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Crosscut Sled


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58 minutes ago, Woodenskye (Bryan) said:

I need to finally get around to making a couple (large and small).  I am curious as to what you guys feel is the ideal size.  I was thinking 32-36" X 22-24".  What do you guys think?

I wish I was in my shop to get you some exact numbers!

I run 2 primary sleds.

  1. A traditional sled - ~24" wide and ~18" deep.  I have a T-Track in the back fence that I use fairly often for stop blocks and clamping when I need them.
  2. A panel sled - No back side fence on this one so, I don't have as much depth limitations.  Reality is that I find myself reaching for this sled probably more than the standard sled!  It's also ~24" wide and ~18" deep.

If I ever get home, I'll grab you some more accurate numbers..  I'm sure you can peek at some of the videos and get some relative (visual) ideas on the sizes.

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Just to throw something out there, I have the Incra 5000 and the sled is 16 deep X 24 wide but the fence is 36 inches wide and can be extended.  Also there is 6 inches behind the fence because of the protractor so the would make the sled about 24 deep but it doesn't really change the capacity. 

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not;  remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus

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My panel sled is 34”w x 30” deep. I considered the depth of the top of my ts, which is 27” deep to determine the depth of the sled. I can cut a piece of 28” deep ply without the sled coming close to breaking over the back edge of my ts. 

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So I went ahead and made a crosscut sled.  Actually this is version 2.  I messed up the dado's for the T Track on the 1st version.  I tried to use a router with a guide and the guide moved so I needed to start over.  The dadoes on version 2 were done with the table saw.  The sled measures 32" wide and 23" deep.  The back fence is probably to thick.  Shouldn't have laminated the ply for both fences at the same time.  Overall I have about 17 inches between the fences, should be fine for my needs.  I did the 5 Cut Method twice.  The first time I was something like .052 out of square.  Did it again and was like -.006 out, used a feeler gauge and made the adjustment and called it good.  

With the messed up base of version 1 I started a miter sled.  

 

CC Sled 1.jpg

CC Sled 2.jpg

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Nice job Bryan.  The blue plate showing under the edge of the sled - do you have a router in your wing?

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not;  remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus

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I like the T track on the long fence and am assuming it is on the feed side as I don’t see a kerf cut on either. Rest assured that some day you will need to add an extension for a stop block to the left side of the blade which can be added later. In my experience, the T track and clamps parallel to the blade are an over kill but damn nice to have. Sweet sled bud! 

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18 hours ago, Coop said:

I like the T track on the long fence and am assuming it is on the feed side as I don’t see a kerf cut on either. Rest assured that some day you will need to add an extension for a stop block to the left side of the blade which can be added later. In my experience, the T track and clamps parallel to the blade are an over kill but damn nice to have. Sweet sled bud! 

Coop, thanks.  I cut the ttrack and left a spot for the kerf.  I have about 7" to the right of the blade.  I can use the fence as a stop block if really needed.  I keep a 1" piece that I can attach to the fence as a stop block.  Lets say I need to cut 14" to the right of the blade, I set fence at 15 and clamp the block.

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So since I was in a workshop jig mode, and since I messed up Version 1 of the CC sled.  I decided to make a miter saw sled.  Compared to Kev"s this is more of a caveman creation, but it works to my surprise.  Included a test cut.  I am sure it will have limitations in the future, but it should allow me to make a few frames. 

Miter Sled  1.jpg

Miter Sled 2.jpg

Miter Sled Test Cut.jpg

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Nice!  It's really a fairly simple sled that works amazingly well!  I struggle with extra long pieces on my sled as well.  The fix is to cut both long pieces at the same time so that they end up the identical length.

Great job!

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4 hours ago, Woodenskye (Bryan) said:

I will need to find a spot on the wall.  A sled rack like yours would be nice, but no room.

I agree! Cross cut/panel sled, miter sled and now, Kev’s infernal circle cutting jig, all need a place to live. But at least these are not one offs and will be used many times in the future. Makes you want to move to The Big Sky state where the air is clean and space is abundant. M

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  • 4 months later...
8 hours ago, Coop said:

Having moved to working 3 days a week, every other week, I find myself with time, trying to organize my shop. Where do you guys locate your sleds, given the afore mentioned 3 sleds? Pics would certainly help. Thanks

There's videos for mine but, if I were in a smaller shop and didn't have the room for my configuration, I think @Woodenskye (Bryan)'s solution is generally the best option.  I would construct a rack that fit in that section to hold the sleds but, also get enough drawer storage for all the other things that go with the TS..  Dado, Inserts, wrenches, push sticks, ect...

The way I design stuff like that is to take everything that needs to live there and start laying out designes around what I need to store.

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I guess I should have reverse engineered mine but at the time, I figured bigger is better. Not thinking about storage or even weight. I like the 30” depth of mine that allows for a 24” panel but I could probably reduce the width from 34” down to maybe 26”. That would allow me to build a slide out bracket that would fit under the top and to the side of my ts, mounted somehow on drawer glides. 

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