Crosscut Sled Build

[Edward Weingarden]

I'm about to start building a x-cut sled and need some clarification based upon a Youtube video I saw. The sled can do crosscuts, dados, bevels and miters, which is accomplished by the use of replaceable zero clearance inserts. The guy doing the video made a point of saying that the sled is wider on one side of the blade than the other because of the tilt of the saw. It's not clear to me how a left tilt vs right tilt impacts on the build of the sled. Can someone offer some clarification. My saw is a right tilt. Thanks.

[John Donhowe]

When making a bevel cut, you want to keep the long side of your piece (which you're pushing on) on the top side of the bevel. If the long side is on bottom side of the blade, there's a greater chance of it catching and kicking back. So, with a right tilt blade, the longer side of your sled should be on the left side of the blade.

[Edward Weingarden]

Got it. Thank you John.

[Bill Space]

When making a bevel cut, you want to keep the long side of your piece (which you're pushing on) on the top side of the bevel. If the long side is on bottom side of the blade, there's a greater chance of it catching and kicking back. So, with a right tilt blade, the longer side of your sled should be on the left side of the blade.

But when using a crosscut sled you do not push on the piece being cut. You push on the sled...so I am not sure you are answering the OP's question John.

Or I misunderstood the question, for which I do not have an answer...

[andy bessette]

I would make a simple crosscut sled to do one thing only...crosscut at 90 degrees with no dado or bevel. If you require on for dado's make one for that.

[Peter Christensen]

The wider portion of the insert will be to the right of the blade so when it is tilted it is cutting the insert and not the sled. Lefthand is opposite. Sound a little complicated. Is there a replaceable insert for the fence too?. How thick is the base of the sled? I hate to loose depth of cut.

[Edward Weingarden]

Peter:
There's a replaceable insert for the fence. The plan gives metric dimensions: the base is 18mm, so I would use 3/4" ply.