Crosscut Sled: work in progress

[Rob Hough]

So my old sled (and not a very accurate one) won't work on my new saw (miter slots are spaced differently) and being that it wasn't all that accurate in the first place... I've decided to build a new one. I'll update this thread as I build.

Over the weekend I came across some phenolic faced plywood for $20 on sale at my local Rockler, and I thought it would make a great base:



Right now I have a pair of steel miter bars attached to the base. They are only attached using a couple of screws and I'm not 100% sold on using these particular bars, so I haven't bolted them down permanently. I like that I can adjust them, but they are quite heavy.

I raised the blade through the sled so that I would have a reference point to work with. I extended the blade kerf with a sharpie to both ends of the base. I also drew basic layout lines (using my new square) for the front and back fences.

I'm leaning towards providing means for a zero clearance insert on the sled but I'm not 100% how to do that. I'm thinking either a 2-3" wide slot. How are people attaching this? Just countersunk screws or bolts?

I'm definitely planning on going with the 5-cut method to insure it is square but I think I might need some help on the fence. What material would make a suitable, and long lasting fence material? I'd like to attach a t-track across the top of the fence so I'm not sure how well MDF would work for that. Perhaps if I adhered a wood cap to accept the track?

I've used the following threads for some of my reference material. Any other advice is always appreciated:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=50581
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=127651

and the 5-cut method
http://www.thewoodshop.20m.com/five_cut_method_swf.htm

[Stephen Edwards]

You might get some ideas from this one to incorporate into your new sled:

http://eaglelakewoodworking.com/post...iter-Sled.aspx

When I finally get around to building mine, I'm going to use hardwood for the fence. Rather than installing a T-Track I think that I'll use my Rockler T-Slot router bit to cut the slot in the top of the fence. It has worked very well in other applications instead of using the metal T-Track.

Please keep us posted on the progress!

[Rob Hough]

Very cool idea with the additional slots. How do you insure those are square to the blade, or does it even matter?

[Stephen Edwards]

Rob, If you haven't done so already, watch the entire video of that sled being built. It will help you to better understand the function of the slots and how they're made. They are a good idea because it makes a crosscut sled much more than just a crosscut sled.

I've seen other sleds here at SMC that people have made with the ZCI that you mentioned. Search the threads in the forum or maybe start a new thread specifically asking about a ZCI for crosscut sled.

[Rob Hough]

I decided not to go all out on this sled since it my first. It looks like I can still put some of the features from that other sled onto this one at some point, just not yet...

Meanwhile... I'm almost done. It is functional now, but there are a few things that I still need/want to do with this one. This sled is 24x32. The rear fence is rock maple strips glued up and attached with glue and biscuits. The front face is red and white oak that is approximately 31" in length.




I used 3.5" x 1.25" hex bolts to attach the fence. The holes in the fence itself are 1.25", and the base was drilled at 3/8" to provide enough wiggle room for adjustment. I used a forstner bit on the bottom for the hex/washer to rest in and it provided plenty of room for movement.




Stuff not done:

I'm thinking of using 1/2" MDF face for the fence. I plan to attach some skateboard grip tape to this and chamfer the lower edge to act as a dust relief. I'm also thinking about adding the micro-adjustment screws talked about in one of the links I posted earlier.

I want to add a cap on the fence so cover the bolts, and I also want to raise the center area an additional inch or two.

On the backside of the fence I want to install a thumb block or whatever it is called.

I also still need to drill a hole through the base so I have a way to hang the sled up when I'm not using it.

I still have no completely adjusted the fence using the 5-cut method. I still need to remove the slack in miter bars, and I want to double check that my blade is square to the miter slots. The fence is pretty close to square now though; as I've done a few test cuts with it. In fact - I think taking up the slack on the miters will resolve 80% of the issues I saw.