# Question about building a cross cut sled for the table saw



## botanist (Sep 17, 2008)

I'm planning on building a cross cut sled for my table saw using William Ng's plans and method (video for the curious) but I had a couple of questions.

First, how important is it that the test panel you're using is square before you start your test cuts?

Second, in his video Mr. Ng gets a negative value for the error so he has to move the fence down and I understand how to do that. My question is how do you set up your feeler gauge if you have to move the fence up? I just can't visualize how to do that.


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## retfr8flyr (Oct 30, 2013)

For moving the fence up just put your feeler gauge against the fence and clamp you stop against the feeler gauge. Then unscrew the fence, move it up to the stop and screw it back in place. As far as the test panel it doesn't really have to be square it just as to have 4 straight 90 degree edges. It can be rectangular or square.


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

IMO, Mr. Ng, goes a little overboard in making his version of a cross cut sled accurate.
Search this site and you will see many sleds, built for accuracy, and much simpler.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

My concern would be; after the sled is perfectly accurate, how long will it stay that way?


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## BigMig (Mar 31, 2011)

The squareness of the test piece isn't importnat in the beginning because you're going to measure it after 5 cuts, so the squareness in the beginning isn't important.

I'm assuming Mr Ng uses the saqme "5 cuts" method that the wood whisperer uses. The wood whipserer's method worked well for me.


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

I agree with *Mr. Ron*, unless the sled is made out of some inorganic material the set up will change due to environmental conditions and just handling it.


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## OggieOglethorpe (Aug 15, 2012)

unless the sled is made out of some inorganic material the set up will change due to environmental conditions and just handling it.*

Only if you build in adjustability or poorly select stock for the reference fence…

I've seen fully glued, heavily used, sleds in pro shops, schools, and my own shop, stay accurate season after season for 10+ years. They're either as accurate as the day they were made, or broken… Because they CAN'T change in the directions that matter.

Anything that is adjustable probably won't stay in adjustment. Select rift sawn stock, of a properly dried, stable species, and you'll be good to go for years.

I save 1 3/4" to 2" wide drops from white oak, cherry, mahogany, and walnut rips, glue them up into a 3-4" high stack stack, and forget about them for a while on the rack. When I need a fence, I cut off my required length, joint one face and edge of the stack, and optionally plane the other face. The jointed face becomes the reference face, and the jointed edge attaches to the sled floor.


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

*Barry* I agree with you if it is glued solidly without any adjustments, otherwise all bets are off!


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## botanist (Sep 17, 2008)

Thanks for all the help, guys. I'm planning on gluing together some straight plywood scraps I have for the fences so they're a little more stable than solid wood.


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