jgfore Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 I am wanting to build a good Miter Sled for my table saw. I have seen several pictures and viseos of them, but was just wandering if anyone has any suggestions. Is there something that you would change or add to yours? Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ztifpatrick Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 I am wanting to build a good Miter Sled for my table saw. I have seen several pictures and viseos of them, but was just wandering if anyone has any suggestions. Is there something that you would change or add to yours? Jeff Well I'm just finishing one so it's early to say what i would change, but two things to note. When you're fine tuning the runners on the sled there is very little difference between a nice snug fit and slop. So go easy and creep up on a tight but smooth fit. Other thing I just saw the other day, some compny is selling a material to make runners out of as they claim the wood ones will stick in the summer and have slop in the winter. Actually I'm not sure it's a materail, it's more like a pre fab runner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben H Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 I used UHMW (Ultra High Molecular Weight) plastic to make my runners. It's the white plastic you see on table saw fences. A plastic supply company in town sold it by the sheet 3/4 thick. Cut the runners so they do not touch the bottom of the miter slot. No need to, plus it only adds friction. To add adjust-ability to the runners, cut a small slit in the runner length wise (Die grinder/dremel/etc). Counter sink a hole in it as well. Use a wood screw to adjust how tight the runner is. When you tighten the screw down, the runner will flare out a bit if you've made you slit long enough. Although the UHMW will not change with climate like wood will, you're very likely to find that your miter slots are NOT the same. Mine were not. Put a slit and screw in all four corners and should be all set! Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardnesd Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 make it slightly adjustable. Overprep the fastener holes on the back fence. This will allow you to really dial it in with the blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 I made mine so there was about 19" between the front and back fence, I really wish I could cut at least 24" with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bywc Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 I would have made a blade shroud at the back where the blade exits the sled first instead of after nearly cutting off my fingers, and then going OH! thats why you see some that have a thing behind the fence. the first one I built I just had the fence flush with the back of the sled figuring Hey! thats a quick way to get 90 degree but it was almost a quick way to get 90 stitches and a new nickname "Stubby" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOneHandedHandyMan Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 Be sure to use a thin (1/4" maybe 1/2") material for the sled. The wider the sled the further the cutoff piece has to travel, which could produce tear-out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan S Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 make more than one, I have two (different sizes) right now, and I think David Marks has something like 6 or 7. As others have said, make them so they are adjustable. These are mine. 1. the small one 2. the big one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgfore Posted October 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 Be sure to use a thin (1/4" maybe 1/2") material for the sled. The wider the sled the further the cutoff piece has to travel, which could produce tear-out. I am not sure that I understand. Please explain. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardnesd Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 I am not sure that I understand. Please explain. Jeff Your sled will be in fact, a sled. The bed of your sled will be made of plywood. The thinner the plywood the higher you can raise the blade through it for cutting. You could say the bed is sacrificia. lhttp://lumberjocks.com/projects/36088 that is a link to a single slot crosscut sled. mine extends across the blade to the other side of the table. check the pdf attached for a plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 Nothing to add except that you should ideally build not one but two: Build a first one to practice and refine your design. Then build a second one and sacrifice the first for operations with the blade tilted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Trace Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 Rob hit on the head. You might also consider a sled for dado work only. My sleds are all made from sink cutouts from a counter top company. I put the laminate side down. They use good 7 ply material rather than particle board, which makes for good dimentional stability. I believe that 3/4" material for the deck works for me better than 1/4" or 1/2", but I get the cutouts for little or nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Trace Posted October 22, 2010 Report Share Posted October 22, 2010 I thought about the miter aspect of your question. I built a sled for miter cuts, other than 45 degrees, which is adjustable for different angles. I have an alumnium angle, 1" x 1", which pivots near the kerf. I set it using an adjustable drafting triangle. Then add a plywood stop for cutting control. It works well for smaller pieces. I think for bigger or longer pieces I would lay out the angle required on the work piece and cut it with a hand held saw of some sort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanJackson Posted November 28, 2010 Report Share Posted November 28, 2010 I am wanting to build a good Miter Sled for my table saw. I have seen several pictures and viseos of them, but was just wandering if anyone has any suggestions. Is there something that you would change or add to yours? Jeff A picture of my fanciest one is here. It's built after plans in one of Doug Stowe's boxmaking books. Adding a clamp helped for smaller pieces. I don't want my fingers 2" from the blade, but I need to cut 2" parts from time to time. Also, for repeated parts, using a stop block was awesome. Both the toggle clamp and stop block are in that picture. The sled is 3/4" MDF with 2x3 hard maple rails. I don't know why you'd use thinner MDF; I'd think your sled would warp more quickly, and a thicker sled will be longer lasting. Be careful - like someone said - the blade will stick out the back of the fence. Be very, very