# Crosscut sled help!



## Jeff82780 (Mar 15, 2010)

Hello! I'm new to this forum and to woodworking. I have a skil table saw which is nothing but garbage and cannot afford a stationary right now. I'm trying to make a crosscut sled but am having a very difficult time with the runners. The miter slot is not 3/4 but rather 5/8 t-slot. I made hardwood runners for the miter slot, but the sled does not ride in the slots in a straight path. I need help. what can I do? thanks

-Jeff


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## manumurf (Mar 4, 2010)

Assuming the slots are parallel to one another in the table, do you mean the sled does not travel in such a way as to make a straight cut? The slots are not in line with the plane of the blade?

If that is the case you probably just need to align the table slots to be in line with the blade. There probably is an adjustment, like 4 bolts holding the corners of the table to the rest of the unit that can be loosened and adjusted.

"http://mdm.boschwebservices.com/MDMCache/English%20%5BUS%5D/t10/0000000/r00744v-1.pdf"

If it's a 3400, the above site is the manual for it. Pg 28 is about top alignment.


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## bigike (May 25, 2009)

try cuttin a slot in the sled with the fence set parallel to the blade and cutting in the center of the sled, then put the runners in the slots in the table and make shure they stick to the sled by friction or double stick tape and then run the sled forward a little and screw in the runners from the bottom then move it back and do the same then do it a little more in either direction to get as close to the middle as posible. GOOD LUCK!


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## rsmith71 (Jan 26, 2010)

If the ends of the table are parellel to the blade your sled could be longer than the table and have runners that capture the table on the outside. Maybe no 100% perfect but a place to start with what you have.


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## 308Gap (Mar 6, 2010)

try youtube, and some videos here also. Maybe this can help. Its a pdf file for a sled.

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0Bzc-MwB1Gs51MDc4YjZjNjYtMWE2Yi00ZmYxLTg5MmUtODhmN2VjZTAxMDhm&hl=en


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## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

What kind of wood did you use. Was it real slick when you put it in the slot….and did you drive screws or brads into it to attach the sled?


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## Jeff82780 (Mar 15, 2010)

thanks for all the replies. The wood I used was just 3/4 plywood. The reason the sled does not run in a straight line is from the 5/8t slot. I cannot fit a runner in there snuggly. when i push the sled toward the blade, the sled tends to shift left and right since the runners are not in there snug in the slot. I never thought of having the runners on the outside. Would this actually work? Sounds like an idea. Thanks again for all the replies and help.

-Jeff


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## Eric_S (Aug 26, 2009)

Hey Jeff welcome to LJ's. I have a Ryobi BTS10S with 5/8" slots as well. Look at this project of mine: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/25873 and you'll see how I did my sled. I made dadoes in the cross cut sled and used 3/4" UHMW plastic cut to 5/8". It has made this crappy saw a million times better and I plan on keeping it for a while longer since it seems to be much better. The best way to do this is to first cut the plastic to the correct width and place it in the miter tracks to make sure they are snug but don't get caught anywhere in their. Then, put some double sided tape on the plastic and stick the crosscut sled onto it, now you can mark where to make the dadoes and not have to worry about it being misaligned and getting caught in the runner. Also, Wax the runners and miter slots and you'll notice how super smooth it can be 

In that same project you'll see some other nice upgrades of mine to a crappy saw like a thicker fence which has made it much easier to align.

I also recommend replacing the stock blade if you still use that. I have a forest Woodworker II blade and it has made the cuts so much cleaner and the tablesaw is noticeably quieter because of it.


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## Jeff82780 (Mar 15, 2010)

Thanks a lot Eric. You just gave me a little bit of hope! I never have heard of UHMW plastic. I stopped at the depot and they never heard of it either. Looks like your ryobi doesnt have the t-slot like mine. Mine is 5/8 and it has 2 tabs in the slot that make the slot little bit smaller. so actually a 5/8 runner would not fit. How could i work around this?


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## bluchz (Mar 1, 2009)

Can't you cut your own hardwood runners with the saw? Mill the runners yourself then you can make them as snug as you like? I did this with my craftsman TS and it seems to have worked well. I made my runners out of Oak.


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## Eric_S (Aug 26, 2009)

Jeff, there are no t-slots on the ryobi but I dont think it really should matter. It doesn't really matter if 5/8 wont work though, you can cut UHMW to any size,it cuts VERY easily with bandsaw or table saw yet is very strong. You could probably even make a little groove on the sides for the t-tracks if you wanted to, although I don't think its necessary. You can buy UHMW from Rockler or Woodcraft at the stores on online from their sites. I think I got a 4"x4'x 3/4" for around $20 and I still have a lot left over for other future jigs.

Rockler UHMW: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=1580&filter=uhmw

Woodcraft UHMW: http://www.woodcraft.com/Search/Search.aspx?query=uhmw

Bluchz, my first attempt at the runners were actually hardwood, but I think I planed them and glued them too quickly because they warped making it very difficult to slide all the way through the slots, I've found the plastic to be great though.


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## donjoe (Feb 6, 2010)

Hi Jeff. I believe my craftsman saw has the same slots as yours. 5/8" at the bottom with two places on each side that has tabs facing each other that will not let the stock miter bar lift out. It has to be slid all the way out to take it off. On mine I took a small cut off blade in my dremel and cut all the tabs off flush with the sides of the slot and sanded them smooth. To make my sled I just used hardwood runners that I cut and sanded down to 5/8" and glued them to the sled. Had to sand in a few places to make every thing slide smooth but mine works great. My saw top is not cast iron, looks like alum. or something close. Hope this helps.


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## Jeff82780 (Mar 15, 2010)

thanks a lot for all the help. I grinded off the tabs and ordered some of that UHMW. I made a runner out of regular playwood to see how it will work without the tabs and it slides perfect! i cant wait till i get that UHMW. Then I will be set. What do you guys do for zero clearance insert? Just use the cut off sled? And what about dado cuts. I can only dado 1/2" at a time. it is so frustrating! Thanks again!

-Jeff


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## donjoe (Feb 6, 2010)

Yes on using the sled. I can't cut dados because my saw is direct drive and won't take the blades. Have to use my router.


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## Eric_S (Aug 26, 2009)

My tablesaw specifically says don't use dado blades, however I remember someone on here said they did with my saw and it worked but was dangerous. I just use router or router table for dados.

As far as zero clearance goes, you can either use the cross cut sled, or this other thing which I found from a ShopNotes workshop tip: Lower the saw blade, stick some carpet tape to the table top, and stick a piece of 1/4" hardboard on top of that. Then you turn the saw on and slowly raise the blade. I have NOT tried this yet but as long as the carpet tape is strong enough I dont see the hardboard flying at you.

Another idea I recently had for the zero clearence insert was to fabricate a custom one, although the ryobi has some weird dips in the insert so it might be a little tricky.


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