# HELP with my cross cut sled



## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

I was excited to get outside today after it rained yesterday and I couldn't really get any work done. As a reminder… I store all my tools in the garage. Garage has an AC unit that is set to about 75-78. (probably the higher end). When it's time to work… I pull everything out and work in the yard.

I've been working on a cross cut sled. Here is how far I had gotten two days ago. Yesterday… didn't do anything









So, as I was putting this together I obviously tested the rails before I attached to them to the board. They slid very nicely through the slots. I attached one and tested it. I sanded a little and tried again and it slid nice. I attached the second and did the same. I was going to put some wax on and add the rest of my pieces today. I had put the sled in the slots and left it there. Today when I went out I couldn't get it out. Finally with my sons help I was able to get it off and I sanded away. I didn't really get very far so I took one of the rails off and tested the one left. It wouldn't go through. I guess I need to start over.

I guess I'm wondering if it was moisture that expanded the wood or what? My table's slots are kind of a "t" groove so I had to put it on my router and add some rabbets. Like I said… worked great the day I made it.

I guess I have to start over. But what can I do differently? Different material? Different method? We live in a river town. Our whole area is known for it's humidity.

You guys have been such a great help. So I appreciate everyone that responds.

And until then… I'm going to go play with my miter saw and router and make some sawdust!


----------



## guitchess (Mar 31, 2008)

Look at the grain direction of the runners. It should be pointing up and down, from the sled to the table. This will make the expansion contraction happen in the vertical direction instead of side to side.

You could also make slits in the runners and countersink a screw in the middle of each. This will make the runners adjustable.


----------



## Alongiron (Jan 10, 2011)

It is tough to see but are your runners made of hardwood? Hardwood will move alot less then that of softwood. I god choice would be Oak or Walnut…another good choice would be a good 8 ply plywood..that would not move the least of the 3


----------



## boxcarmarty (Dec 9, 2011)

Remove 1 of the rails and cut your sled down. Your sled only needs to run on one side of your blade, otherwise you'll be cutting it in half. With the sled running in only 1 slot, You'll cut the resistance of them pulling against each other. Also use a hardwood or quality ply and watch your grain direction as guitchess and Alongiron said…..


----------



## nwbusa (Feb 21, 2012)

Depending on how much you want to spend, there are options other than wood for the runners.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=65247&cat=1,43455

http://www.leevalley.com/en/hardware/page.aspx?p=32045&cat=3,43576,32045

I used the UHMW material, and it worked great for my sled.


----------



## Tomj (Nov 18, 2011)

One of the problems I had when making a sled for my Craftsman portable was the T-grooves/T-tracks. You could buy T-track that would be the easiest, I'm just not sure if the Craftsman is a off size so you have to buy it from them and if I remember correctly they aren't that long. I'm sure there are other ways of dealing with this. Also the humidity/weather changes absolutely can effect the tracks. Good luck.


----------



## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

I'm not sure what kind of wood that I used. I thought I used the piece that my friend told me was oak. But since I didn't buy it and I don't know how to identify the woods… I'm not positive.

When I went to Lowe's today (only place open), I talked to a really helpful guy. He suggested that after I get everything cut, before I attach the rails, that I should put a sealer on all the pieces. He said that would seal it and keep the material from swelling and contracting. What do you guys think?

I'm not really in a position to buy pre made runners.

Boxcarmarty… I thought about doing that. I was also going to add a "handle" to it that would keep the two pieces together once I cut it in half. But I did see one that was just on one side of the blade. I may still do that.

Tomj… YES. those dang T-grooves were a pain in my butt. Maybe I'd be done by now if it wasn't for them. But I did use my straight bit on my router and added the grooves so it would still go through.

I gave up for today and made a box and a picture frame. It was fun until I ran out of light.


----------



## boxcarmarty (Dec 9, 2011)

We're gonna need to see pictures of the box and frame. Then you can run up here to Martinsville and get another piece of oak or walnut from my stock and try it again…..


