My current sleds have given me good service for many years. I just wanted a little more versatility for hold downs.
Matchfit Sled 2 (54).jpgMatchfit Sled 2 (51).jpgMatchfit Sled 2 (53).jpg
[OP]
Contributor
My current sleds have given me good service for many years. I just wanted a little more versatility for hold downs.
Matchfit Sled 2 (54).jpgMatchfit Sled 2 (51).jpgMatchfit Sled 2 (53).jpg
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Contributor
Glenn, that sled looks really skookum (west coast Canadian native word for “cool”).
I’m going to save your pictures to my drive. I just built a prototype sled based on the King Woodworking multiuser sled, but it appears you went further, with the versatility shown in the Katz-Moses unit.
Sweet build.
Young enough to remember doing it;
Old enough to wish I could do it again.
Moderator
That is REALLY well thought out, Glenn! Bravo!
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
[OP]
Contributor
Thanks guys. Each sled seems to take the things that have worked well forward to the next. Adjustable fence, replaceable ZCI's for fence and base, stop block and clamping solutions, etc. The material was scrounged from a cabinet shop that had left some material out in the rain and gave it to me. There is some staining which I don't care about and some edge damage which got cut off. After a few years of use everything will blend right in
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Contributor
Here's what I don't understand: You have a solid fence front and back which guarantees that the left and right sides of the sled move as one unit. Why do you think you need two miter slot runners? Wood movement limits just how precisely the bar to slot fit can be if one is to ensure that the sled will not bind under varying humidity conditions.
Contributor
Nicely done. I wondered how well those Microjig clamps worked.
Charlie Jones
[OP]
Contributor
I will first say that living in this nice dry desert basin allows me to get away with things that wouldn't last one season in NebraskaOriginally Posted by Dan Cameron
Last edited by glenn bradley; 07-13-2022 at 7:15 PM.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
[OP]
Contributor
They are like any fixture I suppose. I have a lot of t-track and t-track items. I have a lot of MatchFit stuff as well. Most commercial fixtures are going to use t-track. The Micro Jig clamps let you slap a dovetail slot on just about anything so there's the advantage. I also have the bits to cut a t-slot in just about anything. When using ply you want to have a clamp that provides a mechanical compression force as opposed to a lifting force that may de-laminate the plywood. That being said I have used the same router fence faces made of MDF with a t-slot cut into them for over 15 years(???). I think both have a place in the shop.
Last edited by glenn bradley; 07-13-2022 at 7:15 PM.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Contributor
Great job Glenn,
Very versatile and keeps the fingers away when handling smaller material.
Your approach will surely inspire many others.
Regards,
J.
Contributor
That's really impressive, Glenn. Made on a CNC machine, or the old fashioned way?
- After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
- It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.
[OP]
Contributor
LOL! The old fashioned way I'm afraid.
Matchfit Sled 2 (2).jpg . Matchfit Sled 2 (3).jpg
You must remember that I am a bit of a troglodyte despite decades in the I.T. industry. I still have vinyl and CD's.
Shop-McLaren-Media-Cab (3).jpg
I think "old fashioned" is my escape from all the years of high tech
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Contributor
Glenn, I am sensitive to the 2 vs 1 runner situation because I had a sled bind up to the extent of being unusable due to humidity variation. This was in the San Fernando valley out of LA. It was a sled made of high quality plywood. When this happened I questioned why many woodworking magazines touted sleds with two runners, Compression of the runner material? Nah. I tested a piece of .75 x .75 poplar in a fancy machine we had at work. It took about 800 lbs to squeeze it down .001 thinner So, if two (identical) runners were attached say .001" farther apart than the miter slots, the inside edges of the miter bars would come into contact with the miter slots only under immense sideways forces. Highly unlikely. Similar situation exists if bars are mounted narrower than slot spacing.I will first say that living in this nice dry desert basin allows me to get away with things that wouldn't last one season in Nebraska
All that being said, if one has a pair of runners, each of which would be considered too narrow to use singly (ie too much slop), a pair of runners could be mounted with spacing that is intensionally greater or lesser than the miter slots, and this will reduce the amount of slop. This configuration has ZERO precision or stability advantage over a similarly fitted single runner. That is, if there is .005" of side to side play, it makes NO difference if the two guiding edges are .75" or 10" apart. (unless your runners are sponge rubber)
Contributor
What is the spacing in inches of the dovetail squares?
Contributor
Well done, Glenn!
Ken
So much to learn, so little time.....
[OP]
Contributor
4" on center. This dimension was taken from a Micro Jig video. The guy doing the video seemed like he was very familiar with the Match Fit clamps so I followed his lead.
Thanks Ken. Different strokesI couldn't resist and so cannibalized the old sled and made it into a new narrow stock cross cut sled.
Matchfit Sled 2 (56).jpg
The only downside is the re0used hanging hole is off balance but, I think I can live with it
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
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