Most of us end up building a number of table-saw sleds over the years. The toughest part is lining up the main fence so it’s perfectly square with the blade.

The usual approach involves driving a screw at one end to act as a tight pivot point, and then leaving a bit of wiggle room in the other screw holes to allow for adjustment. This requires a lot of back and forth between test cuts and fence tweaks, with the sled coming on and off the saw.

 

To make the process easier, cut two dovetail slots in the sled base, one near the midpoint and another at one end, using a dovetail-shaped router bit. Then drive that pivot screw at the other end—through the base and up into the fence.

Now use dovetail clamps, like those sold by Microjig and others, to lock the fence in place while you make test cuts. The clamps make small adjustments very easy, and you won’t have to move the sled off the saw to make them.

Once your test cuts are square, the clamps hold the fence in place while you drive additional screws and make its position permanent.

—Eliot Feldman, Bethesda, Md.