waiting for David Marks on Woodworks to show the dimensions of his. Norm's sled just doesn't compare to David's.


I think that either of them work well. Davids is so large that it is cumbersome, but it also can support larger pieces. Norms is a lot smaller, and therefore it is more likely you will use it.

I made one very similar to Norms out of 1/2" MDF and have had no problems with it.

Doc

[Michael Pfau]

Brian, I just build one. A double runner sled. I have a delta unisaw, and I built it 47 inches across, and about 28 deep. Now with this set up, and I can crosscut plywood 24 inches across. I love it. Its about as large as I could build it. Kreg puts out nice sliders, that I put on the underside. I built mine from a chapter in a book. The Table Saw Book by Kelly Mehler. Great book. If you want a picture of mine, let me know..

[glenn bradley]

I have a few. One will take panels about 35" and was built for just that task. I always thought I would cut it down after that project but it keeps coming in handy. I have others more 'normal' in size and bevel sleds, coping sleds, planer sleds, etc.

Here's the 'how to' on the big one: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=50581

[JayStPeter]

I have one that'll cross cut 36" pieces. It's really about all that I can handle balancing off the front edge and getting aligned for the cut. When the panels get that wide, it's one of those need three hands operations.

[Joe Chritz]

The limiting factor is generally how much sled you have hanging out front. With proper supports I bet you could go to a full 48".

I have one that is about 26" crosscut or so and it seems to be about right. It is fairly wide at around 33" or so, built from 1/2 Baltic birch with a laminated BB fence.

A smaller one with about 20 capacity and shorter length is on the shop project list. I have 12" at the SCMS and a big gap that needs to be used a lot. A smaller sled would be handy and a lot more likely to get used.

Joe

[Chris Harper]

Any ideas as to what the maximum depth a panel cutting sled could be?
Norm's is fairly deep(21") in his video below but I would like mine to be as deep as possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZFOX9kUKm4



I had the same issue. I built mine with a leading edge fence (opposite of Norms) that has a basic dimension of 32" wide and 19" front to back.

But on the blade side I left a trailing piece that is about 8.5" wide and 13" deep.

In other words, my sled is shaped like an odd "L". The fence is 1.5" aluminum angle so the sled fully supports panels up to 30.5" x 60".

Here is what I like about the sled:

1) I can stand to the right of the trailing piece (TP) and the sled operates like a basic 32" x 19" sled. Easy to handle and I don't need to lean way over the sled unless cutting a very wide panel. No need to have a 32" deep sled when most of the stock I cross cut is under 20" wide. I also like that the TP keeps me away from the blade.

2) This is a "one-hand" sled. In other words, I can pick it up and set in on my saw with one hand.

3) I can cross cut a 30.5" panel and the edge being cut is 100% supported by the sled + TP. I often cut plastic that is a bit "flappy" and I need to be able to support the cut.

4) One of my favorite things about this sled -- it stays balanced on the saw while it is in front of the blade. Again, if I had left it at 32" x 32" it would have tipped off the saw when set in front of the blade. Having that 23.5" x 13" area removed puts most of the sled weight on the saw and it stays put.

5) Much to my surprise, it also stays balanced on the saw even when holding a very large panel. The largest panel I have balanced on the sled was a 30" x 52" piece of 3/4" baltich birch plywood. It and the sled stayed balanced on the saw even when in front of the blade. This means I can set and line up cuts for large panels without having infeed rollers or support. If I put that panel on the saw without the sled it tips.

I may play around with the dimensions a bit more and see just how small I can make this "L" and still have it balance with a 30" panel. But honestly this thing is so easy to handle I think I'll probably leave well enough alone.

The only reason I could see building another sled would be to have a double-runner that straddles the blade. And the only reason for that would be to have the cutoff piece fully supported by the sled.

[Art Travers]

Chris:
What do you mean by the trailing piece? How is it attached?

[Chris Harper]

Chris:
What do you mean by the trailing piece? How is it attached?

Art,

Sorry I missed your post until now.

The TP is part of the original sled.

I first built the sled to 32" x 32" and attached the fence and runner.

Obviously the sled was awkward to use as I had to lean way over it and it also tipped backwards when in front of the blade.

So I just started removing material from the right rear of the sled until it worked the way I wanted. I ended up removing a section about 23" x 13".

What I was left with was an L shaped sled. The edge along the blade is 32" front to back. The edge along the leading fence is 32" side to side. Everything else was cutout to make the saw easier to use and so it would balance on the saw.

[Ted Herazy]

Chris - do you have any pictures of the sled?



