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Thread: Table Saw Sled - Double Miter Gauge

  1. #1
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    Table Saw Sled - Double Miter Gauge

    I had an old table saw sled that I had quit using a while back and tossed it. It was made of all wood but not of the best materials. It worked for general purposes but was never useful for precision cuts. I've seen a lot of the YouTube videos on making precision sleds and thought I'd get around to it some day.

    However, I came across this and thinking I'm going to give this a try today. It's simply 2 miter gauges turned into a sled.
    I have 2 miter gauges and with my Incra miter gauge I could make this a slide on attachment for now and if I like it I'll buy another miter gauge to make it a separate sled.

    I was curious if anyone uses this?

    Table Saw Double Miter Gage.jpg

  2. #2
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    I don't do this, at least not with miter guages. I do have a dual runner sled but I haven't used it in 10? years. I don't see what advantage using 2 gauges is offering.

    Using 2 miter gauges like that bothers me. With a somewhat flexible bridge of wood connecting the gauges, and that ending up partway cut, I worry that 1 of the 2 miter gauges could bind in their slot creating a dangerous situation with you the operator standing directly in the blade path. It would take the skill of the operator to move both gauges at the same rate to avoid a bind. Something I wouldn't trust myself to always do. A large sled with 2 runners is much safer assuming you have 2 decently heavy and tall fences on the front and back of the sled.
    Brian

    "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger or more complicated...it takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." - E.F. Schumacher

  3. #3
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    It works very well.
    I just made a quick setup for it and it is easily adjustable to get it square.
    It slides much better than my all wood sled did.

    Brian I’m not sure I understand the differences you’re pointing out and a sled. It is a sled. It has 2 very well fitting miter bars that are metal and won’t change dimensions. The rigidity is based on the attachment method and it’s very simple to make rigid. I’m happy with it!

  4. #4
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    Eric, the rigidity of your "sled" also depends on the rigidity of the wooden fence joining the two miter gauges. When it's rigidity is strained (or warped), the two miter bars would no longer be parallel, and would fight each other in their grooves, prohibiting smooth sliding on the table.

    Sleds typically carry the workpiece, so the latter is not sliding on the saw table surface itself.

    For me, a single good miter gauge, with a more robust fence, works better.

    -- Andy - Arlington TX

  5. #5
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    Thanks guys!
    Different strokes I guess.

    This is very easy to make rigid. It also eliminates the difficulties with squaring up a sled. I had it square in less than a minute. I’ve just tried it out for a few hours and I’m going to buy another miter gage to make a permanent sled out of it. I may add a piece of plywood for the bottom but I’m not sure. I did put a horizontal piece across the top to add strength. It was just screwed to the vertical piece. I’ll spend more time buying the miter gage than it will take time make me a new sled and square it up.

    I do appreciate helpful advice.
    I’m fairly good with the term rigid though. I have been an engineer for 28 years after graduating with a Masters degree (top of the class) from one of the top engineering universities. I’ve developed various machinery and for the last 20 years I’ve been developing PET/CT and MR/PET medical imaging equipment. Additionally, I do consulting for industrial machinery. I have a number of patents and I’m well versed in mechanical, structural, electrical, controls, fluid and thermodynamics. I ha e 2 Professional Engineering licenses as well. I’m sure I understand the attributes that make things rigid. I do appreciate new to me designs and it does always amaze me at some the simple things I never thought of. This is one of those.

  6. #6
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    I’m really glad I found this!
    One of my issues with my previous sled is it wouldn’t always stay square. Likely it was a bad design and cheap materials on my part. But this design makes it reall my easy to square and I’m going to make a metal frame from some pieces I have in my shop so that it will stay square. And it’s inexpensive!!

