Table saw modification allows 40 + inch cross cut!!

I wanted a way to cut large sheet stock for cabinet backs, bookcases or whatever and can’t buy a sliding table saw so I made one—sort of.

I started by gluing 4 pieces of Oak together and finished it off at 2×2 ¼. With that in clamps I drilled 3 holes in the table leaf 5/16 of an inch. Cut the Oak to 35 inches and attached it to the table holding it lower about 1/16 so not to interfere with the everyday life of the saw. I used T-bolts and let them in about ¼ inch.

This is were I got really lucky. The next step was going to square and straighten it to the table. The plan was to slide the fence over and use it as a router guide to square the oak to the table and parallel it to the miter gauge slot. My fence is dead on with the slot. When I checked it out it was dead square and perfectly parallel . Lucky or what.

I bought a length of superstrut at Home Depot for just under $20.00. This stuff is heavy gauge. Cut that to 38 ½ inches and attached it with ¼ lags and a piece of pex plastic pipe as a spacer. That did squeeze it a little so I added one at the end to keep it consistent. It will never collect saw dust with all the holes in the bottom and has very little friction points.

Next cut a scrap piece of wood for testing and adjust with a file and sandpaper till it all slides with no drag spots. That’s it. I took my every day sled and added a rail and tested it out .

The largest piece I had was 41 inches and it cut like a charm. I have an out feed roller attached to the back of my saw and the sled just rolls on that to keep it from falling off. I could make a bigger sled or make the rail longer and get even more out of it.

Some facts: At 24 inches of cut the sled is just reaching the end of the new slot so the whole sled is engaged in the slot. At 36 inches of cut 12 inches is still engaged and the first rail is just leaving the table. At 40 inches 8 inches is still engaged. 8 doesn’t sound like much but when in motion from start to finish it just slides through. This is going to save me a lot of time and aggravation.

-- Mike, Westport MA.