All seasons TS sled

[Nissim Avrahami]

Good day

Today, I was working on the router table fence, the "Fence/Bit" precision distance system and the "Fence stops" precision positioning system.

I took some 3 Tons of pics but I have to select, "Delete", "Sharpen", "Add Text" etc and it will take some time to post.

In between, I needed a sled to cut small (and not so small) pieces so I made one in 15~20 minutes (I had all the materials ready) from the "Floor Panels" left-over that I used for the router table.

I called it "All seasons sled" because temp and humidity changes are not effecting the sled runners that usually are expanding and contracting with humidity changes.

The sled is always tight, without any "Side play" and can be "re-adjusted" in seconds.

Because of the construction method, everything is very square to the blade (I'm using the "Dynamic", not the "Static" position of the blade) so no need of "Two cut test" or "Five cut test"...it's dead 90°...as long as the blade is parallel to the miter slot and your triangle is accurate...

And last, it's sliding, actually half rolling, and is very, very easy to push-pull.

Many variations can be made on this sled and I leave it to your imagination (I have a few ideas).

I have some 56 pics of "step-by-step" so if somebody needs to see or know about some detail, I can post a pic.

Regards
niki

[Nissim Avrahami]

[Mike Cutler]

That's pretty slick. Are the rollers spring loaded?

[Gary Keedwell]

Nice job.

Gary K.

[Jim Summers]

Hi Nissim,

I do not understand the picture / narration of the blade height picture?

Thanks

[Nissim Avrahami]

Thank you so much

Mike
The rollers are not spring loaded and I don't want them to be spring loaded.
In case that something goes wrong, the spring loaded rollers can make it worse...and also complicate the construction
I can feel some very small "spring load" when I push the sled into the miter slot (not from above but, horizontally) but I think that it's just because the rollers have play on their hinges.

Jim
I'm sorry, I had to write it
I wanted to show what is width of board I can cut with this sled so, I measured the distance from the sled fence to the center of the blade to show that I can cut 15"~16" wide boards.
Of course it depends on your TS dimensions because the rollers must stay on the table edge.

Everybody
This sled is made a little bit different than the "normal" sled.
The runner is not "Snugly fit" in the slot but it is cut to 3/64" (1mm) narrower than the slot that makes the runner preparation "piece of cake" and it will never bind or stuck.
Also, I'm using the "Dynamic" blade position instead of the "Static" blade position to square the fence and that gives me perfect 90° fence/blade and no further adjustment is needed.

If you would like to see some detail picture, please let me know, I have 56 pictures of step-by-step construction.

niki

[Rob Will]

Good job Nissim, and an interesting concept but I'm wondering what sort of saw that is.

Most cabinet saws here in the states are of cast iron construction and have both left and right hand extension wings. The edge of these wings are not necessarily machined true with the blade. In the case of my PM 74 and the PM 71 that I am restoring, the table edges are also rounded.

It appears that your saw has an aluminum table(?)

Rob

[Nissim Avrahami]

Thank you Rob

You are correct, the table top is extruded Aluminum plates "clicked" one into the other.

It's a German made "Elektra Beckum" (now, Metabo) and the edges are very true to the miter slot (and the blade...after fine adjustment).

I have a sliding table that "clicks" on the rails (the rails can be moved left or right) and I can cross-cut up to 39½" boards so, I don't need the wings (actually there are no wings to fit this TS).

Regards
niki

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[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello Rob,

The edge of these wings are not necessarily machined true with the blade.

My Hitachi w/aluminum table is also not true to the blade. (It adds to the frustration of it having a non-standard (5/8" vs 3/4") miter slot.)

I believe I've found a workaround for it though. I plan on fastening a piece of hardwood to the table side on the left of the blade, and shim it ti'll it's true.

Niki,

I like you idea of putting the wheels on the sled. I'd thought about doing something like that and wondered how it would work. Thanks for posting it!
Also - the triangle intigues me. Have you posted directions anywhere on how you made it?
I spent a couple of hours looking through all of your posts and didn't see it anywhere. Maybe I missed it?

[Nissim Avrahami]

Thank you Rich

It's a very good idea to screw a piece of hardwood to the edge.
Maybe, if you will sink-in the screws/bolts you can cut it (I mean...trim it) parallel to the miter slot by using a router or circular saw and using the miter slot as a guide...I mean clamping a straight edge parallel to the miter slot.

You can see the "Triangle Copy & Past" here
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=47242

I'm posting a two new threads:

"Triangles - after "Copy & Past" and

"Even bigger triangle" that's the one that I use in the pictures

Regards
niki

[Bob Farrell]

Am I the only one that, while reading niki's posts, starts to think "Shouldn't I be paying for this?"