Cross-cutting multiple long pieces to the same length

[larryhrockisland]

give me something to hold down above the blade as it does want to tip a little.

I don't quite follow what you are saying in the quote I snipped. Are you saying you grip the miter gage with one hand and press the sled down with the other? Does that mean you are reaching across the blade during the cut?

I don't reach across the blade, I'm behind the sled and pushing down on the upper left end of the auxiliary fence with my left hand and holding the miter gauge with my right hand. My left hand is actually farther away from the blade than my right. I threw this together with scrap I had on hand and would figure a better way to attach the stop block. Maybe make the auxiliary fence itself long enough to clamp the stop directly to it

[edflorence]

Maybe make the auxiliary fence itself long enough to clamp the stop directly to it

Thats exactly how I attach a stop to the fence on the sliding cross-cut table.

Thanks for the clarification on holding down the sled. I have been thinking about it and I believe it might be possible to to attach a cleat to the upper edge of the saw table, say a 1 x 3, and then attach an L shaped runner on the underside of the large sled. The lower leg of the L would ride along the bottom edge of the 1x3 and prevent the sled from tipping up. Hope that makes sense I might have to try it out. If it works, then you could stand off to one side while making the cut. Also, I was thinking that maybe the lower portion of the large sled could be reinforced with a couple of 2 x 2s, one running along each edge from the lower edge of the saw table to the end of the large sled. These would act something like the extension tubes.

Thanks again for posting the pictures of this clever accessory. Given me lots to think about!

[Hobbyman2]

We have a small miter box like the one in the link /picture , it needs a new blade but we use it quite a bit on small stuff , not sure if it would work that great for a large board .you could all ways make the cut and than touch it up on the disc sander , the miter box may be worth a try though,you will get frequent use from it , especially small dowels and trim and it is easier and safer to set up and use than a sled for some things . I never was fond of having a piece that could drift into or away from the blade , a sled that hangs on a table while cutting may raise off the table a little bit and at the very best scenario there goes your accuracy and safety is totally out the window if the clamps fail . I believe the saw of choice for the work described would be a RAS ,ya can pick them up now for less than 100 bks on CL . I realize some folks dont have room for a lot of tools ,in that case a good track saw may be worth looking into .that is only my .02