Advice on table saw cross cutting

[lou Brava]

I've always cross cut & mitered on a compound sliding miter saw I think due to the fact I never owned a good table saw. I finally bought a decent TS about 6 months ago it's a Grizzly G0899 tried a few miters, I added a wood sand papered fence to the stock miter gauge & very surprised (not sure why) it worked well. I actually liked using the TS this way as opposed to the compound miter saw (again not sure why). So now I'm looking at better way's to do this by buying a pre made miter sled like this one from Rockler or buy a better miter gauge.
Looking for some advice on which is the better way to go or what's the disadvantage of the sled over a 200 buck miter gauge. I know guys build ther own sleds but I'm in the "build your own work bench" rabbit hole right now & don't want to build a sled. Thanks in advance !
https://www.rockler.com/tablesaw-cro...BoCaAAQAvD_BwE

[Marc Fenneuff]

You could always make a quick 'n dirty single-runner crosscut sled for now. One fence at the operator end, squared with a rafter/framing square.

[Mitch schiffer]

I have a incra miter gauge and I really like it. It is accurate, the angle is very easy to set and doesn't move when locked, and it also has a nice stop block set up with a micro adjustment feature. I used to use a shop made sled but I found it to be to bulky to store and take out to use just for a few cuts. The sled was better in my opinion for cutting very small pieces due to its zero clearance design.

[Prashun Patel]

A sled is good for a fixed angle like 90 or 45. It carries the piece, which means you can control tearout on the bottom side a little better than with a miter gauge, and the size often makes it easier to clamp and control panels and the cut offs.

A good miter gauge is usually a good choice for speed, convenience, and setting multiple angles.

Long term, I did best by having both.

[Lee Schierer]

I struggled for many years with a poor quality miter fence. I built a custom sled for cutting 45 degree angles and it worked very well. Finally, I purchased a Kreg Miter Gauge and couldn't be happier when cutting angles.
416RG7JWK3L._AC_.jpg
It has a 24" adjustable fence, a nice flip stop for repeat cuts and best of all it has shot pin accuracy for common woodworking angles. (0, 10, 22.5, 30 & 45) and a vernier scale for more precise in between angles.
51YJ2PZG29L._AC_.jpg51S6JAFG0EL._AC_.jpg
I've made octagonal frames that have come together perfectly on the first round of cuts. At $149.00 it is a lot of value for the price.

[derek labian]

I've always cross cut & mitered on a compound sliding miter saw I think due to the fact I never owned a good table saw. I finally bought a decent TS about 6 months ago it's a Grizzly G0899 tried a few miters, I added a wood sand papered fence to the stock miter gauge & very surprised (not sure why) it worked well. I actually liked using the TS this way as opposed to the compound miter saw (again not sure why). So now I'm looking at better way's to do this by buying a pre made miter sled like this one from Rockler or buy a better miter gauge.
Looking for some advice on which is the better way to go or what's the disadvantage of the sled over a 200 buck miter gauge. I know guys build ther own sleds but I'm in the "build your own work bench" rabbit hole right now & don't want to build a sled. Thanks in advance !
https://www.rockler.com/tablesaw-cro...BoCaAAQAvD_BwE

Hi Lou,

I own a Kreg Miter Gauge (which is just fine) and an Incra 5000 sled. I prefer the sled over the gauge because the the wood is anchored to the sled. It also comes in a miter gauge without the sled. Marc Spagnuolo has been working on, for about two weeks, a big miter gauge review of all the major brands. I don't think it will cover sleds at all, but it might help. It will probably be published in a few days.

[lou Brava]

Great advice & thanks for pics and Kreg review. Now I'm going to buy a decent miter gauge the Kreg sounds very nice. But since I'm not in hurry I'll wait for the review Derek mentioned.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Instead of the Rockler, consider the Dubby. Jerry Cole invented it. He used to demonstrate and sell at the Woodworking Shows. Now it's available from Preach Tree. Get on their mailing list (email) and when they have free shipping, pull the trigger. My only regret as to my Dubby is waiting so long to buy it. I build purpose built sleds for some angles that the Dubby won't do. Recently built some Christmas stars which required a 72 degree angle, so it was build a custom sled.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Hi Lou,

I own a Kreg Miter Gauge (which is just fine) and an Incra 5000 sled. I prefer the sled over the gauge because the the wood is anchored to the sled.

Why not build a sled with a miter slot routed into the top, to hold your Kreg Miter Gauge. Best of both worlds

[glenn bradley]

I have run an Incra V-27 with a section of their 18-31 telescoping flip fence for nearly 20 years. The current combined price of around $120 for the set and you are in the range of other choices. In 2002 for $45 it was a bargain and has proved to be rock solid. I do see that the V-27 has had some design enhancements that would make it even nicer.

There are a lot of gauges out there once you break the $100 level. Extra bells and whistles that you do NOT need are just that, extra. Extra bells and whistles that you DO need are useful features. An adjustable sled only takes hours to build and will serve you for many years. I do not know that I could buy one at the premium prices they carry. In contrast I do buy items I do not have time to make based on the importance at the time so do what its right for you.

Having a small sled for smaller crosscuts and larger sleds for panel work has worked well for me. Like many I will reach for my small sled before I reach for the gauge. If all I had was a larger sled the gauge would get plenty of work (still does for a lot of things). It is often hard to decide before you have a good handle on what your daily needs are.

The gauge you have can do a lot for you but, if you are feeling its restrictions it may be time to upgrade. I would build a sled first; you may not need a new gauge and that's money that can go elsewhere. Lots of threads on building sleds here and on the web. Start simple. Something about this size without all the doo-dads can do a lot of work for you for a few hours investment. More involved sleds, of course, take longer.

Box Sled (17).jpg

Big sled. - Built for a large panel project. Still in use a dozen years later.
Small sled. - This one is for bevel cuts. I have one similarly sized with replaceable ZCI's for other small work pictured above.
Medium sled. - Same as the Big Sled but smaller. My most used sled. Thread has links and pics of other people's sleds too.
Match-Fit Sled. - Built specifically for cross cutting with the Match-Fit clamp system. A great sled for odd and ad-hoc angle cutting.

[Charles Coolidge]

and an Incra 5000 sled. I prefer the sled over the gauge because the the wood is anchored to the sled.

Another vote for the Incra 5000. Love mine especially for cutting panels square. Love the telescoping end stop for cutting multiple pieces the same length. Love the micro adjust on length. Love the flip stop. It does consume some of the blade height which can be a factor on 10" TS's when cross cutting thick stock. I also had to put a dab of grease on the expanding round nylon shims to keep them from seizing to the miter bar, now they expand smoothly to a snug miter slot fit.

[Charles Lent]

For very accurate miter cuts using a standard miter gauge, I bought the MiterSet gauges. One lets you set your existing miter gauge in 1/2 degree increments to hundredths of a degree accuracy. The other lets you set your standard miter gauge for the angles needed when making segmented arcs or circles based on the number of segments desired. Again, it's accuracy is incredible. These are made with the quality of Aerospace hardware and come in separate plastic containers.
You do need a miter gauge with a 3/4 X 3/8" standard bar, that fits without side play in the miter slots of your saw. You can buy just one, or both gauges and save a bit.

https://miterset.myshopify.com/produ...et-package-set

I'm just a very happy customer. No involvement otherwise.

Charley

[Rob Sack]

Instead of the Rockler, consider the Dubby. Jerry Cole invented it. He used to demonstrate and sell at the Woodworking Shows. Now it's available from Preach Tree. Get on their mailing list (email) and when they have free shipping, pull the trigger. My only regret as to my Dubby is waiting so long to buy it. I build purpose built sleds for some angles that the Dubby won't do. Recently built some Christmas stars which required a 72 degree angle, so it was build a custom sled.

I also recommend the Dubby. I bough mine years ago and still have it. The only reason I stopped using it is that I now have a sliding table on my saw.

[Lee Schierer]

I also recommend the Dubby. I bough mine years ago and still have it. The only reason I stopped using it is that I now have a sliding table on my saw.

I have a Dubby and compared to the Kreg Miter gauge, the Kreg is better by far for common angles. I no longer use my Dubby.

[derek labian]

Hi Lou,

I own a Kreg Miter Gauge (which is just fine) and an Incra 5000 sled. I prefer the sled over the gauge because the the wood is anchored to the sled. It also comes in a miter gauge without the sled. Marc Spagnuolo has been working on, for about two weeks, a big miter gauge review of all the major brands. I don't think it will cover sleds at all, but it might help. It will probably be published in a few days.

This was posted: