Key cutting sleds

[Betsy Yocum]

Since I'm starting to get hooked (including the line and sinker) on boxes - I'm curious about the different sleds you folks use to cut miter keys. I've attached a picture of one like I've been using. But I'm thinking its to elaborate and bulky for the little boxes I like.

I'm off on vacation tomorrow morning - but I'll try to check any responses.

Thanks in advance.

Betsy

[Cecil Arnold]

I agree with you that it is bulky, but I think the basic design may be what you need to be able to control where the feathers go on various sizes of boxes. The one I distroyed was much simpler, and used the TC fence to set the distance of the feathers. That's how it wound up distroyed.

[Steve King]

Betsy,
The way I see it; the more mass in a jig the safer it will be to perform the job at hand. As far as small boxes that you are making, make another jig to support the box in the jig you have. That way it will keep your hands out of the way.
Steve

[Jamie Buxton]

Betsy --
One small thought....
You have two guide strips running in the two miter slots of the table saw. I used to build cut-off boxes like that, but more recently I've just been using one. The drawback to two strips is that you have to put a lot of energy in getting them spaced exactly the correct distance apart. When I used to make sleds like that, I'd often have to plane one side of one strip to get them to slide freely. Or sometimes I'd have to do that trimming when the seasons changed. I think that with two strips, I generally had one strip guiding and the other just going along for the ride. Eventually I stopped putting the second strip on at all. One-strip cut-off boxes work just fine, and they're easier to make.

Jamie