Tablesaw crosscut sleds - what is the simplest/easiest one you've seen or built

[Howard Rosenberg]

I'm getting to that point where a TS crosscut sled could be a very practical addition to my shop.

Do you have any suggestions or videos/posts/pics for the simplest and easiest one to build?

[ChrisA Edwards]

William Ng on Youtube. Simple accurate and effective.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbG-n--LFgQ&t=483s

[Ken Fitzgerald]

William Ng on Youtube. Simple accurate and effective.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbG-n--LFgQ&t=483s

Plus one on William Ng and this 5 cut method for accuracy! I used it and I love the results on the cross cut sled I built!

[lowell holmes]

A 1x4 x 24" attached to an Incra M27 miter gage is my sled. You could make it as long as you want.
https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=m...ra+miter+gauge

[Rich Engelhardt]

I like this one for a small sled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McXJxYLXq-E&t=42s

You can download plans and a material list - as well as go over step by step instructions from Tamar's web site.

One thing I really like about Tamar & her videos is the fact that she's got training & schooling making videos.
It really shows. She delivers a lot of useful information in a professional manner.

[Howard Rosenberg]

These are great. Thank you all.

I've got an Incra mitre gauge - it's great - I'm now looking for something more substantial.

And thanks for pointing out Tamar, Rich. She definitely has a great touch - I'll prob buy her pland and simplify even further.

[Jim Becker]

Relevant thread for me. Because I"m back to a cabinet saw in my temporary shop, I need to do the sled dance, myself, for safe cutting of smaller components, etc. It's on my list and I appreciate this thread bringing it back to the forefront. There was another recent thread on this subject, too...probably scrolled by several pages back from number one at this point.

[Howard Rosenberg]

Thanks Jim. I'll check for that thread too.

[Derek Arita]

It can be as easy as using a carpenter's square to set 90* to the blade. Will it be as accurate as you want? Ng's method is complicated, to me, but doable and leaves you with a very accurate sled.

[Edwin Santos]

I like this one for a small sled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McXJxYLXq-E&t=42s

You can download plans and a material list - as well as go over step by step instructions from Tamar's web site.

One thing I really like about Tamar & her videos is the fact that she's got training & schooling making videos.
It really shows. She delivers a lot of useful information in a professional manner.

Thanks for that link. Tamar's is one of the most versatile sleds I've seen yet, and yes, her video making is significantly better than most. I find myself learning from the fresh and creative work that a lot of the younger woodworkers are putting out. Especially on the design side.

[Thomas McCurnin]

+1 on William Ng. I had the pleasure of taking some classes from him a while back.

[Robert L Stewart]

William Ng makes it look easy as well as being a great teacher. 15 years ago I made a large sled (28" wide X 74" Long cut capacity) to fit on a dedicated unisaw.
The need was to trim doors for butt hinge flush inset application. The sled still works as it did when new and cuts perfect 90 deg crosscuts.

Recent needs inspired me to make a mini sled to cut .25 thick bamboo. 1000 pieces 4" x 4" with no tear-out, a challenge for that material.

One important feature was the replaceable throat plate. The temporary 3 small Bessy clamps are holding the movable tear-out backer.
Still perfect after cutting 560 parts.

20210808_160756_resized.jpg 20210808_160845_resized.jpg

[Johnny Barr]

If you want absolute simplicity then my latest sled took 20 minutes to make and most of that was getting the runner to fit snuggly. I made sure that the right edge went past the blade and was cut by the sled. That way I had a reference edge to square the fence. I made a fall off piece to prevent tear out. The toggle clamp keeps my fingers away from the blade. Its light, it cuts perfectly square and is easy to store.
simple sled.jpg

I've made a sled with the works like the ones mentioned above. Hold down clamps, T Track, dust collection, replaceable inserts etc etc . It ended up so heavy I tended not to use it.

[Jim Becker]

Howard, I threw together a quick and dirty crosscut sled yesterday as I needed it for a project I've been working on...all scrap material and it worked just fine. I put a replaceable face on the front crosspiece made with .25" MDF so that if the slot gets worn, I can refresh it. The zero clearance for the blade is an important reference point to maintain. The only downside to this particular sled is that it's only about 24" wide or so and that requires placing some scrap plywood on whichever side the workpiece hangs over to support it up off the saw table. 'Nature of the beast. Oh, I also now have to raise the saw another quarter inch or so off the floor so that the runners in the miter slots will clear the CNC table when the sled is pushed all the way forward for a wider cut. But that's a constraint of my temporary shop situation and how close things are together, not the fault of the sled.

IMG_0249.jpg

[Alan Lightstone]

Jim:

I see you put two runners on your sled for the miter tracks. I've got two on mine also, but I've read posts with plusses and minuses to two vs one runner.

Everyone's thoughts?