buy or build a crosscut sled

[Alan Lightstone]

I bought a large commercial sled, and fine-tuned it with the 5 cut method. It's made of 3/4" MDF and aluminum extrusions. It weighs a bloody ton. I had an overhead hoist installed to lift it up and store it when not in use. While that's a cool method, it's crazy to have that heavy a crosscut sled. Plus the cost became exorbitant. But it is pretty cool.

Use 1/2" Baltic Birch Plywood, make it yourself (I did that with all my smaller sleds), and watch William Ng's video. You'll be very happy.

[Todd Trebuna]

I have the Rockler sled and built the right hand platform from spare plywood. It is adjustable and gives great results. I also segment turn and it produces very good tolerances on mitered cuts.

[Winston Chang]

I built a crosscut sled out of 1/2" Baltic birch plywood using William Ng's 5-cut method.

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned here (or elsewhere, really) is that you should make sure that the piece that you used for the fence is flat. Plywood is often (usually) not flat, and this is true even for high quality plywood like baltic Birch.

For my fence, I laminated two pieces of the 1/2" plywood together. When I first built my sled, I noticed that the work piece could move slightly depending on where my hand was holding it to the fence, and this is because it was slightly bowed. I eventually took it off, flattened it with a hand plane, and put it back on, and ever since then it's been dead on.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I just made a sled using the Micro Jig zero play 360 kit. All it contains is a few dovetail pieces and the cool thing is an adjustable miter slot piece. You build it using 3/4 inch plywood.
The main reason I gave that a try, is it's all wood, and I have a Sawstop. They also sell clamps that fit in the dovetails so you can clamp those pesky smaller pieces. You can cut any angle.
Downside, I personally think you would need a sled, or some way of making a really square base to rout the dovetails into.
Google it. I think it's pretty cool for making those small boxes. I made a templates for 22.5, 45 and 90 so setting the fence is a snap.

[Stephen White]

Hey thanks everyone! I may well make one later but need to do a lot of picture frames and square off small 10x18 cutting boards and it sounds like the Dubby will put me immediately in business with getting that going.

[Alan Lightstone]

I can't remember who makes it (might be Kreg), but the miter fixture bars I installed have a metal disc on the end that prevents the sled from tipping over when it is hanging off the front of the table saw. Big safety improvement there, especially with my big sled.

[Warren Lake]

had a 1/2" baltic sled used for years, maple runners big hard maple fence front and back large enough to cross cut a 4 x 8's. Worked fine to make a living with it. No internet so didnt thinkI needed more than what I was taught. Old guys made wood sleds and used them on their cabinet saws for their life time. Maybe replaced the runners sometimes i never asked but they both had them. Actually do remember asking about play and he said he holds it to one side it cuts perfect.

[Stephen White]

hey thanks for the repley, I have a sawsstop as well is the dubby going to be a problem with that? Only wood should ever tough the blade so not clear why it would be a problem.

[Steve Demuth]

I guess it's a matter of personal preference whether to build or buy. Money or time?

The only thing I would say is that if you start looking at youtube videos on building crosscut sleds, you will soon go crazy. People go off the rails on this subject. In reality you can build a sled that is as accurate as your table saw will permit with a few simple materials, and a little attention to detail, pretty easily.

And while I appreciate the geometric elegance of the 5-cut method for squaring your sled, it is completely unnecessary. Assuming you've got a good square, and your saw is set up to rip accurately, you can square a sled with a single cut, a single adjustment, and and then verify with a second test cut. On a bad day, you might have to make a second adjustment and verification cut:

1. Build the sled with a floating end on the "fence" as all the methods require.
2. Carefully square the fence using your good square and parallel offset from the blade. A mechanics parallel is useful for this, but lacking that, a carefully ripped bit of stable material will do. On a ten inch table saw blade, you should be able to get square with this to within a few thousandths over 3" with no great effort.
3. Make a test cut on a truly parallel stable material with a known width, and measure the variance from square using the flip method.
4. If necessary adjust the fence enough to close half the variance measured in step 3.
5. Do a test cut on a second parallel, and if necessary repeat steps 4 and 5.

[Derek Arita]

Ng is the way to go. Not only is it a good project for any woodworker, but it's a real learning experience. It's not at all complicated...it's just very exacting. I've had mine for about 5 years now and it still cuts as dead on as my Starrett will show.

[Robert Hayward]

hey thanks for the repley, I have a sawsstop as well is the dubby going to be a problem with that? Only wood should ever tough the blade so not clear why it would be a problem.

I have a left side Dubby but not a Sawstop. On my Dubby there is a metal angle gauge on the left side, opposite the blade. The rear aluminum fence is capped with a couple inch wide replaceable wood block, this is what the blade contacts. Just went out to the shop and do not see any way possible for your Sawstop to touch metal on the Dubby. Unless you drop the Dubby sideways or upside down onto the blade.

[Larry Frank]

I think building a sled is a great learning experience.

I have a couple and use them especially for small parts . My base is 3/4" BB and I screw jigs to it. I use an Incra Miter Slider which allows me get a good fit to the slot. When I wear out the sled, I just reuse the slider.

[Stephen White]

I have a left side Dubby but not a Sawstop. On my Dubby there is a metal angle gauge on the left side, opposite the blade. The rear aluminum fence is capped with a couple inch wide replaceable wood block, this is what the blade contacts. Just went out to the shop and do not see any way possible for your Sawstop to touch metal on the Dubby. Unless you drop the Dubby sideways or upside down onto the blade.

Thanks! I was hoping he was referring to something else. I measured the blade to runners and my contractors sawsstop is in the standard rand so figured I was good to go.