I’ll need to make a crosscut sled for cabinet construction.
What do you recommend for runners? I don’t have a thickness planer or joiner, so the idea of making hardwood runners doesn’t appeal to me. I can’t see not screwing that up. . .
Plywood? UHMW plastic? Aluminum?
I grew up on a farm, so there’s something about metal that just seems positive, solid, refreshingly stable in comparison to moving wood. But will aluminum wear out the miter slots at all? I’d expect the aluminum to wear instead of the cast iron.
Replies
Biff,
In most cases I would say the choice of material used, i.e. wood (stabile quartersawn hardwood preferred), UHMW or metal is not as important as the alignment of the runners and front fence (the one facing you) to the TS blade.
I prefer the UMHW strips from Lee Valley as they fit the mitre slot out of the box with no slop in them. They slide smoothly in the slots. As to their wear characteristics I have only used them for 1½ years.
If you do a search on crosscut sled here in Knots you will find numerous discussions regarding their construction. Google same and you'll find even more info.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
1.5 years is plenty of life, IMO, for that kind of thing.
The one thing about UHMW strips that folks have expressed concern about is that they tend to spread a bit when the screws are inserted.
To that end I predrill them sized just slightly smaller than the screw such that they just grab the material. What little, if any expansion can be quickly removed with light sanding with sandpaper on a block of wood.
When aligning the fence, only screw one end and attache the other with perhaps a small nail until you have tested it to make sure it's square. This will allow you to adjust it several times, if necessary, before final attachment.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I like the UHMV strips also. I used a bullnose plane over the areas where the screws went it. Now if maple would only plane like that!! <!----><!----><!---->
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I used 3/8" x 3/4" steel strips (available at any steel supplier or fabricator).
They won't swell and bind up, like wood, bend like aluminum or break like plastic.
I use hard wood, maple, cherry, what ever is sitting around and cut them on the tablesaw and trim with a smooth plane. They are simple things, don't over think them.
Edited 6/2/2008 10:47 pm ET by Napie
Biff,
I'm not a fan of the hardwood runners, but you can use your tablesaw to dress a smaller piece of stock if need be.
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Biff,
Are you talking a one or two runner sled? Personally I prefer a one runner, it's lighter to lift and easier to store. However, the runner tolerances are more demanding especially as it relates to cutting 3-4'long pieces of ply. Years ago I bought the Incra runner from Woodcraft and have had no problems since. Also, I got a piece of angle aluminum form the hardware store for the fence and made it adjustable.
A general comment on slides for crosscut sleds (or most anything else): Instead of countersinking the holes in the slide and attaching it to the body with flat head screws, counterbore the holds and attach it to the body with pan head screws. This gives you some side-to-side adjustment in the position of the slide, without having to fight the centering tendency of the flat head screw/countersink. It also counters the tendency of the slide material to squish out sideways under the pressure of the screw, which is especially important with UHMW polyethylene.
-Steve
Steve,
Excellent point. I like pocket-hole screws. They have big heads, Robertson drives, and are self-tapping for my lazy days.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Highland Hardware sells a crosscut sled kit that contains phenolic runners & a blade guard for a reasonable price.
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2626
I haven't tried it yet, but I've heard that a relatively inexpensive source of UHMW is as close as your nearest grocery store. Mine sells UHMW cutting boards which could easily be cut into sled glide strips. It's in my plan for my next sled. - lol
You will find it's not UHMW for the cutting boards. HDPE is white and looks like UHMW at a glance but it's not as slick. Denser as well. Do a google search on HDPE cutting boards to find out more...
I think HDPE would work, although it's softer and won't wear as well.
Some additional info: The underlying chemical compositions of UHMW and HDPE are both the same; they're both forms of polyethylene. The individual molecules of polyethylene are like long strands of spaghetti that are intertwined and tangled amongst each other to create a solid. The difference between the two is that the strands of spaghetti in UHMW are roughly 100 times as long as the strands of spaghetti in HDPE.
-Steve
Incra sliders!!!
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
hey biff,
ive been using 1/4" plexiglas lately. it works great, its easy to get a good fit and it will never shrink or swell.
eef
Eef:
Ditto. The more I use plexi the more uses I find for it. My local hardware store sells tons of it and I get all the scraps, scratched pieces, and returns I want for free. Handy stuff.
The only downside I have found is that mating surfaces must be clean because the plexi is soft and wears easily.
Best!
-nazard
Biff,
I haven't recieved my Jul-August issue of FWW yet, but saw it on the Home Page; on the cover is a photo and mention of an inside article on the Ultimate Cross Cut Sled.
Gary
I've used both aluminum and UHMW. I like UHMW lots better; it's slicker, and doesn't tend to scar like aluminum does. I use a special 3M glue (4693H) to attach it to the boards.
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