  7. #7
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    Eric,
    An accurate crosscut sled in essential to doing fine woodworking.
    It also opens up the option of adding useful jigs such as mitering. I gave up my Delta tensioning jig in favor of the one shown.
    My sled is the Lon Schleining version FWW #128.
    Safety is paramount and time spent on constructing a good sled certainly helps lead to that safety.

    fullsizeoutput_857.jpg fullsizeoutput_859.jpg
    Attached Images Attached Images

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    Sorry for the misspelling...tennon jig

  9. #9
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    Eric, I had a way too big crosscut sled years ago that kind of became unwieldy, and I think actually fell and broke at one point. So I tossed it out and was without a sled for a time. That's when I added a second miter gauge and used what you're using. I liked it until I got up a head of steam to make a sane-sized sled.

    You know, I prefer the sled. I like eliminating the friction under the part to be cut. The sled has enable me to run parts through the blade at an angle with great precision and moderate safety.
    Last edited by Bob Jones 5443; 09-13-2020 at 7:13 PM.

  10. #10
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    Bob I like your jigs and your sled. The miter attachment and sled are what I kept thinking I'd make at some point. The bevel jig is very nice. I've saved the pics for reference when I make some of these.

    I do think I'm going to keep the dual miter gauges. The setup allows me to do any angle and with the Incra miter gauge it was very accurate for the 45's and 90's I tried on it. I will also add the plywood base so the wood isn't sliding on the table. I can always leave it at 90 and make the 45 miter jig if it isn't accurate enough but it appears to be very accurate. It already is much better than my previous sled.

    There was some mention of safety and I can see no safety issue with it at all. Granted my set-up is already much more substantial than the pic of the one I had found this morning and it only took a few minutes to construct with some scrap wood. I'll change this out to a combo of aluminum and hardwood with the goal of dimensional stability and light weight.

    Once I get this re-done I'll post a pic of my setup.

  11. #11
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    Eric, you raise a good point. The dual-miter-gauge fixture is flexible in the choice of cut angles. You just set both gauges to the angle and you’re set. I think this will provide ease, accuracy, and simplicity. The idea of making a base is also an interesting adaptation.

    When I want to cut on a diagonal or any angle, I can’t use the fence, of course. So I draw the angle on the work with my protractor. The Starrett makes this enjoyable and quick. Then, by eye, I line up the ends of the line with the kerf in my crosscut jig. Once I’m sure I can keep the work from moving on the sled during the cut, I run it through. That’s how I cut the angles in the little Formica chips for the angle-setting jigs you mentioned.

    If I need the same angle on multiple parts, I cut an MDF wedge to hold against the fence, and then run the part through in front of the wedge.

    So you’ll figure out ways to get things done with your fixture, and I’ll use the sled and modify as needed to get the same things done. Everyone has advice. The fun is in solving problems in our own ways, whether we’re following some expert’s recipe or inventing new ways. That’s why we call this a hobby.

  12. #12
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    Here's how I make angle cuts on my sled.

    Angle Cut on Sled 2.jpg

    Eric, how will yours work on stock wider than this? Won't the right mitre gauge be off the table to start and the left one off the table to finish?

  13. #13
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    Tom that is true that I'd have to add a jig just like you would for a sled (BTW - the pic of your sled only shows support on one side).

    I'm not sure I understand what you're questioning though. I made a sled (well copied a sled - I don't know who gets the credit for it) incredibly quickly that was also very accurate using 2 miter gauges that I already had along with a few pieces of scrap wood. It works amazingly well in my view compared to my older (not as well made) sled. I found the build so much easier to make accurate than the typical sled design. I haven't done it yet but I think the base design could be turned into a very accurate and functional sled. I'll give it a try. Maybe I'll find the fault in that thinking when I execute it (my many design engineering cycles has taught me that it can happen that I was totally wrong). But I'm not seeing a fault in the design at this point. Pointing out that it has some features that a harder to build and adjust sled also needs compensation for doesn't make it a bad choice. Try to turn your sled to a 15 degree angle. Yeah - that ain't happening.



    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Bender View Post
    Here's how I make angle cuts on my sled.

    Angle Cut on Sled 2.jpg

    Eric, how will yours work on stock wider than this? Won't the right mitre gauge be off the table to start and the left one off the table to finish?

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