Posted on HELP with my cross cut sled
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#1 posted 292 days ago |
Angie, There are plenty of sleds with two runners in use. The problem was almost certainly due to expansion of the material in the runners due to the weather. You could use runners cut from the plastic they use in commercial cutting boards (like the ones sold at Sam’s Club or Costco…). The material machines well with normal woodworking tools (just keep it moving so it doesn’t overheat and melt while cutting) and in addition to not “moving” with humidity changes, it is also slick and slides well. You can’t use normal glues on it and would have to attach it with screws. When you do so, be sure to countersink the screw hole and don’t use too much pressure with each screw or it will distort the plastic runner. “Sealing” the wood runners might help but there’s some question as to whether it would really help. Oil finishes which penetrate into the wood do not “seal” the surface. Film finishes such as polyureathane do seal the surface to some degree but the finish would change the width and thickness of the strip by whatever the thickness might be. The best thing to use on wood runners would be a good wax such as Johnson’s Paste Wax. Be careful not to use any wax that has silicone in it (as many car waxes do) since silicone can transfer to the wood you’re using in your projects and cause problems with your finish, such as “fish-eye”... Good Luck! Be Careful! Herb -- Herb, Florida - Here's why I close most messages with "Be Careful!" http://lumberjocks.com/HerbC/blog/17090 |
