Single-slot sled

[collinb]

Was watching Rough Cut / Tommy Mac the other day and noticed his sled. It was on one side of the blade and so rode in one miter slot.

Anyone else do this? What are the advantages or trade-offs?

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[gee-dub]

I found single rail sleds less stable for larger pieces.  Single rail sleds for smaller parts made from fairly solid materials like the Incra Miter 5000 do OK.  I didn't like to fuss with the "catch board" format but, that's a personal choice. 

I do use a single rail sled for my taper sled but, the whole miter slot is full of rail and this i fairly stable.  I only have so much room to store these things when not in use so my choice for crosscut sleds is to have double rails allowing more reliable work on small or larger work.

[treeslayer]

+1 to gee-dub, i built a single rail sled and wish i would have built a double (future project) and my taper jig is single like gee-dub's and works fine. it's a case of build it once and be done with it IMO

[wtnhighlander]

I use a single runner sled, based on Mattias Wandell's design. It is made to have either fence at the back. No problems with it staying square. My miter sled has two runners, and tends to bind as humidity changes.

[Brendon_t]

I use one Purple Heart runner on my crosscut sled.  It's just as tight and cuts just as square as the day I assembled it.

[Eric.]

I don't like single-sided sleds for one reason: the cut-off has no outboard support so it drops to the the table which risks tearing that last little fiber that holds on at the end of the cut.  I see them as the lazy man's sled.  They're not for me.

[JosephThomas]

Any problem with a full size sled that only has one runner?

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[TerryMcK]

2 hours ago, JosephThomas said:

Any problem with a full size sled that only has one runner?

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No. If the miter slots are not machined absolutely parallel twin runners have a tendency to bind. Single runner has no such issue. I agree that you still need full support on the outboard side though but there is no need for two runners if the fit in the slot is good. My table saw only has one miter slot as it is a European one with a sliding table - the slot is in the table.

[gee-dub]

7 hours ago, JosephThomas said:

Any problem with a full size sled that only has one runner?

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The great thing about forums is you get different input from folks based on their experiences.  Obviously some folks have had success with single runners and some have not.  I use 3/4" BB ply for my base and hardwood, aluminum or UHMW for runners (all with equal success). 

You could always try a single runner sled and add a second runner if required, but why?  What is the reason for wanting to use just a single runner?  TerryMcK has an obvious reason for doing so.  Can you not use two runners?

[JosephThomas]

A second runner is just more opportunity for binding, just by virtue of adding another place for friction to occur. There's also the fact that some saw have miter slots that aren't perfectly parallel to one another.

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[wdwerker]

You can make 2 single slot sleds. One for each side of the blade. That will solve the off cut piece from dropping. You could make one side full length & without a fence.

[Eric.]

A second runner might create more opportunity for binding, but it's also insurance against a single runner with a sloppy fit.  Any wiggle at all defeats the purpose of building a sled, and it's the reason all my sleds have two runners.  I'd rather have to deal with some fitting issues than deal with sloppy cuts.  A card scraper and some Renaissance wax makes quick work of piston fit, smooth-sliding runners.

[JosephThomas]

My runner is an aluminum one from rockler, with the adjustment screws. It fit just right with a single small adjustment.

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[wtnhighlander]

The Mattias Wandel design I followed uses one runner, because it is meant to be flipped around for different applications.

[Brendon_t]

21 hours ago, Eric. said:

I don't like single-sided sleds for one reason: the cut-off has no outboard support so it drops to the the table which risks tearing that last little fiber that holds on at the end of the cut.  I see them as the lazy man's sled.  They're not for me.

I get this.  I wouldn't want a single Runner sled where the workpiece has to fall off after the blade. I do on the other hand have a sled that is on both sides the blade so don't run into that.  My reasoning which I suppose actually could be called laziness is I've just never needed one. The Purple Heart Runner I use is a piston fit gets waxed about every 2 months and has absolutely zero play.

