bushwacked Posted October 22, 2016 Report Share Posted October 22, 2016 About to be in need of creating a table saw sled so I was doing some research and watching all the older videos again. My question is I have always had a basic sled but does it actually pay off in the end to make it a little nicer? Example is nick ferrys sled. David pacuito has something similar too. Thoughts? Waste of time and money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted October 22, 2016 Report Share Posted October 22, 2016 I built William NG's sled lat year but I really like Nicks and may make it in the future. Not sure it's necessary but sure looks good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 I like Nick's but it just seems like a lot of hassle. I really have come to a conclusion that the one thing I want is a fence that allows me to do repeatable stop blocks at like 3+ foot. So ... thats where I come down into the SCMS camp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedinblue Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 Agreed. I'm sure they're useful if you have the inclination to build one, but personally I'm sick of building sleds. I'm on my third tablesaw in just a few years and each saw has had two or three sleds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 Doesn't need to be fancy but a stop block is nice for repeatable cuts. I have a 13" and 25" width sleds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 13 hours ago, Cliff said: I like Nick's but it just seems like a lot of hassle. I really have come to a conclusion that the one thing I want is a fence that allows me to do repeatable stop blocks at like 3+ foot. So ... thats where I come down into the SCMS camp. I hear ya with the repeatable long cuts but it always seems like my SCMS is out of square and i fiddle with it endlessly and can never get it as perfect as the sled.having to Finesse length slightly > not square cuts i guess to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim DaddyO Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 Most of my shop stuff, jigs and sleds, are pretty utilitarian. More options are handy at times but I tend to keep them pretty simple with the knowledge that they will get beat up and replaced in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 This is going to sound "rude, crude and socially unacceptable" but.....it's your time, and your money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 There's nothing fancy about mine.. I did install a T-track in the back fence to allow for stop blocks. If I were going to get "fancy", I'd consider what @gee-dub did with the inserts.. I think it was him, correct me if I'm wrong.. This picture was from the Rocker build but, shows the t-track Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisphr Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 Coincidentally I just built the Nick Ferry sled yesterday but modified it to have a replaceable ZCI and to be able to accommodate the blade at 45degrees. Nick said he wished he made the t-track openings larger to handle longer bolts but I didn't understand why he wouldn't just end the t tracks short of the rear fence (maybe to maximize capacity?), so that is what I did. It's a real easy build I wouldn't let the minor additional time investment stop you, but the Kreg parts aren't cheap... Only having used it a couple times I like how quickly I can cut to length with the stop vs fiddling around to cut to a marked line. Not necessary to have a fancy sled, but so far I dig it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 Although I am generally a feature-freak my sleds have just the basics: Replaceable ZCI for bed and fence. Some means of aligning the fence. Beyond that it becomes personal. Miter sleds went down the road when I learned to make accurate miters with my miter gauge. I do still have a small sled for cutting bevels (for box making) that doubles as a thin stock sled (as opposed to a SCMS). I have runners of QSWO, UHMW, aluminum and maple. They all perform well but, I live in a desert basin and the humidity swing is almost non-existent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted October 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 Although I am generally a feature-freak my sleds have just the basics: Replaceable ZCI for bed and fence. Some means of aligning the fence. Beyond that it becomes personal. Miter sleds went down the road when I learned to make accurate miters with my miter gauge. I do still have a small sled for cutting bevels (for box making) that doubles as a thin stock sled (as opposed to a SCMS). I have runners of QSWO, UHMW, aluminum and maple. They all perform well but, I live in a desert basin and the humidity swing is almost non-existent. Do you have a link to that thread of a pic? Just curious what it looks like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 Nothing fancy about mine. Quick and very easy to make. Basic but it works supremely well and I'm not forever chasing my tail with minor adjustments. I have a sliding table (European table saw) if I want to make angled crosscuts or miters. It is of course your time if you want to make something fancy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapid Roger Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 This is my sled that I made some time ago and still working strong (it goes with the saw when I sell it) Made of red oak and the extension arm is removable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post gee-dub Posted October 23, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 2 hours ago, bushwacked said: Do you have a link to that thread of a pic? Just curious what it looks like Sure. Here's a shot of my medium sled (about 36" x 24") showing the ZCI's. Here's the large, medium and bevel sled in their stash spot; leaning against the cyclone immediately to the right of the tablesaw. Here's the fence adjustment method I use. The 1/4" t-bolt fits snugly in the fence itself but, has a 3/8" through hole in the base and an oval counterbore to allow forward and backward movement. I've morphed to this amount of wiggle room and four bolt locations as my standard sled fence format. Here's a shot of the bottom of the medium sled. You can see that it has been used for dados. The felt pen marks on the UHMW runners are leftover from when I was tuning the fit. On wood runners I sometimes use chalk; either way, mark the runners, slide the sled back and forth a few times and tune the fit where the marking rubs off. Added bonus . . . . Here's the in feed extension for the large sled (although I use it for the medium sled too if I am doing something that requires extended setup time). You can see some red marker on these wooden runners leftover from tuning them. BTW, I tune with a card scraper but, whatever works . . . There are plenty of sled ideas and lots of good sharing here. Render the data down to what is most important and works best for you. A well made sled that meets your needs is a joy to use. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 I'm digging that infeed extension! One of those "I can't believe I didn't think of that" items! Very cool! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted October 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 Oh wow that infeed helper is a great idea!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eli28 Posted December 7, 2016 Report Share Posted December 7, 2016 Let's just saybit only has to cut good square lumber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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