# Your thoughts on my crosscut sled design?



## Prometheus451 (May 5, 2013)

While designing my crosscut sled, I was worried about the ability to use various blades and bevels and keeping the zero clearance along the blade's kerf. It would obviously become quite wallowed out over plenty of uses. I'd heard of taping a 1/4" piece of MDF to the bed and the fence to regain that zero clearance but it seems kind of slapdash on something you've worked hard to make look nice. I'm trying to come up with a design that has replaceable sacrificial pieces and I wanted to get opinions on what I've devised. Here is my first design. Can anyone come up with a fatal error I've made or a way to improve upon this? Has anyone come across a sled with this concept?


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Please understand these are only observations:


The far fence is way too long. This limits the angle of any non-90degree cut.


The wood on the far fence, right at the blade area, is too thin. Bring it UP higher in order to strengthen this joiner. The entire sled depends on this small area to hold the sled together in the back once the blade has cut its channel.


I think you will find that the plastic cover running between fences will just get in the way and limit the useability of the sled.

Here is the one I built:
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/57667


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/83842

Fellow LJer Jake made a nice one as well, see link above.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Marc Adams has a video series running on FineWoodworking.com that addresses the use of different blades, bevels, etc. In a nutshell, he uses 1/4" MDF to form a sacrificial zero-clearance faces on the sled and fence. That way you use the same sled and just swap out the 1/4" MDF. Haven't tried it, but it sounds like a good idea.


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## Prometheus451 (May 5, 2013)

HorizontalMike, yours was one I'd seen previously browsing LJ's and gotten the inspiration to add adjustable fences for miter cuts. I'll definitely heed your advice since it seems to have been born out by experience building the exact thing I'm looking for. Thanks!

Waho6o9, I hadn't seen that one but it looks great! I think I'll take some ideas from his adjustable fences since it seems he can add a lot to them to make his sled really versatile, and in a tiny garage shop, versatility is a must in most jigs I build. Thanks!

TheDane, I saw that same video but I was just trying to come up with a more clever (read: prettier) solution. It may end up that that is the most practical solution though. Thanks for the tip!


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

I have one similar to this. It is adjustable for different kerf blades. And can accommodate a dado blade and box joint jig

http://www.woodsmithshop.com/download/403/precisioncrosscutsled.pdf


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## Prometheus451 (May 5, 2013)

KDC68, whoah, I like the adjustable throat. Cool idea.


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

*Prometheus*...I built mine using the less expensive Rockler's flip stops and t-tracks versus the more expensive Kreg flip stop and t-tracks


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