This sled easily rips thin strips of consistent width without your having to reset the fence for every cut. The sled is a piece of 3/4-in.- thick hardwood, 6-1/4 in. wide, with a 1/4-in.-deep notch at one end. Install a 1-in.-dia. dowel handle about a third of the way from the back end and add a thin, 2-in.-wide hardboard hold-down strip to help prevent kickback. If your workpiece is thicker than the sled, shim up the safety strip with washers.

To use the sled, set the rip fence so that the desired strip thickness is left between the sled and the blade.

Click to enlarge.

Hold the workpiece with your left hand and slide it through. If desired, you can joint the freshly cut workpiece to get a smooth side on the next strip.

Drawings by Jim Richey.

Drawings by Jim Richey.

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