I am going to build a crosscut sled for Grizzelda.(my new baby!!)
I found a partial sheet of 1/2″ A-C that is 48x 33.
Is this too big???
Don’t want to make it too unwieldy, but I can always cut it down later…
How big is Yours??? 😉
Mr. T.
“My sincere view is that the commitment of our forces to this fight was done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions – or bury the results.” – Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold.
Replies
I made my sled the same size as my table top with extensions. About 28" x 36" as I recall. The base is 1/2" Baltic Birch, the fences are Ash, 1-1/2" at the business end, and 7/8" at the opposite end for rigidity. Works for me.
Dale
I just had to sacrifice some size on mine for reasons i'd rather not discuss but it was to be 48 wide with a capacity of 36" on the cut. My reasoning was to be able to accomodate a great diversity of doors.
Size does matter, IMHO. The wider the sled is (perpendicular to blade) the easier it is so set a stop b/c you just clamp a scrap block to the fence. For longer stuff i'll clamp an arm to the back side of the fence with a block attached at the end. Also having it 48" wide gives me ample registration space for jigs (up to 24" in fact) I used some 1 and 1/8" straight grained red oak screwed and glued to the far and near eadges for the fence.
The end size of mine turned out to be 48" with a crosscut capacity of 28 and 1/8 inches. This is big enough to cut some doors and big enought to crosscut standard cabinet sheet goods. I scored some solid surface countertop scraps that i turned into the runners and let me tell you they are the bomb! The whole thing probaly weighs 20-25 pounds which is plenty to lift from the floor but if you can hang it near your saw the weight wont really be an issue. That said, if the runners and your saw surface are waxed, a heavier sled will be easier to use and more stable.
Take your time and make sure it is dead on.
Edited 4/19/2006 7:12 pm ET by Spalted
I thought limiting the depth to the width of the widest stock I'd typically crosscut would be OK, and I made mine too narrow, too... so mine is about 30" across and 36" deep, but I'm going to make a new one at least 18" wider, and a bit deeper too. Agree totally on the "get it exactly right" thing: If your sled fence is exactly 90° to the blade and slot, you will get very accurate results very quickly with your sled.
Also, don't forget to add a stop and a guard to prevent you from touching the blade exiting out the back of the fence as you push!
For runners, I bought UHMW plastic from McMaster-Carr. It's reasonably-priced, it's exactly 1/2 wide (and available in other sizes as well). It slides perfectly!
Mel
I have maple runners, just because I know how to machine it. :)My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
JohnD
See I like simple elegant answers like that. a straight edge will work just as nice as a table saw and much nicer than a table saw with a sled.. Sleds are too darn awkward for long boards and take up too much space for their use.. straight edges on the other hand can be stored with the rest of the lumber or some much smaller space..
Frenchy, I think you're going to want your merit badge back. The maple runners are on the bottom of my crosscut sled, for which I regularly find good use. :)My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
JohnD,
Ya Got me <G>
Here I rant and rave about sleds, well,... <G?>
Any way how long a board can you reasonably cross cut with any degree of accuracy on your sled?
About the longest I've cut is 6' long, but I support to the right as well with a bit of scrap. I can clamp to the sled pretty securely.
I was NOT comfortable cutting sheet goods this way, only hardwood boards. If I was going to handle much in the way of sheet goods, I'd be buying an EZ or other rail system. On the project I just finished, in fact, I did the initial breakdown using a crappy old circular saw against a piece of MDF as a guide, it did fine once I put a decent ply blade on the saw. Still, the TS is the only way I know to plow a dado the entire length of a sheet of ply, and little as I like doing it, I can -- and get excellent results. (Actually, I could run a router along a guide or straight edge, but doing that accurately to get a groove to match undersize ply is difficult).My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
John,
I've found that the EZ Smart SRK works great for long dados. It accepts almost any router and works in conjunction with the EZ guide rail. It also works great for flutes.
