Making first crosscut sled


bushwacked

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I went to the.lumber yard and picked up a 4x8 3/4 sheet of shop grade maple. It was mdf core to save money over the veneer $55 and $70

I was curious about the runners ... Can I use this plywood on the runners too? I just didn't want to spend $20+ on the plastic ones. I watched Marks video on making one and I am going to follow those steps.

I will take some pics along the way to show my progress and get thoughts and help. I am sure I will need lots of that haha.

Any tips starting out I should think about before I start making cuts?

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Marc's video is pretty good and should guide you well.

 

If it were mine, I would use hardwood for the runners as they won't wear down as quickly.  One of the reasons I save a fair share of off cuts from projects.

 

Good luck on the sled, I look forward to seeing it!

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I'm gonna be a troublemaker and disagree with Carus and Kev.  I think soft maple is too soft.  I'd probably use the ply before I used soft maple or the mahogany...at least the ply will be half end grain and won't "squish" as easily.  I think soft maple will start to show some slop after moderate use.  Use hard maple or purpleheart or bubinga or any other very hard hardwood.  Mahogany is too soft, too.  Pine is way too soft.

 

If you do use solid wood, be sure to orient the grain the correct direction so the movement is up and down in the t-track and not side-to-side.

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ahagyty7.jpg

This is my setup so far ... Took awhile to get the brown outfeed table to the right height. Although trying to.cut the 4x8 is a pain in the ass in this small garage. Any ideas how to make this easier? I do not have a circular saw to cut it down to a manageable size. Also ... How dangerous is it cutting like that?

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I would highly recommend getting at least a cheap circular saw and a chalk line for breaking down plywood. Cut oversized and finish on the tablesaw. Full sheets on the tablesaw are a killer in a one-man shop. If you have the space, infeed and outfeed tables help, but you will still struggle to feed a full sheet through cleanly.

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ya I may look into a cheap one ... was hoping to avoid that for now since I am not sure how much plywood I am going to be breaking down for the near future. Just trying not to buy something I use once or twice a month and put that money to something I can use weekly or daily. Although it may come to that and I breakdown and get one if this just becomes a nightmare trying to do on the table saw

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