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Sliding Table for table saw

3K views 6 replies 7 participants last post by  joeyinsouthaustin 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Please share your thoughts/experience on the pros/cons of having a sliding table on your table saw. I am considerinng one but am not yet convinced of how/why they are better than a good crosscut sled. Thanks for your comments.
 
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
It's about capacity. A crosscut sled is limited on board width. A slider can push through an entire sheet of plywood in some cases, making the traditional fence pretty useful with only long, skinny boards. Sliders can be used quite often for both crosscutting and ripping.

It's also more safe because your hand doesn't have to approach the blade.
 
#3 ·
Aftermarket sliding tables vary in robustness, footprint
and price. There are some inexpensive ones that
may not impress you or make your woodworking
any more accurate. One thing they do accomplish
is you can mount a 4' or longer fence on the sliding
table and have stops considerably further away
from the blade than would be practical with a
miter gauge, and of course more crosscut capacity
than you can reasonably get with a miter gauge.
A sled of such capacity is buildable, but as size
and capacity of the sled increases the sled itself
can get pretty cumbersome and prone to damage
in the shop.

If you're considering upgrading to a format style
slider, then I recommend it wholeheartedly for
cabinet and furniture making.
 
#4 ·
We just a week ago installed a Jessem slider on the Powermatic 66. I was intimidated by the size of the installation instructions but that went away when I realized it was long because it was thorough, not because the process was complex.

We needed it because Joe does a lot of crosscuts that demand high and repeatable precision and, because of the quantity, should be done as safely as possible. He loves the thing.

The tool is of very impressive quality and design. I think it will stay there because it doesn't interfere with any other uses of the saw.

To install it required sawing off the portion of the (Biesmeyer) rail that covers the outboard cast iron extension. The extension is removed; the slider replaces it.

Everything else is restorable (and we never put the fence over there anyway, so the cutting didn't bother me). Installation took less than an hour.

I just shoved the outfeed table 9 inches east and everything is wonderful.

The Jessem is robust and smooth and very thoughtfully designed. It is clear that a lot of time went into design and refinement.

Joe uses it more than I: He makes boxes for the wine industry (by the hundreds). I make instruments and furniture so most of my TS time is ripping.

Before I read this post I asked him how he liked the slider and he said it was much less effort to operate than the (large) one he used to use. It moves nearly effortlessly.

Kindly,

Lee
 
#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
I am biased, I have worked on an excalibur for YEARS now. There are soo many positives, if you get a good one. I personally recommend the excalibur, and will be picking up a second soon.

The only downside is the footprint. But if you check out the pics of my first shop, you can squeeze it into a small space if you really want to. The one thing you don't mention is what type of work you do, or want to do. We are in the realm of sheet goods here, with the excalibur, and other types of work might not really need a sliding table.
 
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