Here is a link: http://eurekazone.com/gallery/EZ-Mortise-tenons-with-limit-stops
Burt
Edited 4/22/2006 9:15 am ET by Burts
I don't get how it would be easy to match odd-sized undersize ply. Seems like, unless you happened to have the exact bit, you'd have to plow one groove then move the guide by, like 3/64", or some equally difficult amount. With the dado, I just shim it until it fits precisely, then EVERY cut is an exact match.
I'm not worried about small parts (referencing your other post abour the repeater and cutting small parts), I'm very comfortable with them on the TS. I don't need a second solution when my first is good. :)
For me, the primary interest of something like the EZ or Festool rail system is if I start working with more sheet goods. Not saying it doesn't have other cool uses, but since I've already got the TS and know how to use it, there has to be a good reason for me to change habits for things I already know how to do safely and efficiently.My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
Quote John D. " there has to be a good reason for me to change habits for things I already know how to do safely and efficiently."
Couldn't agree more. Change just for the sake of change is totally useless. I'm looking for a better way (safer, faster and easier). For me the EZ fills those slots in a lot of areas. Even though the EZ can replace the table saw, I find that in the shop production environment there are still times when the table saw is better. For Example I still use the table saw for ripping boards to be glued up to make raised panels. I have a stock feeder on that saw so it complies with the "Dead Wood Concept".
As for the Dado, I prefer the router. Other like the table saw better. If you do need those odd ball width dados, stops can be used with the SRK so making them is easy and they can be repeated with no problem.
John,
I know that you have heard Dino and I mention the repeaters on numerous occasions. Here is a video that highlights the small piece cutting ability of the Cabinet maker. The cabinet maker is a combo of the EZ Square and one of the repeaters.
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The ez cabinetmaker.Click on the image to see the video.
My sled is large enough to cut nearly any cabinet part or panel with dead on accuracy. I have a roller support for the other end of things t help guide it throuhg the cut. I have used the destaco clamps with great success to hold even rather unwieldy boards and panels with ease-they just screw to the sled.
spalted,
I often cross cut boards as long as 18 feet and since they are going into built in furniture accuracy is very important. There is just no way a sled will do that on a 2x12, (I've tried<G>)
A table saw is a ripping machine any job it does other than ripping it does so with the aide of crutches like a sled..
There are better, more accurate, faster, and more productive ways of doing cross cuts.
It's just that some people have so much invested in their tablesaw (emotionally and even finically) that suddenly like a blacksmiths hammer everything becomes something to hit with that hammer.
frenchy, as much as I enjoy your political view pionts...
You are explaining the difference between a cross cut and a rip to seasoned woodworkers...
No one here is advocating crosscutting an 18 foot board on a tablesaw!!!
Thera are certain pieces that cannot be cut on a SCMS that can be quickly and effiently done on a TS with a sled.
plus you should NOT be cutting a finish cut directly off an 18 foot piece!!!
rough size first...
joint and plane...
then finish size.
gray areas dude, life is full of them....
Mr. T.
"My sincere view is that the commitment of our forces to this fight was done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions - or bury the results." - Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold.
MisterT
I'm courious, Why wouldn't you do a finish cut on a 18' (or 24') piece if you need a piece that long? Nothing I suggested said I don't joint and finish plane the wood first, What pieces do you suggest can't be cut with a SCMS that can be cut with a sled?
Mine will cut a little more than 12 inches and a piece that long could be ripped (across grain) without a sled and pieces shorter than that can easily be accuritely cut with the SCMS.
I think the example I gave Piffan should be sufficant..
to briefly review, I made an exact scale model of my timberframe and some of the pieces are really tiny.. I simply cut them off longer pieces so I could keep my fingers well away from the blade..
if you cross cut a wider piece by rumnning it against the rip fence as you suggest
You get a cutline parrallel to the rip fence, not perpendicular to the edge.
Mr. T.
"My sincere view is that the commitment of our forces to this fight was done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions - or bury the results." - Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold.
scared him off with logic I guess..
