# Looking for small crosscut sled for jobsite table saw



## jnovak (Apr 12, 2019)

Hello again folks,

I'm looking for a crosscut sled for my jobsite (portable) tablesaw (Dewalt). As you know, jobsite tablesaw tabletops are smaller than normal full sized tablesaws. So I'm looking for something that would work well with my Dewalt jobsite table saw that would make it easier and safer to crosscut and cut small parts.

I've got plans to build a small crosscut sled for a contractor table saw (which, based on the dimensions of this plan should work for me).....but at the cost of good baltic birch plywood ($315/4×8 sheet at my local lumber yard) I thought I'd start shopping online to see what I could find.

There are a couple of 'small part' crosscut sleds out there….but if I want to cut a wider board (that won't fit on my power miter saw) I'm looking for something that could possibly do small parts…and fairly wide boards. I love building my own shop jigs/cabinets, etc but thought I'd check with all my Lumberjock friends to see if they've seen anything on the market that would fulfill my needs?

Thanks


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

For a little sled I'd just use MDF. For a small sled a 1/2 sheet would do the deck, and the front, and back rails.

Where do you live that a sheet of BB ply is that much?


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

I question the need for an expensive sled when a cheap homemade thing works just as well, and can additionally be constructed to your exact needs. Case in point - I have one of those plastic universal screamer portable Craftsman saws, and I made this sled for it out of scrap wood I found in a construction site dumpster (translation: free):










I do have some better looking sleds I made for my Unisaws, but the one above cuts just as accurate, even though it may be ugly. Fortunately, the finished pieces don't really care what they were cut on and hold no prejudice regarding looks 

Cheers,
Brad


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## sunnybob (Oct 12, 2021)

I have a dewalt 745.
I made my own sled from veneered chip board salvaged from old kitchen shelves.
Looks like crap. But it doesnt matter a damn what it looks like. Chip board is far more stable than any piece of wood.
You wont cut much more than 8" across though, purely because the sled falls off the runners to clear the blade.


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## Stressfreecarpentry (10 mo ago)

Almost anything can work for the base of the sled. I tend to use furniture grade plywood, but 1/4" underlayment would work fine as well. The important part is the spine of the sled being substantial and square to the blade, and the runners being aligned and a good fit.

I try to make mine at least 6" tall at the "center" (where the kerf goes through) and the runners that fit in the slots on your table… You don't need the runners to go all the way down, they work better if they don't honestly but a hard, smooth material such as plastic or hardwood works well. You'll want to watch a video or two on making a cross cut sled, but the sled doesn't need a front to hold the base tigether, just the one spine works great, so long as it is sufficiently dry, strong, and attached well.

There are a few critical parts to building one, such as setting the spine square to your blade, and affixing the runners so they are aligned and don't move. That is where a video of the process really helps.

The little nitpicks I had on my first was smooth operation, solved with wax and a bit of sanding because I built it too tight, and a backstop to cover the blade where it comes through the spine, as I get a little close to it for my comfort on occasion. I made one by simply attaching a block of wood so the blade would be covered inside the block where it comes through the spine if I'm cutting something tall (which you want to avoid so the spine stays intact as much as possible)

Anyhow, there are a number of manufacturers out there but saws vary, so it's best just to make one with scrap materials. As I said, it can be open on the front, so you can make it as big as you like, though without an outfeed table, they're usually good for 12-20" depending on the size of your saw. That dewalt I would probably just build one the size of the table so I could stack it on there for storage.


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## AlanWS (Aug 28, 2008)

There are many effective approaches. Small sleds are very useful, but bigger ones are needed at times too. I lean toward very simple sleds, but like more than one.

For a small sled you might as well use something like 3/4" plywood or MDF as a base. The one shown by Mr Unix looks about right. If you want to put in hold downs, a thick base is needed. In my opinion, hold downs are needed only for small parts. If you make it pretty, you might want baltic birch.

When you make a big sled it can get heavy. Using 1/4" plywood as the base saves a lot of weight and works fine, and it does not need to be baltic birch. Gravity works well to flatten it when there's weight on top, and large workpieces don't need hold downs.

My approach to squaring a sled is to first glue on the runners and the front (non-reference) fence. Cut the kerf, but not all the way through to the back. Now glue the back (reference) fence down carefully square to the kerf. This will be pretty good, but test it and square it better shimming with tape on the fence. If you like, you can use the 5-cut method to see exactly how much tape to add. Now screw a solid fence face over the tape, leaving it 1/8" above the base.

This approach of shimming and adding a face makes it stable, easy to adjust precisely, and automatically creates the rabbet for dust.


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