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This has been an interesting project for me to research as well as to build, in that I sure had my challenges with the router. ;-) I not only read/watched everything that Eagle Lake Woodworking has on this table saw sled design and build, I also looked elsewhere for tips and techniques to make my execution/build of this project as accurate as possible. Stevin Marin has a neat YouTube Video on accurately aligning and installing runners and fences that I found useful as well. Armed with this information I was off to the shop and making dust!

Some of the modifications that I made include:

++ Used 3/4in plywood for base- I want more durability/longevity and besides I can still cut 2 1/4in even with this thick of base ;-)

++ A 56in long main fence- I wanted to be able to cut multiple pieces as long as 36in long so I made the fence on the left stick out 38in to include a stop block as well. Do note the gap in the vertical T-Track on the main fence so that the TS blade doesn't have to cut through the T-Track.

++ I moved the "adjustable" fence slots closer together than the original plans called for as well- The plans called for the slots to be 7 1/2in apart, however, I found that only got me down to a max/min angle of ~60/30 degrees. I made the slots just 6in apart and when finished I can actually get a max/min angle 70/20 degrees, so that 22 1/2 degree angle is a doable on this sled.

++ I surface mounted the T-Track on the "adjustable" fences instead of routing them flush here- I did this in order to NOT have to depend on just 1/4in of material to hold down the T-Track. This works fine and does NOT try to pull the T-Track away from what it is mounted to.

++ I added the second "main fence" T-track as recommended on Eagle Lake WW Improvements- I did, however, move the vertical facing T-Track down to mid-board as in the Stevin Marin video. I think that will work better in that position.

++ Added a second "round-over" piece to the push/pull handle- I had this left over from making a longer piece for my handle needs and decided to use the leftovers as well. In the second image you can see a lower round-over piece on the handle that I placed there to keep my thumb from migrating any closer/lower toward the blade than it needed to be. It seems to serve as a tactile reminder of where to keep my thumb when pushing/pulling the sled.

Oh, I almost forgot the most FUN that I had… I FINALLY joined the world of air tools with my first ever Ridgid #18 Finishing/Brad Nail Gun. Having never used one before, I was amazed at what I had been missing all these years… sounds stupid but wow! I now have that third hand that I never had before to hold things in place for gluing/screwing more sturdy joints. I only used the minimum amount of brads to hold but really, really, really wanted to just keep hammering away with this tool! :cool: Kind of felt like getting that driving license at 16 and the freedom and greater possibilities that that represented.

I will eventually add more images on my own website once my web hosting service repairs/resets their domain server, so stay tuned if interested.

Gallery

Comments

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Man that is a "killer" sled. I love it!!
 

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223 Posts
Awesome SLED! I need one of these so bad!
 

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46 Posts
I feel the same way after every tool that I aquire . Will this need ever go away and will my beautiful better half ever understand the relationship I have with my tools? great table saw sled.
 

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Should I finally build one of these or wait for someone to make it even more perfect? I guess I should order some T-track. Thanks for the great pictures and description.
 

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Hey Robert,
I went through four 8-foot sticks of T-Track to build this sled AND my horizontal mortising machine. I have about 6in of T-Track left in four pieces. FYI, I think the sled took about one full 8ft stick PLUS ~6ft of the second stick. I actually had to salvage two 1ft pieces from a mistake I had made on the mortising machine earlier, but it worked out in the end. ;-)
 

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Mike, I have a hard time believing that you new to wood working, every ioen of your projects seems to be perfectly executed.
I have been thinking about building one of them for several years but I never really found a real need for one. I have a panel sled and a crosscut sled and it seems that this all I need for now.
Thank you for all the pictures and explanations.
Bert
 

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Very cool mike a sled on steroids,great job
 

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I think i need one of those.. Might start researching this myself.
 

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I've got a sled and a separate miter sled already but when I redo them in the near futuer I will use this as my starting point. Very nice! Thanks for the information and the links.

Cheers,
 

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Awesome! I've got to build one of these and will take a close look at your improvements when I do. How are you storing yours?
 

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Great job, Mike. I knew you could do it! I routed T tracks instead of buying t track to save a few $ but otherwise our sleds are very similar. You will really enjoy this for a lot of years. Now that you have a brad nailer, you need to get a finish nailer and pin nailer to complete your set. They are fun and really useful for a lot of projects. An air sander and die grinder are next if you have the compressor capacity. I love my air tools. Have you made some test cuts to make sure your fence is dead square? Enjoy.
 

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Outstanding job on a great looking sled. You have outdone yourself.
 

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Looks like you did a great job! Nothing like a good sled to make those cuts easier!
 

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Very impressive… you might have a market for these!
 

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Talk about SWEET !!
First class project , HZMike : )
 

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It looks very functional.

well done.
 

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Thanks folks… I haven't thought about storage of this thing too much yet. It is big and bulky so I am thinking it will probably "live" on the TS most of the time.

And as far as "adding" new tools, well that may take some time, but we will see ;-)

I really took the time to make sure this thing is square and it came out great. I also ONLY screw-attached the main fence= (no glue) just in case or when I might ever need to replace the plywood base. Hopefully, screws will be all it will need into the future… Got the fingers crossed.
 

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Great info, this will be a good resource for when I build one…one day…
 

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i need to build a different one (a more accurate one) for the table saw I use. But before I can even think about building a sled, I have to get the blade in line with the slots. its about 1/32 off..if not more. sucks
 

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Nice photo's of your project. Thanks…...........
 
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