Mr. T.
"My sincere view is that the commitment of our forces to this fight was done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions - or bury the results." - Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold.
He's prolly just busy dimensioning some 6X6" 18 foot Black Walnut beams that he bought for 17 cents a bd ft. He'll be back,...
MisterT
Logic?
I gave you several examples of why a sled won't work and a SCMS is a superior tool and you only point out that the possiblity that the fence might not be square?
For any sled to work correctly doesn't the blade need to be square to the grove the sled rides in?
Is it possible that is off as well? If so are you any more square than a fence that would be off?
Why would you presuppose one and forget the possibility of the other? For any tool to work correctly it must be "tuned up" I'd hoped we weren't going to degenerate into the what-if's That the discussion of sled VS SCMS or the need for any sled at all could remain on a somewhat higher plane..
Yes I have been working on 18 foot long black walnut, but 4"x8" not 6"x6"
HI,
I think a decent circular saw combined with a quality blade and a LONGGGGGGG straightedge work fine for cutting wide/long awkward boards. Using a cross cutting sled works ok for smaller boards.
wanda
MisterT
Ahhh! a sled!
That unwieldy awkward piece that people need to make a tool designed for one thing do another.. make it big enough to work with and it becomes too unwieldy to use for small work make it small enough to use for small stuff and risk using it inappropriately. make several and now you have storage issues..
When you store it make sure it's stored nice and flat so it doesn't warp or twist causing further troubles..
Oh and try to accurately cross cut a long board say a 8 or ten foot long one for that bed or entertainment center,, Good luck!
Or you could buy a compound miter saw and find out just how wonderful it is to get cuts supper accurate. want a cut that's 88.7 degrees.. no problem.. need to make a dozen exactly repeatable cuts to the same accuracy, zip, zip and zip!
Or buy the EZ Guide (or Festool's similar guide) and have unlimited capacity for length and width. (Just add more sections.)
Two things I use my sled for most often are ripping ballusters in half, and cutting their ends to an angle. I don't think the EZguide will help there
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With the proper saw, the EZ can handle this. How thick are the ballusters?
anywhere from 1-1/4" to 2-3/4" wide. length 24" to 34"Many tapered so I build seat fittings screwed into the sled for constant support and dogging them in.
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The Smart Clamping system could easily hold these is place for cutting. The repeaters would make set up of the taper easy. This photo album on the repeaters will give you a look at the basic equipment needed. The clamping system built into the repeaters would handle the smaller ballusters and the larger smart clamps could handle the larger ones. http://eurekazone.com/gallery/EZ-Smart-tablesaw
Two things I use my sled for most often are ripping ballusters in half, and cutting their ends to an angle. I don't think the EZguide will help there.
To prove a point, those jobs could be done with the EZ guide, but why bother if you have the table saw handy and a set up that works. Do whatever is safest and easiest for each task.
Heck, I don't even own the EZ - just use the home made straight edges. (Us inland Mainers is poor.) :)
That's my point. The EX is just one more tool to add to the arsenal. I'll use what's best for the job
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Piffin,
You couldn't have expressed my point of view better. The name of the game is to use the best tool for the job at hand. At times, I debate with myself as to which is really better. Most of us have a selection of tools that allow us to do things a number of ways. Like you I consider the EZ to be just another tool in my arsenel but more and more it is getting to be my favorite "side arm".
Burt
Uh francois...
I have a CSMS...
It don't cut big panels tho...
Mr. T.
"My sincere view is that the commitment of our forces to this fight was done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions - or bury the results." - Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold.
You must be in the dark about how toproperly build a sled. Done right, it will not qwarp and twist. There are a number of cuts that can be made safely with a TS sled that can not be made at all with a compound miter
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Piffan,
OK I have a 2"x12"x 10' of black walnut I want to make a cut at 85%
you grab your sled and set everything up and I'll grab my CSMS
Too big a piece?
