I won't go into the full details here because it is all covered in t
his project post on Lumberjocks but what I will say is that I like my SS table saw a lot more since I built the sled. It was designed by a very clever LJ buddy of mine and has a few interesting features for the ShopSmith.
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The biggest innovation he makes is the double bottom which (on a normal table saw) allows you to use the same sled for miters, dados, and normal crosscuts .... all zero clearance.
Of course the SS throws a curve at his idea because unlike a tilting arbor saw the tilting table changes the place the blade hits the sled. To deal with that situation I made a separate miter ramp (for 45 degrees) to fit in the sled in either of two positions. It is covered in
this post.
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The main reason I'm posting this here is that that same double bottom feature that he designed to work with a tilting arbor saw has a hidden treasure for less than alert SS table saw users. How many times have you forgotten one of the five "tightens" before a cut. For me it's usually the quill lock after using the drill press but sometimes it can be the table or power head lock. Anyway the result is the same, a cut that wanders sideways and if you are using a sled, pretty much ruins it. ........ not this one. Just reset the double bottom, run the blade through and no harm no foul. ...... It's brilliant. I wish I had thought of it myself.
My project post on the sled has a link in it to his sled post which includes a video of how it works.
Paul M ........ The early bird gets the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese
