cross cut sled for my table saw ????

[bullson]

hi all and marry Christmas... just looking for a bit of advice. here's my question: do I need to make a cross cut sled for my table saw if i have a good mitre gauge i know a few people who swear by them but i have the incra mitre gauge which suit me well.

i have never used a sled system before but would not be against making one if the community here feel they are a good idea

any tip and advice would be greatly appreciated

[iSawitFirst]

It depends on what you'll be cutting. For wide boards or panels I use the sled because it gives much better control. I also use it for cutting small stock for the same reason. I too have an Incra miter gauge and use it when I'm too lazy to get the sled out, but I mostly use it for angled cuts.

I have two sleds, one for the blade at 90' and the other at 45'. I also have an Incra sled for 45'. Most of the time it comes down to which is closest at hand and how much of my sacrificial fence is left on the Incra.

[Beechwood Chip]

I'm not going to build one until I need it. Now that I have a jointer I won't need a jointing sled for my table-saw. I imagine that a taper sled will be the one I build first, but who knows? Maybe it will be a panel cutter.

There are multi-function sleds, but no single sled does everything, so I figure I might as well wait until I know what I need before I start building things.

[AceHoleInOne]

I agree, don't build one till you need one...you'll know when its time

-Ace-

[Guest Trace]

I use sleds a great deal. My sleds are dedicated type. One for 90 degree cuts on material up to 22" wide. Another for making birdhouse kits. with stops for all of the pieces. A miter sled for small pieces up to about 12" X 15". I like the sleds for the accuracy of making parts the same size every time. I have made parts for furniture, birdhouse kits, storm windows, boats, and a few other things. The miter sled took the most time to design, but the angles are dead on. I trig the angle, and use a really good machinists rule to set the bar. I do have to tweak a setting now and then, but I am not a fan of miter guages, so I don't mind.

[jgfore]

I also have the INCRA Miter Gauge and I LOVE IT! It does have it's draw backs when it comes to wide boards. So, I plan on getting the INCRA sled attachment for the miter gauge.

Jeff

[Bombarde16]

Since building my own crosscut sled two years ago, my miter gauge has mostly gathered dust. No matter how good your gauge is and no matter if it's OEM or aftermarket, even a homemade sled will be a step up. The sled rides in two slots, not one; the work sits in place on the base of the sled, rather than moving over the table of the saw; the back support for the work is measured in feet, not inches...

I say go for it, and bet you won't want to go back. Just be sure to arrange a convenient landing spot for the sled (Heck, sleds...just because making them is addictive.) when you switch over to rip cuts.

[ztifpatrick]

Since building my own crosscut sled two years ago, my miter gauge has mostly gathered dust. No matter how good your gauge is and no matter if it's OEM or aftermarket, even a homemade sled will be a step up. The sled rides in two slots, not one; the work sits in place on the base of the sled, rather than moving over the table of the saw; the back support for the work is measured in feet, not inches...

I say go for it, and bet you won't want to go back. Just be sure to arrange a convenient landing spot for the sled (Heck, sleds...just because making them is addictive.) when you switch over to rip cuts.

I have to agree, i have a good quality mitre guage but I find I prefer the sled. It's zero clearance so no chip out and you can see exactly where the blade will cut.You could wait, but if you have the time go for it, you won't look back.

[Dan S]

Make a sled, actually make a couple. I have 2 right now, an every day one the handles stock up to 15" wide, and a massive one that handles stock up to 42" wide. I have an The Osborne gauge and the only thing it comes out for is angled cuts. 99% of the time I'm doing normal cross cut's and the sled is just plain better for that.

[rmac]

I believe it was Darth Vader who once said, "Build the sled, Luke."

Then Mr. Vader offered three more pearls of fatherly advice, although I can't quote the exact words:

1. Make sure to put a box or a block of wood or something on the rear side of the sled's fence to enclose the blade at the end of the cut. We don't want to cut your hand off with a table saw. (I will do that personally with a lightsaber in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.)

2. Arrange something (as shown by the green arrow) to stop the sled before the blade comes through the back of the safety block. (Need that hand for Episode V!)

3. Consider putting a hold-down clamp on the fence. It will help lots with small pieces.

-- Russ

[shavemaker]

Build the sled, or two. I have a panel sized sled that will take pieces up to 750mm (sorry 30" - an Aussie thinks in metric), and then a smaller one for box and small drawer pieces (up to 8" wide). You will notice the most difference when using the larger one - moving a panel or wide piece across a saw table only backed up by a mitre gauge is sooo much more difficult than sliding a sled across the table top, panel in place - no sliding, no man-handling, and always with a zero-cut underneath. It is definitely a step up.

[bullson]

wow thanks for all the great advice guy much appreciated I think what I will do is make a large panel sled as suggested by a few people here as I must admit there do seem to be a number of advantages with a sled.

I will stick with my mitre gauge for small work, right well I will get working on one as soon as Christmas is over and I have recovered from the Christmas dinner and the ice melt around my door to the workshop so I can get in

Btw Does anyone know if marc is making a cross cut sled? He did mention it a few video ago

[Mike G]

I have the Rockler crosscut sled.

It works fantastic.