# Spline sled / jig help



## ajthomas5009 (Dec 21, 2013)

Hi all ATM I'm working on a spline sled to complement my box joint jig so I can make a variety of boxes for the holidays. I decided to go with a traditional sled style jig with 2 runners so it could accommodate larger boxes if needed. Going with the full sled style spline jig seemed to complicate things more than I anticipated. Assembling everything at 45 and square was a bit of a challenge with only one set of hands.

All I have left to do is assemble the far side fence and supports, which I anticipate will go smoother with the other in place. After checking the first fence with an angle finder it looks like I'm at 44.5 deg. How much does this .5 deg matter when it comes to spline jigs?


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## muleskinner (Sep 24, 2011)

Speaking for myself, I could probably live with it. Assuming the completed jig is going to be a nuts on 90 degrees the other fence will be 45.5 degrees. I think the only way you're going to notice a 1 degree difference is to measure the two sides of the spline with a mic or caliper. You could probably do some trig beforehand to tell you how much more exposure the 44.5 side will have. Somebody with a trig table handy could probably give us the answer.


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## muleskinner (Sep 24, 2011)

I just realized I'm on a computer so I guess that makes me someone with a trig table handy. Looks to me that if you're splineing the corners of a box made of half in stock and only cut your spline as deep as your miter joint then your talking about a difference of less than .01 inches. Like I said above, I could probably live with that.


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## ajthomas5009 (Dec 21, 2013)

I had a feeling it wasn't anything to dwell over plus I figure if it ends up being something that does bother me enough I can probably take care of it with a well placed piece of thin none slip drawer liner.

Now I have to figure out a repeatable method / jig for achieving perfect bevels on my table saw. My miter saw is a HF 12" SCM and I doubt I can get it accurate enough.


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## muleskinner (Sep 24, 2011)

I hear 'ya on the perfect miters. Seems like no matter how much measuring and fiddling I did with the TS tilt, it was never perfect. For small to medium boxes I've pretty much given up on my table saw and use a router with a 45 degree bevel bit.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

The digital angle gauge was the answer to perfect miters on the tablesaw for me. A great investment @~$20.


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