   On the opposite side of my own argument with a single Runner if you are not consistent about how and where you push the sled through the cut, the simple Act of pushing from the right or pushing from the left could give you a difference in your cut. I have an area on my fence about 4 inches wide on the left side of the blade that is the only place my hand is touching while guiding my sled through a cut. Same placement same pressure same speed every time and I haven't had a problem. If you can't commit to doing it the same way every time I think a second runner would be best

[Chestnut]

3 hours ago, Brendon_t said:

I get this.  I wouldn't want a single Runner sled where the workpiece has to fall off after the blade. I do on the other hand have a sled that is on both sides the blade so don't run into that.  My reasoning which I suppose actually could be called laziness is I've just never needed one. The Purple Heart Runner I use is a piston fit gets waxed about every 2 months and has absolutely zero play.

   On the opposite side of my own argument with a single Runner if you are not consistent about how and where you push the sled through the cut, the simple Act of pushing from the right or pushing from the left could give you a difference in your cut. I have an area on my fence about 4 inches wide on the left side of the blade that is the only place my hand is touching while guiding my sled through a cut. Same placement same pressure same speed every time and I haven't had a problem. If you can't commit to doing it the same way every time I think a second runner would be best

One could say that single glide or dual this should be followed. Repetition is boring and it sucks but it makes good products.

[Guest]

I know this flies in the face of conventional wisdom, the internet echo chamber and countless magazine articles but I haven't had a cross cut sled in years and I don't miss it at all.  

I built one early on and it did its job.  But I got sick of storing it so I threw it away.

  I use a miter gauge with an auxiliary fence instead and it works for me. 

[Eric.]

Since I got an MFT, that's where I cut my panels; I crosscut longer pieces at the SCMS; and I'll pull out the miter gauge for quick and dirty angled cuts.

But I still use the sled all the time for small parts, and I think that's where it shines.  It's much safer and more versatile for setting up for awkward cuts and repeated cuts than any miter gauge.

[Andy Wright]

On 8/2/2016 at 8:17 PM, Eric. said:

I don't like single-sided sleds for one reason: the cut-off has no outboard support so it drops to the the table which risks tearing that last little fiber that holds on at the end of the cut.  I see them as the lazy man's sled.  They're not for me.

I have a single slide sled, and I admit that I am a lazy man. It works great for smaller to mid size pieces and it gets used 90% of the time when I am using a sled. It very simple with a single fence at the FRONT of the sled and I find it more comfortable to use than my full size larger sled, which is heavy and awkward and a pain to get on and off of the saw.

I always rough cut everything on the SCMS, so once I get to the sled I am making fine cuts (less than 1"). I have never had any issues with the lack of support or with having play due to only having one runner

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Eric. said:

Since I got an MFT, that's where I cut my panels; I crosscut longer pieces at the SCMS; and I'll pull out the miter gauge for quick and dirty angled cuts.

But I still use the sled all the time for small parts, and I think that's where it shines.  It's much safer and more versatile for setting up for awkward cuts and repeated cuts than any miter gauge.

If i build another sled, if will be for small parts and will have two runners.  It will also be fairly small.  My first sled was like Oprah before slim fast.   I based it on one of the talking heads' designs and it was just a pain to lug around.  

[Andy Wright]

13 minutes ago, Andy Wright said:

I have a single slide sled, and I admit that I am a lazy man. It works great for smaller to mid size pieces and it gets used 90% of the time when I am using a sled. It very simple with a single fence at the FRONT of the sled and I find it more comfortable to use than my full size larger sled, which is heavy and awkward and a pain to get on and off of the saw.

I always rough cut everything on the SCMS, so once I get to the sled I am making fine cuts (less than 1"). I have never had any issues with the lack of support or with having play due to only having one runner

This is the sled I built 10+ years ago from a Popular woodworking article that gets used most of the time in my shop. I have recalibrated it a few times and replace the sacrificial fence fairly often but other than that it is maintenance free. I have mine so that the blade is on the right side of the sled (reverse of these plans)

http://www.woodcraft.com/articles/343/panelcutting-sled.aspx

As I said in my earlier post, I also have a big fancy table saw sled similar to the one David Marks used on his TV show, but I rarely use it because of its size. There is no noticeable difference in performance between the two sleds - unless I am cutting pieces of long stock where the larger sled provides better support

[bleedinblue]

Eric touched on the very reason I go with two runners instead of one.  All sleds I've made so far have been made with solid wood runners.  I have much better luck tweaking any tightness or binding from the opposing runners than I do with getting (and keeping) a single runner to be the perfect fit.