I made an exact scale model of my timberframe before I built the actual one.. Some of the pieces were 1/4"x 1/4 inch and less than 2 inches long I needed to cut them at 54.4 degrees. I needed to repeat it 20 times.
Wanna race? (lose a finger lose the race)
I made an exact scale model of my timberframe before I built the actual one.. Some of the pieces were 1/4"x 1/4 inch and less than 2 inches long I needed to cut them at 54.4 degrees. I needed to repeat it 20 times.
Wanna race? (lose a finger lose the race)
No race - and I know you wouldn't either.
I might use my small sled on that job. The sled base is in effect a zero clearance insert. With a quick holding jig and maybe my shop vac to pick off the short pieces as they are cut. I'm not sure there is one best way.
Or I'd use my small dovetail saw.
There's an old story about the early days of the Space Race when the U.S. Government spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars designing a special pen that the astronauts could use for writing in anti-gravity conditions.
Then someone suggested a pencil.
Edited 4/23/2006 10:58 am ET by oldfred
Don't be crazy. I use the right tool for the job. Some jobs are better done with a slide saw, some with a sled, and some with a guide like the EZBTW, I don't use a drill to drive nails either
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Piffan,
You have a valid point.. To my knowledge the only way to make accurite tapering cuts is with a sled. Sometimes a guild works best and occasionally it's OK to misuse your table saw and make a cross cut with it. <G>
As far as cutting those little pieces for my scale model the SCMS was the cat's meow.. I just held onto the long end of the piece with my fingers well away from the blade and was able to quickly slide each piece to the stop, cut it and slide the next piece in place..
I frequently use a drill to drive finishing nails. Helps to keep the wood from splitting. :)
I have three different sleds that I've made for different jobs, crosscut, dado and miter. I'm wondering when it comes to larger panels is it preferable to make up a large sled or a homemade panel saw? Cutting the large panels accurately is hard-crosscut and rip. Obviously a large sled will not address the rip function. My shop while not small is modest and all space is spoken for so even a homemade panel saw would have to live in the garage.
I've made sleds and used sliding tables, etc but for larger cuts these get really awkward. The best solution that I have found is the EZ smart System. CHeck is out at http://www.Eurekazone.com
thanks-I pulled it up and took a quick look-put it on my favorites and will get back to it a bit later-it looks like they have some great stuff.
Why are you posting a political view on this site for woodworking?
it is called a signature or a tagline, have not you noticed them before???
Mr. T.
"My sincere view is that the commitment of our forces to this fight was done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions - or bury the results." - Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold.
Mr T, Think about how wide most boards are that you crosscut. You may want to make it deeper for this purpose. Dont forget to make the front fence adjustable, they do get out of whack.
Good luck T
LmC
This will be the first sled of many....
just wanted a little input as to whether there was a "too big"...
Mr. T.
"My sincere view is that the commitment of our forces to this fight was done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions - or bury the results." - Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold.
Mister T,
If you have the space and more than one cabinet saw there is no too big, mine is five feet by ten feet, it runs on a table built around the table saw has cold rolled steel runners and is assisted by pumping air under the sled with a reverse vaccuum cleaner. The sled never leaves the table, the blade is never tilted . I did not make the fence adjustable and can easily cross cut a counter top to mitre by simply placing an angle cut piece of sheet goods on top of the sled. I will be making a new one in the near distant future and plan to make the cross cut capatcity just over five feet for the type of material I use. I have other table saws for the other operations and have several cross cut sleds for these, angeling the blade, dado and so on.
Grey Glove
I have an online article saved in email somewhere, I'll try to find it and post later. I think the capacity of the sled in the article was 31" with 1.5" front and rear rails, meaning a total depth of 34". That is as big as I've heard of.
I'm pretty sure this is the link. I did not have a chance to read through it.
http://home.pacbell.net/paulcomi//Spectaculartrim/Woodworking/double_runner_cross_cut_sled.htm
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