Crosscut Sled Enhancements

[Paul F Franklin]

I took William Ng at his word and incorporated a rear fence with a raised plateau over the blade. It's sized so that when I put my hands on it, my fingers and thumbs cannot possibly reach the blade. A simple feature that I thank myself for with every use.

Regarding stops, yikes. T-tracks and dadoes. Why bother? I just clamp a squared-up block to the fence and register the work against it. I don't think it takes any more time than using those fancy aluminum jigs. For small parts I clamp two blocks, one on each end of the work. The blocks are 3-ply laminated 3/4" plywood, about 2-1/4" x 3" x 6", and are true to square. So easy. And cheap. They get a lot of use.

Well, yes, cheap and easy, but imagine your table saw without a scale for setting the fence. Now you have to measure every time you move the fence instead of just setting the fence to the desired measurement directly. No way the latter isn't faster. To me it's a matter of efficiency and avoiding measurement errors. Once you have the scale aligned properly you are set and you save time on every new setting. And the fewer times you get out the scale or a tape to make a setting, the fewer chances for errors. And even if your not working to a numerical measurement, but are working to a mark on a board or a story stick, IMO it's still faster to slide the stop over and tighten it with one hand vs. having to hold the block and tighten a clamp, while hoping the block doesn't move. Is it a huge time savings? Of course not, but over a project it adds up. YMMV.

Plus, the curved flip stop lets you flip the stop up (actually you just slide the stock under the stop and it lifts itself out of the way), make a squaring cut on one end of the workpiece, than flip the workpiece end for end, hold it against the stop this time and make the final cut. In a couple of seconds you've squared both ends of the board and cut it precise length.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Paul, exactly. This is one thing I love about this hobby (which it is for me, so I have the luxury of a few extra seconds now and then): we discover our methods, try a few out, and gravitate to what works for us, and what gives us satisfaction. I suppose I derive satisfaction from doing things manually. Still, I can certainly see the appeal of a precise ruler.

To your question, I always use pencil or knife marks to indicate crosscut length. I can carefully line the marks up with the point on the taller blade tooth without fiddling with the far end of the board.

Regarding the table saw rip fence analogy, that doesn't ring true for me. If I rip to a slightly wrong width, it's a big problem. If I crosscut 1/32" off, I go to the shooting board and dial it in. Sometimes I do it on purpose to get the cleanest possible end grain. More time wasted you say? Maybe, but I don't rely on machines for most of my final dimensions –– except rip width on parts more than a foot long.

[Dan Cameron]

I meant "sleds", not "slides". Darned voice-to-text

Oh, and definitely two runners. Bandsaw drift is a myth. Double the contact surface is math. Just supplying a different opinion

So if I had to make a list of things I put on my sleds:

- Plywood construction
- ZCI's

Attachment 445111

- Adjustable fence

Attachment 445112

- Blade exit guard

Attachment 445110

- T-tracks for smaller pieces

Attachment 445115

- Standardize your fence height and thickness so that stops and other goodies can be used between sleds (see that? I said sleds )

I have been tempted to add t-track to the fences but, have trick little clamps that serve me well. I use t-track a lot so I am not sure why my sleds remain t-track free(???). I have used aluminum, UHMW and straight grained wood for runners. All work well. I shellac and wax the bottoms, and wax the runners. Along with a well maintained tablesaw top the bottoms give years of service without wearing through.

Attachment 445114

The larger sled is a bit hefty and I keep considering putting some cutouts in it to help with the weight. It is only for larger panels which I don't do very often so it just keeps getting used instead of "improved". I did make a simple sled support so that I can have it in the "start" position without having to hold it up.

Attachment 445116 . Attachment 445117 . Attachment 445118

I have sleds that have survived for three tablesaw changes by just relocating the runners. The leading fence is glued and screwed. The 'operator position' fence is adjustable on t-bolts. I have only re-adjusted one fence, on one sled, in probably 15 years. I trust them implicitly and they have only let me down once (that would be the time I re-adjusted ).

Have fun developing the sled(s) that check off all the items on your list.

P.s. in the last pic you can see that I added little rubber feet for the sleds to stand on when they are leaned against the wall for storage. These keep the sleds off of my concrete shop floor so they do not wick moisture.

The message I was trying to convey is that it is impossible for two runners to simultaneously be in contact with their respective miter slots. The runners are not soft and elastic in width, so the first runner to contact an edge effectively stops the sled movement, thus preventing the other runner from touching the slot. Double runners providing twice the contact area is truely a myth.

[Marc Fenneuff]

I cut out one corner of my sled to save on weight - I think I saw that on a Woodsmith video. For a hand guard I glued up some 1/2" BB off-cuts and stained it red. I also screwed stops into the miter track in my outfeed table for a real positive stop before the blade buries itself further into the hand guard. Although I have a T-track on the back fence, I just clamp an L-shaped piece of 3/4 ply to the fence for a stop.

IMG_8403.jpg

[Alan Lightstone]

Overhead hoist to hang it from the ceiling when you make it too big and heavy.

DAMHIKT

I would love to have T-tracks on mine to hold small parts or get stop blocks close to the blade for small pieces. Mine are on the front and back fences, and the blade guard prevents them from reaching small pieces.

Meanwhile, the hoist is incredibly convenient, and I had one installed in my new workshop for the large crosscut sled. That sled lives over the outfeed table, about 14 feet in the air.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

Sled.jpg
I used the Matchfit dovetail clamps and I'm very happy with how well it works. I can clamp anything anywhere on my sled.
I plan to make another capable of mitering long boards. The width of this one doesn't allow the boards to fit when doing miters.
I had some Lexan that I used for where the saw came out so I can see the blade when it comes out the rear.