Art,

Sorry I missed your post until now.

The TP is part of the original sled.

I first built the sled to 32" x 32" and attached the fence and runner.

Obviously the sled was awkward to use as I had to lean way over it and it also tipped backwards when in front of the blade.

So I just started removing material from the right rear of the sled until it worked the way I wanted. I ended up removing a section about 23" x 13".

What I was left with was an L shaped sled. The edge along the blade is 32" front to back. The edge along the leading fence is 32" side to side. Everything else was cutout to make the saw easier to use and so it would balance on the saw.

[Bob Cooper]

just curious...what's the best approach to get the runners aligned and attached?

If they are wood i could see temporarily fastening from the top then flipping it over and screwing from the bottom (maybe though just fastening from the top is ok).

if you use the aluminum kreg ones though that wouldn't work.

[Jerome Hanby]

How are your UHMW runners holding up?


Brian, mine’s 25” between the uprights X 40” wide. The width was based on what I could fit under my crosscut table. So far, I haven't needed more than 25".

You might get some ideas here, mine's the 9th & 15th one down.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5915 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5915)

[Chris Harper]

Chris - do you have any pictures of the sled?

Ted,

I do not at this point. I still want to add some hold-downs and possibly change the fence to a wooden one with some T-track so I have not bothered.

I did draw up a picture in paint for a couple of other posters who wanted to see what I was talking about. I'll try to attach it to this post. If the text if not readable I'll try to come back and include a description.

Like I said, I want to add some hold downs of some sort but have not picked any out. I want to include some that will allow me to clamp down boards along the cutting edge so I can put a straight edge on crooked pieces. So not only will this be a panel sled but also a ripping sled for pieces up to 30.5" long.

[Chris Harper]

I did draw up a picture in paint for a couple of other posters who wanted to see what I was talking about. I'll try to attach it to this post. If the text if not readable I'll try to come back and include a description.


Way too small... Here is a description.

The basic sled is 32" x 32" and rides in the miter slot to the right of the blade. The fence is on the leading edge and is 1.5" aluminum angle attached with T nuts to allow some adjustment.

A 30" aluminum runner from Kreg is screwed to the bottom. I used a centering bit for hinges to attach the runner.

The cutout area is about 23.5" x 13", meaning that trailing section is about 8.5" x 13".

This is my first sled and it is very simple. Have to say I'm quite surprised with how well it turned out.

[Gene E Miller]

Brian - I have been procrastinating on building a sled. I am waiting for David Marks on Woodworks to show the dimensions of his. Norm's sled just doesn't compare to David's.

Matt,

I have the plans for David Marks Sled and then I made a modified
one using some of his ideas and some I got from one of my
wood working books.

I will have to dig out the plans to get the dimensions off
of it but will look for them today and see if I can post it
later.

Gene

[Greg Hines, MD]

How are your UHMW runners holding up?




I used UHMW for my runner, and have had no problem with it. The only thing I would say is that when you attach it, the plastic has a tendency to expand slightly with the screws, so you may need to sand or plane it to fit, particularly around the screws. Other than that, it is smooth as silk.

Doc

[Paul Simmel]

I don’t know if it was this forum or Woodnet, but someone was making a sled with the plastic runner/s, and he used T-nuts without the prongs underneath, and machine screw through the top, and precisely *because* the plastic expanded a little as he tightened, he used *that* as a means to make the final, micro adjustments for “slop” in the miter slot. I thought this was an awesome idea and plan on doing this myself.

Where do you guys get your UHMW runners?

[Joe Scharle]

This is my largest; 24 X 36. Shown here squaring a tabletop. Since it's a single slot jig, I suggest you use the adjustable Incra.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/194/Fly_Leaf_Table_3_1.JPG

[JayStPeter]

When I built my large sled, I used a UHMW runner. I don't think any of the commercial runners will work for a 38" long sled (unless you use two maybe). I simply bought a long piece of 3/4" UHMW (from ebay) and sliced off a 3/8" piece on the TS. It fits almost perfectly in the slot. As was mentioned, when I installed the screws it bulged out a bit. I used a rabbet plane to trim the bulge until it was snug at each screw. The sled is about 6 years old now and still works great. To initially install the runner, I used the angle aluminum piece I bought as the fence clamped to the large board I used as the sled base. I then clamped the UHMW between that and a piece of wood to keep it straight while I screwed it in. At 3/4x3/8 that stuff likes to wiggle around when you're trying to work with it.

[Bruce Page]

How are your UHMW runners holding up?


Jerome, I haven't had any problems with them at all.
I like the fact that they are immune to any humidity changes.