Are crosscut sleds worth the hype

[cowchaser]

Being new to this you have probably figured out by now I have nothing better to do, but sit and post with questions all day. I was reading about crosscut sleds and I have never seen or heard of anyone using one. Do people actually use these and what advantages do they provide over say my incra miter gauge? I mean I don't see the point of trying to build one and line it up to the blade of it doesn't add any positive bonus that would be used on a regular basis. If I am wrong feel free to correct me and give me your opinions on the subject. I am sure there is more questions to follow. The longer I lay here in this hospital bed the more questions I come up with. If it was a secure network here I would probably be spending money on tools. So I am safe there.

[cts1085]

I built a cross-cut sled and use it quite a bit.

I seems to "safer" than the incra miter gauge (i also one one of those).

If the material being cross-cut is wide i feel more comfortable with the crosscut because when the material is infront of the blade the work is supported and does not "catch" like the incra.

It also does real well with smaller pieces.

Just my thoughts.

[Ben H]

Well it denpends really. I've made one, and used it, but not that often. I find myself reaching for the Incra 1000 first. It seems the sled only gets the dust knocked off it when there is a extra wide piece to cut.

Honestly, if I ever drop the dough on a CMS, I'll probably never use the sled again.

[Vic]

I have an Excalibur sliding table and the Incra 1000 and I still use my sled quite a bit. Great for small parts, weird cuts, etc.

[rmac]

Yes, yes, yes! A sled acts as its own zero-clearance insert, and it supports both pieces after the cut, and with a holddown clamp (see the picture) you can work with tiny pieces that you wouldn't even think about cutting on a TS using a miter gauge.

-- Russ

[PaulMarcel]

I have the Incra miter gauge with the sacrificial surface on it so the back of the cut is backed as well (plus you can very easily line up your stock to the cut line by looking at the kerf in this surface).

I thought about making a sled, but I don't see myself using it since this gauge is so nice. I'll agree with Tom that if you try crosscutting something too wide (about 10" or more), the miter gauge catches the edge of the table. I usually don't use it if stuff gets that wide; typically then I'll use the MFT table. 28" crosscut capacity.

[GNiessen]

While a crosscut sled does seem to have at least the potential of handling larger widths then even a 12" miter saw. which is better to use for smaller items (2-3")? Or is a sled just for if you don't have a good compound miter saw or the stock is too wide?

[samhell]

Hell yes! I use mine all the time. Mostly for smaller parts. Use toggle clamps and you can cut all kinds of things. I feel much safer when using it.

[Guest Trace]

I use one of my cross cut sleds for making small parts (less than 12" x 12")especially for multiple birdhouse kits. One per kit, with all pieces being cut against stops or positioning bars. I have another that is used only for dado work. Another sled was built to cut only angle cuts which has a movable guide. And one for cross cutting only. I like the sleds much more than the miter guage that came with the saw. I am too frugal (cheap) to spend the money on an INCA miter guage when I can build a sled that will do for the kind of work I do. Having a constant supply of sink cutouts from a local counter top factory helps with the decks, most are 3/4" x 22" x 33" with formica on one side.

[mlehikoinen]

I plan on building one myself. My mitre guage is crap and you can't buy an after market one with a 5/8" slide.

[KeithJuly]

I use my crosscut sleds for many different situations. I have sleds that are set up for a single operation and never change. I have sleds that are set up for cutting finger joints and some for cutting odd angles that can't be cut on the miter saw. This is a great tool for repeat cuts and as mentioned above (rmac)clean cuts from the zero clearance is great for cutting plywood with delicate veneers.

The crosscut sled is a versatile tool that you will find very useful.

Keith

[Emmrys]

I rarely use my TS without the sled. I don't have ZCI yet and I don't have an INCRA miter gauge either. I feel much safer doing cross cuts with the sled and it allows me to keep my hands well away from the spinning blade. I use it on both of my last two projects.

[Mike G]

I have the Rockler sled, and it gets used on every single project.

I don't have the Incra miter gage, so I can't comment on it.

[dvoigt]

I build one, but didn't put the time into it to make it as accurate as i would have like, my cuts were more like 89.5 degrees rather then 90. So I don't use it, but would like to build another one. One aspect I like is that you "carry" the wood across the blade, rather then "pushing" it past the blade... Gives me a greater sense of control... although that could just be in my head.

[Dave]

I have a self made crosscut sled and also have the Incra 1000. I use both but tend to use my crosscut sled more. It will cut pieces that are too wide, too short or too long for the miter gauge. There is places for both.

The biggest advantage of the sled is the bottom. You can add jigs or use double stick tape to keep small pieces in place while your cutting them.

[medfloat]

If my two cents were worth two cents they would buy the opinion of "yes". I, too, made a crosscut sled (two actually) for longer and wider boards. I feel safer when using the sled and maintain more control over the board I am cutting. My blade is covered by plexi-glass so I can observe the cutting area and keep my valuable digits away from the danger area. The crosscut sled was easy and cheap to make so maybe you could try one and see how you like it. There are many variations on the web from something as simple as a bottom board with a front or back rail to complete systems like the one Rockler has. I even used it to teach my wife how to cross-cut boards. Hope this helps.

[georgewoodie]

Here is another vote for the sled.

I have three basic sleds.

The first one is for most of my cross cuts and has facility for stop block at either side of the blade plus a place at the back to store the stop block.

I have a second for dado cuts. This one has friction material on the stock side to help hold long or large pieces in place.

The third is for angle cutting and I seldom use this one but when I need it it is very useful.

The sleds all run in two miter slots and are waxed at the bottom for easy movement.

My biggest problem is storing them.

I have additional sleds that are really jigs which ride in both miter slots. I have many of those and would not trade them for anything that I have so far seen

Woodie

[tombuhl]

With my semi-funky TS I cut almost all my cross cuts with a sled. Felt more secure besides technical benefits. After I acquired a nice, used PM2000, I still used a cross cut more often than not. Had to build a new one, but re-used some of the old components. As said, wide pieces, small pieces, lots of flexibility and easy to add stops, ultra fences. Recently got an Incra which I like, Bought it primarily for more accurate angle settings. Nice, but still use sled. For basic cross cuts I'll use whichever is in place (sled is monster size).

I also have separate sled for frame mitre cuts, specific for 45 degree. Small and handy and I prefer to the chop saw. Another sled is for crosscut 45s, as in small box type construction.

Many options on size, but you do need to make it accurate, or not worth doing. Lots of online videos on making one (try FWW). I'd say always make it using two runners. But they can be larger or smaller in size. Storage is an issue, especially for the big guy.

I've been in the woodworking world for less than four years, but I'm dedicate amateur. Even casual users will benefit from a decent sled if you are doing furniture. If you're primarily doing remodel/construction type, then TS and chop saw probably are fine.

[rmac]

Many options on size, but you do need to make it accurate, or not worth doing.

I'll second that notion. It really is important to get the fence on your crosscut sled exactly exactly exactly square to the miter slots. Everybody seems to have a different way of doing this. The best idea (IMHO, anyway) came from an article by Gary Rogowski in FWW #188. Instead of attaching the fence permanently to the sled, he bolts it on through oversize holes so that it can be easily adjusted until it's perfectly square. I've made a couple of sleds using Gary's idea and it works great.

-- Russ

[JohnT]

I built one and use it all the time for small repeated cuts. I built it in about a day, and it works great. Here is a link to the video on where I drew the inspiration for mine.

Part 1 - The Super Sled - build the tablesaw mitering and crosscut sled

Part 2 - The Super Sled - build the tablesaw mitering and crosscut sled

[iSawitFirst]

Very nice sled design but I don't know about that handle. If you use it to push the sled it forces your hands to be very close to the blade. I always thought the high part was to keep your hands away from the blade.

[RenaissanceWW]

I don't personally have a crosscut sled in my shop but then again my TS is probably the least used tool (crazy galoot type). However I have worked in a few other's shops who do have them and I was impressed at how much easier and safer they make things than using a miter gauge. As many have said above it is the small work that makes them shine. I have seen some pretty slick designs too with all kinds of bells and whistles and even an iPod jack and that is probably where I would draw the line. One of these days I can see myself building one but for now I'll stick my my hand saw and block plane.

[Bombarde16]

Do people actually use these

Absolutely. Mine sees more use than all the other jigs I've made combined.

and what advantages do they provide over say my incra miter gauge?

Size matters. While Incra produces a gauge that's several steps above anything that comes stock with a saw, you're still supporting the workpiece on a surface measured in inches. A miter sled, riding in two slots instead of one, carries the stock into the blade with a several feet of surface.

The back of the sled also acts as a zero clearance kerf, supporting the back of the stock as the blade exits. You can get the same benefit with a gauge by bolting on a sacrificial extension; but then you get into questions of leverage against the single slot of a miter gauge.

If it was a secure network here I would probably be spending money on tools.

Blessedly, one need not spend much on a crosscut sled. They're not hard to make and you can use some scraps or cheap stuff from the borg. Make one to get the hang of it, use it for a while, and then make a second one while the first is dedicated it to bevel cuts.

[don reilly]

I use my CC Sled quite a bit, especally when I trim the tops and bottoms of my cabinet doors. picture of mine, tag it below.

My Sled

[PaulMarcel]

If I remember correctly, Russ (a fellow Phoenician) posted a really nice crosscut sled he created. Had lots of pictures. Not even sure he's come over from forum 2.0 to here (every time the forum gets dumped and re-created, we lose good stuff) Anyway, what I remember is that he made the back fence in a unique way that let him put a bunch of very useful attachments on or into the fence. It actually seemed very easy to build, too, not some super-fixture that takes 100 years to make.

I'll see if we can shake up Russ to post it again.