----------



## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

Really? Did I know that you were in Martinsville? That's where my friend lives that has hooked me up with most of my tools.


----------



## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

nwbusa… I've been thinking about that plastic as well. Didn't know what it was called. Thanks for the link.

Boxcaramrty… I'm planning a trip to Martinsville in the next two weeks. You are only about an hour and a half or so away.


----------



## HerbC (Jul 28, 2010)

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


----------



## RHolcomb (Mar 23, 2010)

Angie, I had the same problem as you when I built my cross cut sled and I fought with it so much I was ready to toss the whole thing. Then I decided to spend a few dollars and bought a piece of miter track from Rockler and screwed it to my sled. No expansion or contraction. Works perfect every time. If you continue to have problems, you may want to try the method that worked for me.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=21651&rrt=1


----------



## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I think part of the problem is that you are rabbeting the runner to fit in the T-slots. That just gives more opportunity for binding. I recommend that you try runners that are straight in profile rather than rabbeted and use 1/4 sawn material. I like to use maple or birch for my runners as those woods are fairly stable and it is easy to get slick finish on them.


----------



## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

Herb… I have some Johnsons Paste Wax that I'm going to try. Since I have more time than I do money I'm going to try and see if the sealer will work.

Rob… Thanks for the link to the miter track. If the sealing doesn't work I may give that a try. Gotta get more money though to throw at it.

Bondogaposis… Actually the first runners I made were straight. But when I ran them through they allowed the base of the sled to move back and forth too much. Since my slots had the "t" in them… as soon as the slots got past that part of the miter slot… it would just allow the base to twist.


----------



## boxcarmarty (Dec 9, 2011)

Let's see if this helps any. I went back and looked at the picture of your saw. Have you considered grinding the tabs off of the slots so that you can use a solid track?









I also found a blog here on LJ's with the same situation. He gives the dimensions of the t-slot which maybe helpful if you want to mill it in a plastic.









There is also a member that commented that he ground the tabs off of his saw.

Here is LegendInMyOwnMind's blog….. http://lumberjocks.com/LegendInMyOwnMind/blog/23230


----------



## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Ok, well I didn't know about the tabs in my suggestion. What a stupid design, if it was my saw they wouldn't last long. Sorry, Angie O, I didn't fully understand the problem you are dealing with.


----------



## Mcasady (Jun 2, 2012)

Angie, 
I had a craftsman table saw at one time and I used a dremel tool to cut those tabs off when I built a sled.

Enjoy!


----------



## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

I'd probably eventually grind out those tabs as well. 
Just be aware, if you do, the original miter guage won't stay in the slot very well.
Also, since the slot is not 3/4" wide, the industry standard, you won't be able to buy a standard aftermarket miter guage, like an Incra, to replace it. They won't fit.

Over all, to deal with the design of your existing saw, I think you are on the right track to make your runners with the tee shape. 
A cheap source for the UHMW plastic is to buy a cutting board and rip off a couple of strips, the size you need. 
You will still have a cutting board left when you're done; just a little narrower.

I saw a design one time that got around the miter slots with tabs problem by making the sled bigger and had runners that slid along the outside edges of the table. Just another way to deal with it.

I think you have picked up some valuable education here anyway. You now know the importance of having standard miter slots when you go to buy your next table saw.

Good luck and be safe.


----------



## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

Boxcarmarty…. That is very helpful.

The idea of cutting the tabs off seems like a good one.

Michael….. I don't have the original miter gage anyways…..but you know what…. The idea of the rails being on the outside may be the best idea I've heard. That… Or cutting down the cutting board. I think outside rails would be tons easier. 
What would be the downside of outside rails?


----------



## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Only downside of outside rails I can think of would be if there was something sticking out in the way or if they are not paralled with the blade. They should be parallel because the outside edges are die cast with the top so they should be accurate enough to reference from. Probably need to check this.
If the edge surfaces are not good, then you could create your own edges with hardwood or plastic and shim as required to get them straight and parallel with the blade.


----------

