sliding table saw jig

[philbarr87]

Hello, Ive been thinking about building a crosscut sled for my table saw. problem is i have this crappy little craftsman with a f**ked up miter gauge. So I thought I could build support onto the sides of the table itself. any ideas of possable problems with this rig?

[philbarr87]

Sorry, I just realized I made it sound like i wanted to build onto the table. I ment supports on the sled that grip the sides of the table itself.

[brtech]

You align the blade to the miter slot. That allows a sled to work: the sled slides in the miter slot and thus slides parallel to the blade. If the sides of the table top are parallel to the miter slot, you could use them, but they would need to be pretty accurately parallel, and I don't think that's something that is part of the spec of the TS. It might be.

What is wrong with the miter SLOT? The usual problem that it's not the standard size isn't an issue for a shop built sled.

[philbarr87]

The table is aluminum (not sure if thats spelled right)and the miter slot is t shaped. i made my crosscut sled with runners and with a little sideways pressure to test tolerence, it bent the slot so this would be my plan b. Ive heeled the blade to the table and its accurate to a 64th of an inch. (cant do any better with the trunioun system but I compensate in the rear support. Im wondering if my plan would be dangerious to anyones knowledge?

[Dave H]

i could be wrong but i'm geussing your table saw is a potable side winder benchtop model. i'd be afraid your plan might bind up instead of consistantly slideing smoothly. an idea i had is mount a couple runners to the table top and dado a slot into your sled if you drilled and taped the holes and used something like 1/4 20 screws to mount the runners you could take them on and off fairly easy. just a thought you might try your idea and lower the blade all the way and slide it back and forth and see if it binds. if it does it's plan b, i've drilled and taped into my bandsaw table to mount a circle cutting jig i hasn't hurt a thing.

[philbarr87]

Ok i put the jig together today and the dry run was squeeky clean. I like that it feels very stable. Now what kind of issues can I expect with the blade not being perfectly heeled? Its off by a 64th of an inch. Ive already compensated on the rear fence of the jig so the workpiece will go into the saw square. I'll be cutting into the jig tomorrow and making test cuts.

[Beechwood Chip]

Is that 1/64th from the front of the blade to the back, or from the front of the table to the back? Either way, it's a lot, and feels unsafe to me. I'd expect to see burning of the wood, binding, and increased risk of kick back. Also, your kerf will be wider because the blade is at an angle to the way you feed the wood.

There's a video where Marc demonstrates making a cove on a board by passing it over the table saw blade at an angle., and that's essentially what you are doing, just at a very slight angle. If you make grooves (as opposed to through cuts), they will be slightly eliptical in cross section instead of rectangular. Even on a through cut, your edges will be slightly curved.

I'd really recommend getting the blade aligned with the wood motion. If you're going to use it as is, I'd recommend taking your cuts slowing, and taking shallow cuts. To make a deep cut, make several passes and raise the blade a little each time.