Let's see your crosscut sled!

[chrisphr]

This is one of the most used tools in my beginner shop to the point that I think I'd like to upgrade from the basic model that I copied from Marc's video. I was thinking about modeling mine after Nick Ferry's but I'd modify to have a replaceable zero clearance insert.

At any rate, I'd love to see what others have made and any thoughts on improving the basic form of the tool and any favorite designs out there.

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[gee-dub]

I have a medium sled that gets the most use, a large one that was built for a specific project but, has managed to earn its keep and a small one for boxes and other items that need a helping hand for safety reasons.  All have adjustable fences and have replaceable bed and fence inserts.  Let me find some pics . . .

The large and medium sleds use straight grain fir for the fences.  The small sled uses laminated BB ply.  The runners are UHMW, metal or wood.  I have had equal success with all three.

Others have come and gone (given to good homes) but, these three have been around a while.

I make the mounting holes in the fence fit tight with an oversized hole and oval counterbore in the base that allows the t-bolts to adjust for fence alignment. 

A small bit of alignment capability at each of the four holes allows a great deal of adjustment.  Replaceable ZCI's assure clean cuts and a long life.

The only addition I might make would be a threaded rod and insert for adjustment that I saw some other clever person use.  I find the style I make to be easy enough to adjust (on the rare occasions they require it) that I have not followed through however.

 

 

 

 

[Immortan D]

i don't have one for my TS, but I made one for my bandsaw. I use it to cut small parts:

 

 

 

[..Kev]

1 minute ago, Immortan D said:

i don't have one for my TS, but I made one for my bandsaw. I use it to cut small parts:

 

Unfortunately, I'm at work so can't view the video.  I apologize if you covered this in the video..

How do you adjust for drift?

[Eric.]

gee-dubs sleds are awesome. (How do you make that oval counterbore gee-dub? Two holes side by side then chisel the wall?)

But I just use the simple version and have found no limitations.  I clamp accessories on if needed.  It's not a place where I wanna spend a bunch of shop time I don't have.

 

 

 

5 hours ago, TIODS said:

Unfortunately, I'm at work so can't view the video.  I apologize if you covered this in the video..

How do you adjust for drift?

 

For small parts you probably don't need to.  Drift only comes into play during longer cuts.

 

[Immortan D]

6 minutes ago, TIODS said:

Unfortunately, I'm at work so can't view the video.  I apologize if you covered this in the video..

How do you adjust for drift?

The kerf on the sled is pretty tight and I use a 1/2" saw with the sled. And I cut really slow. All that helps with avoiding drift when cutting small parts.

[Guest]

I don't have one.  I just don't find the need.  I built one when I first started woodworking and it was a PITA to store so I threw it in the trash.

I know, according to the internet echo chamber and every magazine, a table saw sled is a MUST HAVE JIG and it is important to build THE ULTIMATE TABLESAW SLED. I might build a small one for doing cross cuts on small parts, but so far I have survived without.  

[Just Bob]

I have a like/hate relationship with table saw sleds.  I like what they add in safety and accuracy, I hate their weight and trying to find a place to store them.  I really wanted to add a slider to my saw, but blew my tool budget on a lathe.  So I recently finished a new sled, similar to Nick Ferry's.  But eventually I will add the slider and be done with sleds.

 

[wdwerker]

I have a small sled that I use for cutting repetitive small parts. I got a slider add-on years ago and it has made a big difference in my shop. It does eat up a lot of space and it wasn't cheap either. The current version is around $2000.

[gee-dub]

1 hour ago, TIODS said:

Unfortunately, I'm at work so can't view the video.  I apologize if you covered this in the video..

How do you adjust for drift?

Drift?  Hen's Teeth and Unicorns .  I correct blade tracking, I don't adjust for it. I do not allow drift in my shop although with the number of posts about it, it obviously exists. 

I'm writing this in a joking tone and hope it comes across that way . 

We all approach things differently.  I also have a sled for the smaller bandsaw and use it for small parts as described.  I even have a sled for the router table for things like angled dados and stopped sliding dovetails.

 

[bleedinblue]

Simple, but I added a stop block to cut down on clamp time.

[Immortan D]

Yes, drift can be avoided with a sharp blade and properly adjusted guides. The problem with bandsaw sleds like mine is that the bearing guide cannot be set close to the piece, so drifting is more likely to occur. When I'm cutting thin material I add a secondary fence in front of the fixed fence, about the same height of the piece. That allows me to set the guides close to the piece without the taller fence getting in the path of the cut.
 

[mat60]

I have a slider like Steve .Like it alot. Before that I had some sleds but nothing as nice as Gee-Dubs .

[JosephThomas]

Can a couple is you guys tell me the dimensions? I don't know how big a "small" sled is vs. a large one, etc.

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[pkinneb]

I have two a small one and the larger one which is the William Ng design

[bleedinblue]

Mine, going off memory, is about 30 inches long and 15 inches wide.  I'd do wider if I had a good place to store it out of the way.  I clamp on an extension with a stop quite often.

[gee-dub]

2 hours ago, JosephThomas said:

Can a couple is you guys tell me the dimensions? I don't know how big a "small" sled is vs. a large one, etc.

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I would size your sled based on what you cut.  My "medium" sled is about 36" by 25" and I can cut a max of about 21".  This gets used for smaller panel-like work.  Most crosscutting is on narrower stock so my "small" sled gets a lot of that work even though it was designed for bevel cuts and box making . . . it's about 24" x 16".

[chrisphr]

I have a medium sled that gets the most use, a large one that was built for a specific project but, has managed to earn its keep and a small one for boxes and other items that need a helping hand for safety reasons.  All have adjustable fences and have replaceable bed and fence inserts.  Let me find some pics . . .The large and medium sleds use straight grain fir for the fences.  The small sled uses laminated BB ply.  The runners are UHMW, metal or wood.  I have had equal success with all three.Others have come and gone (given to good homes) but, these three have been around a while.

I make the mounting holes in the fence fit tight with an oversized hole and oval counterbore in the base that allows the t-bolts to adjust for fence alignment. 

A small bit of alignment capability at each of the four holes allows a great deal of adjustment.  Replaceable ZCI's assure clean cuts and a long life.

The only addition I might make would be a threaded rod and insert for adjustment that I saw some other clever person use.  I find the style I make to be easy enough to adjust (on the rare occasions they require it) that I have not followed through however.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to post the pictures and detailed description! Pretty cool solution for adjustment with the t-bolts. Do the fences ever need re adjusted? Or is the t-bolts just a alternate way to secure the fence to the bed vs screws? Is the bed 1/2" BB+1/4" BB to create the zero clearance feature?

Thanks again!

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I don't have one.  I just don't find the need.  I built one when I first started woodworking and it was a PITA to store so I threw it in the trash.

I know, according to the internet echo chamber and every magazine, a table saw sled is a MUST HAVE JIG and it is important to build THE ULTIMATE TABLESAW SLED. I might build a small one for doing cross cuts on small parts, but so far I have survived without.  

Do you use a quality miter gauge instead? Totally with you and everyone else who mentioned the aggravation of storage, in my little shop I found a decent solution in the outfeed table. I also store a ply TS cover in the same place (suspended in a channel up top).

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[JosephThomas]

54 minutes ago, gee-dub said:

I would size your sled based on what you cut.  My "medium" sled is about 36" by 25" and I can cut a max of about 21".  This gets used for smaller panel-like work.  Most crosscutting is on narrower stock so my "small" sled gets a lot of that work even though it was designed for bevel cuts and box making . . . it's about 24" x 16".

Thanks this helps. I was mostly concerned about the 1nd dimension...I get that the width depends on what I cut, but I wasn't sure whether people make them the same length as their table saw surface, or just so that it goes from the front to the back of the blade or something like that.

[gee-dub]

1 hour ago, JosephThomas said:

Thanks this helps. I was mostly concerned about the 1nd dimension...I get that the width depends on what I cut, but I wasn't sure whether people make them the same length as their table saw surface, or just so that it goes from the front to the back of the blade or something like that.

So many of us . . . so many different "right" answers ;-)  You are correct that you do not want a sled that is so deep that you cannot support it safely.  On the other hand sometimes you need a larger sled and then discover you need a quick shop-made helper.

[prov163]

Wow, gee-dub, have you always been an overachiever   Very nice!

[Cliff]

I have no sled. I've built 4 and each has been useless in it's own way. The last one went out of square because the screws pushed the plywood out in the front. 

My next iteration is using 80/20 extruded aluminum for a fence. I just haven't really figured out a way to fasten it on the bottom. The only thing I can think of is to put one bolt in on one side, then set up a piece behind  and run bolts through to microadjust to square and just leave it like that. I'm concerned it will flex though. 

Sleds are the bane of my existence and I have a constant need for them. 

13 hours ago, gee-dub said:

I have a medium sled that gets the most use, a large one that was built for a specific project but, has managed to earn its keep and a small one for boxes and other items that need a helping hand for safety reasons.  All have adjustable fences and have replaceable bed and fence inserts.  Let me find some pics . . .

 

The large and medium sleds use straight grain fir for the fences.  The small sled uses laminated BB ply.  The runners are UHMW, metal or wood.  I have had equal success with all three.

 

Others have come and gone (given to good homes) but, these three have been around a while.

I make the mounting holes in the fence fit tight with an oversized hole and oval counterbore in the base that allows the t-bolts to adjust for fence alignment. 

 

 

 

A small bit of alignment capability at each of the four holes allows a great deal of adjustment.  Replaceable ZCI's assure clean cuts and a long life.

 

The only addition I might make would be a threaded rod and insert for adjustment that I saw some other clever person use.  I find the style I make to be easy enough to adjust (on the rare occasions they require it) that I have not followed through however.

 

 

 

 

I wish you had a video build of your sled man. 

[..Kev]

I never took an actual picture of my sled when I built it so, this picture is from another project.

Nothing fancy but, it's been spot on for me for a few years now and I use it all the time.

As for the storage, it lives on the saw.  I remove it when I need the saw for other things.  Works well to protect the saw top as well.

[JosephThomas]

Nothing fancy but, it's been spot on for me for a few years now and I use it all the time.

As for the storage, it lives on the saw.  I remove it when I need the saw for other things.  Works well to protect the saw top as well.

Looks pretty darn fancy to me. Is that walnut ply?

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[..Kev]

Just now, JosephThomas said:

Looks pretty darn fancy to me. Is that walnut ply?

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It is but, it's a left over chunk from the kitchen remodel.  I certainly didn't go buy fancy wood for a table saw sled

Fences are Sapele left over from the night stands and the runners are purple heart that I keep on hand for adding accents to other projects.