Surface Finish for Sliding Sled Jigs

[Jay Knobbe]

I am new to Sawmill Creek and kind of new to woodworking although have been doing carpentry work for years. I have some maple veneered 3/4" ply left over from a couple of previous projects. I want to make a couple of sliding jigs for use on my TS. I was wondering what would be an appropriate finish to apply? I have dewaxed Shellac on hand and I've seen others just apply paste wax. Your advice is appreciated.

[Edward Weber]

As a general rule, you want to have the bottom slick and the top stick.
You can finish and wax the underside with whatever you want, although shellac is not that durable. The top or work side, you "usually" don't want too slippery. You want you work to stay securely in place for what ever task you're doing. I would avoid the wax on te top

[Cameron Wood]

Wax the bottom, nothing on the top. In addition to Edward Weber's comment, the sled is often marked for repeat cuts, etc. so raw is best.

[Jay Knobbe]

Thanks! I will follow this advise!

[Cameron Wood]

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[Tom Bussey]

I would shellac the bottom. Then I would use a past wax. Much easier to wax if it has a finish on it first. I know you have left over plywood but if you have to buy it in the future get the prefinished plywood.

[glenn bradley]

I am new to Sawmill Creek and kind of new to woodworking although have been doing carpentry work for years. I have some maple veneered 3/4" ply left over from a couple of previous projects. I want to make a couple of sliding jigs for use on my TS. I was wondering what would be an appropriate finish to apply? I have dewaxed Shellac on hand and I've seen others just apply paste wax. Your advice is appreciated.

This is exactly what I do. I shellac the whole jig and wax the shellacked bottom. I have a sled that I have run for nearly 15 years. I re-shellacked the bottom about 3 or 4 years ago. It was still in pretty good shape but I had some shellac going bad and time on my hands