[Ray Frederick]

My sled is 48" wide by about 36" deep, I made it out of 3/4" MDO plywood. The fence and runners are pine, they've held up for the past 2 years with heavy use.

My miter slots on my outfeed table stop the sled before the blade goes through the fence so I can't get cut that way. I can crosscut about a 26" panel , I use it for casework parts , laminate panel parts, and other use in a small commercial shop.

My fence is a full 8' long so that I have measuring to 48" on each side of the blade as I cut lots of longer length components. I may replace my fence with a piece of IPE but I'm not sure even it will remain stable at the section that extends beyond the fence (the portion secured to the MDO stays dead straight on the pine and is where I register my edge against). I'm open to any suggestions for other material to use for the 8' fence section, I'd prefer not to use aluminum.

I've been using a quick grip clamp and squared blocks of baltic birch ply as stops, I really need to incorporate a rule I've just been waiting to upgrade the fence.

What I really need to do is build yet another sled from 1/2" MDO that accomodates a crosscut on a 32" panel (so I can do crosscut standard base cabinet on toekick backs that are 30.5" as well as 30" Corian blanks).

[Alan Lightstone]

Wish mine had replaceable ZCI
Wish mine was lighter. Don't use 3/4" MDF or plywood. Seriously, don't use it. 1/2" is fine and much lighter.
Don't wish it was smaller. I built two other smaller crosscut sleds for that. Plus a 45 degree miter one.

Wish William Ng set up my sled. Not that mine's not accurate, but would be fun to watch him in person.

[Bob Riefer]

I cut out one corner of my sled to save on weight - I think I saw that on a Woodsmith video. For a hand guard I glued up some 1/2" BB off-cuts and stained it red. I also screwed stops into the miter track in my outfeed table for a real positive stop before the blade buries itself further into the hand guard. Although I have a T-track on the back fence, I just clamp an L-shaped piece of 3/4 ply to the fence for a stop.

IMG_8403.jpg

Nice, I like that a lot.

Also, Glen mentioned blade exit guard... I will be adding one to mine. While I do have the raised area on my fence (helps keep your hands further from the blade) the exiting of the blade through the operator side of the fence always seemed sketchy to me.

In my case, there's a limit to how far I can push a sled before it reaches the end of the miter slot groove cut in the outfeed table. The exit guard will keep a full height blade buried even at full "sled push".

(I guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow)

[Michael Drew]

I'm currently pondering how to build my next sled. I will incorporate T tracks. I want a combination miter / crosscut. I recently ran into a situation where fought with cutting short walnut boards with 45's on both ends, and a miter sled would be been so much easier....

I like how this guy incorporated the miter block into his sled, so I'll copy and paste that idea..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE3X...nnel=JimRupert

I will probably use two layers of 1/2" BB, verse cutting dados for the T tracks into 3/4. I ordered one of the Katz-Moses stop blocks last week. I got that idea and the double layer BB after watching Bourbon Moth's youtube video. I have not decided if I'm going to use the aluminum extrusion for the fence like he did. He's kinda entertaining.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U64_...othWoodworking

[Johnny Barr]

A friend of mine bought Incra's miter express. https://www.incra.com/miter_gauges-miter_express.html
The thing that caught my eye was no back fence. So he can still use his blade guard and overhead dust collection. My next sled will incorporate this sort of a design with a flat backfence to support the rear kerf. This also makes it easier to use a replaceable ZCI as mentioned above

[johnny means]

Paul, since you bought 4 miter bars, I assume you have it set up as a two bar sled. If so, you have fallen (as many have) for the two miter bar myth. This myth assumes that because there are four edges instead of two, the sled is bound to be more robust, or stabler or sexier or whatever. Not so! The distance between two runners changes with humidity and will therefore not be EXACTLY the same as the distance between the miter slots. If the miter bars are ever so slightly father apart than the slots the outer edges of the two bars will guide the sled and the inner edges of the bars will never touch their respective slots. If the bar spacing is less than the slots the inside edges of the bars guide the sled and the outer edges will not touch the slots. In either case, it can be seen that the sled is guided by one and only one left edge and one and only one right edge. This is the same as happens with a single runner sled. Moreover, a dual runner sled has to be adjusted with more free play (aka slop) so that it will not bind up umder some humidity levels.

Engineering 101, triangles are stable. Think about it.

[Dan Cameron]

Engineering 101, triangles are stable. Think about it.

One runnner edge in contact with one miter slot edge does not form a triangle. Nor does two diagonally opposite corners touuching. Ane you WILLL NOT have simultaneous contct of more than one runner edge.

[Bill Carey]

...............

The larger sled is a bit hefty and I keep considering putting some cutouts in it to help with the weight. It is only for larger panels which I don't do very often so it just keeps getting used instead of "improved". I did make a simple sled support so that I can have it in the "start" position without having to hold it up.

Attachment 445116 . Attachment 445117 . Attachment 445118

...............

That sled support is brilliant. I'm definitely copying that one. Thx Glenn

[Johnny Barr]

Wish mine had replaceable ZCI
Wish mine was lighter. Don't use 3/4" MDF or plywood. Seriously, don't use it. 1/2" is fine and much lighter.

That's OK unless you want to incorporate T Tracks for hold down clamps. Hold down clamps make it much safer for cutting small pieces