Gixxerjoe04 Posted November 8, 2016 Report Share Posted November 8, 2016 Looking to build a router sled but not sure what route to go. Thought about building a frame that will stay flat and i can move out of the way and lean it on my wall and put it on some saw horses or something when I need to use it, not sure if that would be a good idea or not, or what/how I should make it. Thought about using my outfeed table but it's dimensions for the top is roughly a half sheet of mdf which is wide enough but not long enough for one slab I have. Plus I guess I didn't put enough support in the middle, that or just using 2x4's sucks since it has a slight sag in the middle and afraid that would mess things up when flattening. Looking for pics, tips, ideas of making one that will be nice and flat and hopefully worry about trying to flatten a slab and messing it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted November 8, 2016 Report Share Posted November 8, 2016 What's the longest, flat surface you have? my router sled spans 36" so that I can clamp rails to my bench and let it ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted November 8, 2016 Report Share Posted November 8, 2016 The one time I used a router 'sled', it was 2 sticks of angle-iron C-clamped to some blocks across each end, and laid across a stack of 3/4" plywood scraps on either side of the panel I was flattening. My tablesaw served as the flat base. Worked ok, but sounds too small for your needs. How big is your slab? Are the edges relatively straight, or are you doing a live-edge thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted November 8, 2016 Report Share Posted November 8, 2016 I made a flat table and then have a sled that rids on top of it. Mine is 33" wide and the table is 78" long. I figured at the moment i wouldn't need longer and if i did i'd use the trick mark detailed in his router sled video with the table and some strait 2x8s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gixxerjoe04 Posted November 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2016 39 minutes ago, Brendon_t said: What's the longest, flat surface you have? my router sled spans 36" so that I can clamp rails to my bench and let it ride. My outfeed table is the biggest almost flat surface i have, don't have an actual work bench or anything. 38 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said: The one time I used a router 'sled', it was 2 sticks of angle-iron C-clamped to some blocks across each end, and laid across a stack of 3/4" plywood scraps on either side of the panel I was flattening. My tablesaw served as the flat base. Worked ok, but sounds too small for your needs. How big is your slab? Are the edges relatively straight, or are you doing a live-edge thing? Live edge slabs, so varying dimensions quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted November 8, 2016 Report Share Posted November 8, 2016 Here is an alternative idea; make an open-topped 'box' of MDF, large enough to house the slab, and just a bit deeper than the thickness. Make sure the sides are straight, and the bottom is flat. Lay the slab in it and wedge / shim it as if for a pass through the planer for flattening. Use enough adhesive (or clamps) to hold it firmly in the box, then turn it over so the open side faces down. Run this rig across the widest dado stack your TS can hold, in successive passes. No extra-large table surface is required. You can clamp the slab into this rig with wedge blocks and screws through the box to avoid the glue mess, but you'll have to clean up the edges with a hand plane. Disclaimer - I have never tried this, it is just a MaGuyver-ish solution I thought up to address some of the problems with the router method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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