Crosscut sled

Very nice Fred. How big is it?

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

18” front to back and almost 30” wide. The right side, as you are facing it is 1” past the runner and the left side is 1” past the table end so the stop will work. I wanted to be able to store it on the side of the tablesaw. I can move the stop block on the back fence to either side.

And thanks to you for posting your crosscut sled. That inspired me.

-- Fred Childs, Pasadena, CA - - - Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Nice setup Fred.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

Very nice work.

-- Hope Never fails

You did a nice job, Fred. You should have saved that nice plywood (with the nice wood grain) for a cabinet or something. Of course, it looks good on your sled, too.

-- Jesus is Lord!

Fred -

Very nice. I like the safety box on the backside of the sled.

-- http://foldingrule.blogspot.com

Great piece Fred. Was thinking of offcentering mine like that but was afraid of it torqueing and not sliding properly. Does it give you any problems like that?

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

Chip -

I have not experienced a torqueing problem. The sled is on two runners. One in the miter slot on the left side of the blade and one in the miter slot on the right side of the blade. The sled is 1” past the runner on the right side and 1” past the table top on the left. I have cut 2” wide stock and also 17” wide pieces without a problem.

-- Fred Childs, Pasadena, CA - - - Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Now I wish I had not centered mine to the runners because your’s is obviously better at holding longer pieces accurately and makes a lot more sense. Thanks for the input Fred.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

Chip -

I am going to rebuild mine in the next few weeks. I will be using MDF for the sled since it is more stable than plywood and won’t twist or warp like plywood can do. That way I will have a very flat sled. I will still use plywood for the front and back fences.

-- Fred Childs, Pasadena, CA - - - Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Fred, I made my base out of 3/4” MDF and the front and back fences out of maple and walnut. The runners are quarter sawn maple. It’s 24” & 40” and it weighs a ton. Not sure I would use the MDF again just because of the weight which is why I was curious about yours. Do you think 1/2” mdf would be thick enough? If so that would certainly cut down on the weight a bit.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

Fred,
Very nice work. Did you use any type of finish on wood? Also, how did you connect the front and back fences to the bottom board?

For both you and Chip, my experience with 1/2” MDF is that even over a short distance unsupported, it will bow. I would worry about as you push through a board, the back end bowing and causing too much movement. Just my two cents.

Rick

-- Rick - Spring, TX

Rick, that’s what I was kinda thinking and why I used the 3/4” on my present one. Just trying to think of some way to cut down on the weight. Thanks for the input.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

Chip – I don’t have any 1/2” MDF so I will use some 3/4”. Since I store mine next to the table saw, I don’t anticipate the weight will matter that much to me especially since the fences are plywood. The current one is easily manageable. I have seen some sleds with 2×4 fences. Ideally, the bottom would be 1/2”. If it is too heavy then it makes sense that you would tend to use it less than if it was lighter and easier to move around.

Rick – No finish on the wood. I connected the front and back fences using screws from the bottom into the fences. I don’t think it will bow since the MDF is the bottom and supported by the tabletop and the runners and stiffened by the fences. I plan to use some slick stuff (whatever that is) on the bottom as described by Niki. Niki has about 3 or 4 different methods to reduce drag.

-- Fred Childs, Pasadena, CA - - - Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Nice Crosscut, Fred.

-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker

Good sled should be a great tool

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon