New Rockler Crosscut Sled

I saw this also, and am curious about other opinions. What seems nice is the ability to set whatever angle you need…

-- Living on the square...

I say make it yourself. The 90 and 45 degree sleds will serve anyone well and can be made for a fraction of the cost.

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

My only concern with this sled is no control over the cutoff. One of the great benefits of a crosscut sled and a mitre sled is the ability to maintain control of both the workpiece and the cutoff. I suppose you could make yourself another cuttoff sled that can catch it, but when you are in that business you may just want to make one yourself. I think that the Incra Miter 5000 may be something that better suits all the features that might be needed in commercial miter sled. More money though. Just a thought.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

I liket that the protractor was at the end of a fairly long arm, making for a lot of precision of your angles.

Good point about the cutoff Tom. I look at the Rockler product and my inexperience said it might be pretty spiffy totally ignoring the cutoff. Thanks for bringing that up.

-- Working at Woodworking http://www.VillageLaneFurniture.com

I thought that looked interesting also! I agree with Tom’s observation about controlling the cutoff though. Coincidently, I use the Incra Miter 500 in my shop and am very happy with it. The Incra also has an advantage in butting up the end of an angle cut to the stop due to the design of the flip stops. The Rockler might allow the angle to slip under the stop a bit, but that is just conjecture. The Incra is spendy though and fairly large to store when not on the saw. Anyway, doesn’t look bad for the price, it will be interesting to hear from someone that has used the Rockler product.

If you look at the description in the purchasing section of the sled you will find a cutoff sled that you can buy separately.

-- Wayne, Tennessee Mallard Design

Yeah. I saw the extra sled piece too. That’s such an up-sell approach… Oh, by the way, look at this other piece that makes things safer and it costs another $30. I’m with Giz, make your own. It will surely build your skills and you will have a stronger sense of pride with the tool having made yourself. There are several blogs on LJ.com about sleds as well as cutting accurate arcs. That and a little ingenuity is probably all you need.

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN

I will never buy anything made of MDF from Ro….r
they will pull loose from the t track made in MDF.
Only my opinion,,
BT

Better to make one yourself with true t tracks.

-- Bruce. a mind is like a book it is only useful when open.

Before buying any sled or souped-up miter guage you want to determine what types of projects you will use it for. Either the Rockler or the Incra work fine if you are handling relatively short pieces (think box sides or picture frame material). However, my experience has been that the longer the board you are handling, the less stable any of these products becomes. I personally bought an Osborne miter sled a few years back and after using it for an afternoon, found the performance so bad, I’ve never used it since. Depending on your project, I heartily agree with gizmodyne about building crosscut sleds and miter sleds yourself for a fraction of the cost. My workshop has several crosscut sleds of different sizes to accomodate anything from a small decorative box side to a 24 inch wide plywood panel for cabinet sides. Built them from hardwood (for the fences) and baltic birch ply. The runners were made from lengths of hard maple cut to fit the miter grooves in the saw table, and waxed to move smoothly.
I also have built miter sleds for cutting lengths of picture frame molding stock using the same materials. For the price of the products here, if you need to cut lots of miters, I’d invest in a low-end, but well made, chopsaw.
The Rockler and Incra products are nice to look at, and like most of you, I like to buy tools that look nice in my shop. But guys,we’re talking some serious $’s for these products that will buy a lot of nice hardwood (think cherry, maple, walnut, mahogony) for future projects.
My two cents on the topic.

-- Gerry