careful on this one. You'll probably need to make two or three sleds. I have two that cut with the wood perpendicular to the blade, one that's setup for the blade at 90 from the table and one for the blade at 45. I have a third sled that sets the wood at a 45 with the blade, and the blade at 90 from the table. The picture is "wood perpendicular, blade at 45". Measure your blade angle *before* cutting the sled with it. Make sure the blade really is 90 degrees to the table before making that first cut. I scrapped a sled by having the angle slightly wrong, and now, I make sure to check. Oops. And use *fewer* screws in the runners. I just used hard maple for the runners, but the problem is that when you put a screw into the runner to secure it to the sled, the maple runner bulges *slightly*... which makes the whole thing not slide as well. Using a pair of runners is ideal, but they have to be pretty darn well lined up; you can sand them some after their attached to try and cheat it, at least. When attaching the first runner, use a square to line it up; runner on top, sled on the bottom. Put the sled on the table, slide the second runner underneath, and attach the second runner that way; top above the runner while attaching. That lines it up for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted November 28, 2010 Report Share Posted November 28, 2010 Oh man, now i wanna make one of these! I assume MDF is the most common material used to make them. I bet melamine would work well since it's slick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted November 29, 2010 Report Share Posted November 29, 2010 Dean's point about the blade exit point is definitely well taken. I've seen sleds with a large wooden block glued to the back of the fence where the blade is so the blade remains contained in the block when you cross-cut. Paint it red Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanJackson Posted November 29, 2010 Report Share Posted November 29, 2010 A picture of my fanciest one is here. It's built after plans in one of Doug Stowe's boxmaking books. Adding a clamp helped for smaller pieces. I don't want my fingers 2" from the blade, but I need to cut 2" parts from time to time. Also, for repeated parts, using a stop block was awesome. Both the toggle clamp and stop block are in that picture. The sled is 3/4" MDF with 2x3 hard maple rails. I don't know why you'd use thinner MDF; I'd think your sled would warp more quickly, and a thicker sled will be longer lasting. Be careful - like someone said - the blade will stick out the back of the fence. Be very, very careful on this one. You'll probably need to make two or three sleds. I have two that cut with the wood perpendicular to the blade, one that's setup for the blade at 90 from the table and one for the blade at 45. I have a third sled that sets the wood at a 45 with the blade, and the blade at 90 from the table. The picture is "wood perpendicular, blade at 45". Measure your blade angle *before* cutting the sled with it. Make sure the blade really is 90 degrees to the table before making that first cut. I scrapped a sled by having the angle slightly wrong, and now, I make sure to check. Oops. And use *fewer* screws in the runners. I just used hard maple for the runners, but the problem is that when you put a screw into the runner to secure it to the sled, the maple runner bulges *slightly*... which makes the whole thing not slide as well. Using a pair of runners is ideal, but they have to be pretty darn well lined up; you can sand them some after their attached to try and cheat it, at least. When attaching the first runner, use a square to line it up; runner on top, sled on the bottom. Put the sled on the table, slide the second runner underneath, and attach the second runner that way; top above the runner while attaching. That lines it up for you. And I wound up having to make a bigger sled to finish the project I was working on. The project is still sitting here... but the sled is done. Make sure that one corner of the MDF is square. Not mostly square, not "Home Depot cut it so it should be square", but *square*. Align the first slider thingy on the bottom to that edge, and attach the fence to the other side along the other square edge. Avoid putting screws where the blade is going to have to go. :-) And if it sticks like crazy, you can either try to find the bulged spot on the sliders/runners, or apply some kind of lubricant that (hopefully) won't cause fisheye on a finish. I tried SlipIt, which is this rattlecan stuff that Grizzly sells for cast iron tables and blades. Hopefully that doesn't kill my next finish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted November 29, 2010 Report Share Posted November 29, 2010 Avoid putting screws where the blade is going to have to go. :-) D'oh! Guilty as charged. Mine has a screw just left of the blade in the front cross member. Worked fine as long as the blade was vertical, but sparks aplenty and one trashed blade (blessedly a cheap one) on the first miter cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardnesd Posted November 29, 2010 Report Share Posted November 29, 2010 Jeff, give us an update and a pic if you've made your sled???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggie4you Posted November 29, 2010 Report Share Posted November 29, 2010 I'm currently in the process of making this one: Super Cross Cut and Mitre sled Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyV Posted November 30, 2010 Report Share Posted November 30, 2010 There used to be a guy on WoodNet who posted under the name of "Niki" or something like that. He passed away recently, but he used to post these incredibly detailed how-to photo essays on building jigs. He did one for a miter sled. His technique relied on using a plastic drafting triangle with 45 degree corners. These are very accurate & make getting the fences spot on. WHat you do is get a 3/4" thick piece of ply & attach 2 miter bars to the underside of the ply. These will run in both slots simultaneously. Cut a kerf partway through the width of the bottom without cutting it in two. Then attach the plastic triangle to the bottom so the long side lines up with the edge of bottom closest to the operator and the square corner is on the kerf. Attach it with a couple of short screws. After that, you can attach fences to the bottom so they butt against the short legs of the triangle. You can even add hold downs & add some blocks over the triangle for the blade to bury itself in. And you can add some kind of a stop to prevent sled from being pushed all the way through the blade. Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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