OK this weekend I'm going to be rebuilding some jigs that are either too awkward or too big or too old. What should I use for the bar stock? I normally just use some Oak or Hard Rock Maple.
Anything other than $40 worth of Incra mitre bars is not worthy of your crosscut sled.
Not worth $40, but you really should take the time to drill/tap steel bars for your sled.
Run what you brung, square the sled to the blade, shoot some brads, countersink, move on.
You are over-thinking this in a big way. Nothing to see here, move along.
Carrots and peas.
OK this weekend I'm going to be rebuilding some jigs that are either too awkward or too big or too old. What should I use for the bar stock? I normally just use some Oak or Hard Rock Maple.
Last edited by Brian Smith3; 04-24-2009 at 5:08 PM.
I'm lookin' for the same thing. I noticed some hard plastic stuff as well that was used in the Super Sled video but no source.
I also used Oak (Red, just what happened to be available). I think the plastic stuff mentioned might be UHMW (I think those are the right letters) plastic. Pretty tough and ultra slick.
I think if I was rebuilding a jig I knew would see a lot of use then I'd spring for the Incra bars
I made some UHMW runners for my sled. This is an old pic but so far, so good.
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Andy Rooney
I did a search on the UHMW and it turns out Peach Tree has it in 3/4" wide strips designed to be use in miter slots that ain't too expensive.
I have a coping sled where the smallest deviation creates gaps = Incra miter slider at about $14
My normal sized sled has UHMW 'cause "that's what I brung".
My large sled has oak runners 'cause "that's what I brung"
My bevel sled has . . . uh, I forget but the point is . . . it really doesn't matter. Syntho doesn't require care and feeding but I haven't tweaked my oak runners since last year so, what's your tolerance for fiddling ;-)
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Years ago I noticed that for most table saws,USA made ones,the standard miter gauge slop was .014" !!!! Makes you wonder how anyone ever did any accurate work,but we did.This was back in the 60's I measured the slop.
I like a steel bar drilled and tapped for big sleds, on the last one I drilled 8-32 holes going sideways to hold hard nylon set screws that take out the slop. Now, no slop. I do the same in both wood and UHMW runners. I like maple better than oak for runners, so that's what I bring. I have a set of the incra runners that move from sled to sled now and then, bought them when I was younger, dumber, and wealthier. Now I'm smart enough to spend $60 on machinist tools and bits, and countless hours drilling and tapping, to make a $9 bar of steel behave the way I want.
Now matter how you make them, if you always push to the same side of the miter slot, even a sloppy fit will do pretty accurate work. Sort of like giving the ball a little english when playing pool.
I've used Lee Valley's UHMW for a while, they're precut to slot size. Some pieces come a bit oversized for my slots but it cuts easy on the table saw. Easy to tune with a card scraper, and tighten with a few screws when I screw up and take too much off. I've put Incras on my bigger sled and they're fantasic.
Last edited by Griph0n Brown; 04-24-2009 at 7:58 PM.
I usually use mild steel or aluminum bar stock drilled and tapped. Most metal suppliers carry the right size stock - I've even seen it at the Borg sometimes.
The problem with education in the School of Hard Knocks is that by the time you're educated, you're too old to do anything.
Is mild steel quite a bit harder than cast iron? If so, is there potential for steel runners to wear cast iron miter slots? I'd prefer the runner wear rather than the miter slot wear, dunno if this is an issue or not.
I bought 350#s of plastics, mostly UHMW, but some Lexan as well from this company for very little money. They are a plastic manufacturer and wholesaler, but sell their shorts cheap.
Norva Plastics, Norfolk Virginia.
I have shaper fences and all kinds of things made out of plastic, saves on Top Coat....
Am I the only one who went with the Kreg runners? They come in 30" lengths and have the nylon screws to adjust the tightness. I have them on my large crosscut sled. No problems so far.
-Brian
I did the same thing with my runners. I installed spring plungers.
http://www.springplungers.com/ Clifford.