I have finally finished our cross cut sled. After a few false starts (Chinese plywood) and miss turns it is finished and cuts square. I thank Kelly Mehler for inspiration. Whenever I would feel frustrated or unsure I would watch his video and feel calm and confident again. Jed (Kindlingmaker) was ever patient and supportive….I think he just wanted the sled finished and usable. ; ) We bought a saw blade just for cutting plastic to make the safety cover and it worked well. The front fence was not quite square after sitting around so long, but a couple of passes through the drum sander fixed that. The base is 1/2” Baltic birch plywood and the fences are 5-4 red oak. The safety block is several pieces of red oak glued together. The sled is 20” x 34” and has a fence height of 4 1/2”. The plexiglass safety cover reduces the amount of sawdust being thrown into the air besides helping to hold down the wood and keeping my fingers away from the blade. The guard is made of 1/4” plexiglass and I dado cut the groves in the fences to hold it in place. Johnson’s paste floor wax was applied to the bottom for smooth sliding action. I am very happy with the project and I am looking forward to years of use. : )

This is my first project. I was left alone in the shop because Jed said that I wouldn’t be as nervous with him standing over my every move. I was still nervous. Turning on the table saw and making that first cut took some time, but I made dados, grooves and a box that came out looking fairly decent. I won’t lie…it is a little smaller than it was first intended and I had to remake the bottom. I forgot to add the depth of the grooves to the dimension of the bottom and the first one just fell out.