Homemade Shopsmith Miter Bars

[artlinux]

[/quote]The best orientation of the grain is my question. Grain running the width of the track or grain running the depth of the track.

Maybe it doesn't matter one way or the other. I'm just trying to minimize the likelihood of the milled miter bars from warping.[/quote]

In reply to your question of grain direction for the runners, William Ng provided a good discussion of his reasoning in his crosscut sled build on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbG-n--LFgQ

His instructional videos are some of the best references available.

[masonsailor2]

Roy I tried Corian once for sled runners and it didn't work at all. The stuff is too brittle and once installed very difficult to fit. A cabinet scraper doesn't work. I also attempted to sand them and that didn't work well either. The UHMW plastic might work as it is softer. I have sleds that have been around for years of heavy work using maple with no issues. I don't know about the plastic ones but hardwood ones are even adjustable after a few years. Just take a small flathead screw and drill a hole in the runner which is a little smaller than the shank of the screw and it will expand the runner ever so slightly and is usually enough to tighten up the tolerances.
Paul

[alohacnc]

Use aluminum bar. It will cut easily with a carbide tipped blade.

[jsburger]

I have always used hard Maple just because of the closed tighter grain than Oak. I guess Oak will work just as well.

Since wood expands and contracts more across the grain I always quarter saw the stock for miter bars. In other words the grain is vertical in relation to the slot depth. I have never had a problem with them.

As for which dimension to mill first, I don't know why it makes a difference. However, since you want quarter sawn stock I would joint, plane and sand a board thickness to the width of the SS miter slot and then cut strips from the edge slightly (1/64) less than the depth of the miter slot.

[dusty]

Use aluminum bar. It will cut easily with a carbide tipped blade.

I need miter bars that are 46/64"+ (.735") wide. Now I know aluminum bar stock can be milled to meet those needs but I am unsure of doing it on a table saw even with carbide blades.

Can aluminum be milled (safely) using a carbide router bit?

[db5]

Two years ago I decided to make a sled. I tend to save things for some unknown later use and saved the aluminum ribs that support one of those big umbrellas that people have on their patios. Neighbor tossed it so I scavenged it for what might be useful. Turned out that the width was .016 smaller than the track. To attach the sled I shimmed the inside of each slot pressing the bars to the outside and with double backed tape I set the sled on top. It's elevated above the table about 1/8". Probably would have worked fine without this extra care.