So, shop warmed up to 10 degrees yesterday and I decided to get out of the house and finally build a crosscut sled. I rip cut two ash runners to fit miter slots, you got to love that adjustable saw arbor, I was able to sneak right up on my cuts so simply. I fixed the runners to a 24"x 26" base. Cut front and back fence's and got them glued up, will install later today. Couple of questions for everyone;
1. I just used screws to secure the runners, no glue, does anyone else attach this way? Did it cause you any issues?
2. I've measured the side play of the sled in the slots with a dial indicator, if I put side pressure on the sled I get a measured .001" to .002" of movement. Does anyone see this as an issue?
Crosscut Sled
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newportcycle
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- Location: Pittsfield, Maine
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dusty
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Re: Crosscut Sled
I glued and screwed my runners but I think you will be fine with just the screws if you used enough of them. I would suggest no less than four.
You'll not get much better side play than the .001" - .002" that you have. If you get closer, you are likely to experience binding. Parallelism of the two tracks is very important.
Now comes the real critical issue; mounting the fence so that it is perpendicular to the cut line. I used screws only here so that I could make some adjustments if necessary. I used two screws to start with. One being a pivot point and the other (with assistance of some clamps) to secure the fence in position.
You'll not get much better side play than the .001" - .002" that you have. If you get closer, you are likely to experience binding. Parallelism of the two tracks is very important.
Now comes the real critical issue; mounting the fence so that it is perpendicular to the cut line. I used screws only here so that I could make some adjustments if necessary. I used two screws to start with. One being a pivot point and the other (with assistance of some clamps) to secure the fence in position.
"Making Sawdust Safely"
Dusty
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Dusty
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rjent
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Re: Crosscut Sled
I only used screws on mine and it works perfectly. I had to do some tweaking at first to get the fence aligned (as Dusty alludes to) but once there, it has worked perfectly for two years now.newportcycle wrote:So, shop warmed up to 10 degrees yesterday and I decided to get out of the house and finally build a crosscut sled. I rip cut two ash runners to fit miter slots, you got to love that adjustable saw arbor, I was able to sneak right up on my cuts so simply. I fixed the runners to a 24"x 26" base. Cut front and back fence's and got them glued up, will install later today. Couple of questions for everyone;
1. I just used screws to secure the runners, no glue, does anyone else attach this way? Did it cause you any issues?
2. I've measured the side play of the sled in the slots with a dial indicator, if I put side pressure on the sled I get a measured .001" to .002" of movement. Does anyone see this as an issue?
I think you will be fine!
JMHO
Dick
1965 Mark VII S/N 407684
1951 10 ER S/N ER 44570 -- Reborn 9/16/14
1950 10 ER S/N ER 33479 Reborn July 2016
1950 10 ER S/N ER 39671
1951 jigsaw X 2
1951 !0 ER #3 in rebuild
500, Jointer, Bsaw, Bsander, Planer
2014 Mark 7 W/Lift assist - 14 4" Jointer - DC3300
And a plethora of small stuff .....
"The trouble with quotes on the Internet is that you can never know if they are genuine." - Benjamin Franklin
1965 Mark VII S/N 407684
1951 10 ER S/N ER 44570 -- Reborn 9/16/14
1950 10 ER S/N ER 33479 Reborn July 2016
1950 10 ER S/N ER 39671
1951 jigsaw X 2
1951 !0 ER #3 in rebuild
500, Jointer, Bsaw, Bsander, Planer
2014 Mark 7 W/Lift assist - 14 4" Jointer - DC3300
And a plethora of small stuff .....
"The trouble with quotes on the Internet is that you can never know if they are genuine." - Benjamin Franklin
Re: Crosscut Sled
This is a pretty good instructional for dialing in your fence if you need to..
https://wnwoodworkingschool.com/5-cuts- ... -cut-sled/
https://wnwoodworkingschool.com/5-cuts- ... -cut-sled/
Ed
Shopsmith: 2 Mark V 510 (1988,1993), bandsaw, jointer, mounted planer, belt sander, scroll saw, strip sander, lathe duplicator, conical disc sander, biscuit joiner, free standing router table with Jointech IPM-1
Other stuff: Bosch glide mitre, Ridgid 13" planer, Rikon drill press, routers, drills, and other toys
Shopsmith: 2 Mark V 510 (1988,1993), bandsaw, jointer, mounted planer, belt sander, scroll saw, strip sander, lathe duplicator, conical disc sander, biscuit joiner, free standing router table with Jointech IPM-1
Other stuff: Bosch glide mitre, Ridgid 13" planer, Rikon drill press, routers, drills, and other toys
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newportcycle
- Gold Member
- Posts: 191
- Joined: Sat May 05, 2012 5:43 am
- Location: Pittsfield, Maine
Re: Crosscut Sled
Thanks for the feedback. William Ng's video's were my inspiration to get this sled made. He also has a video for a box finger joint that will be my project after the cross cut sled is completed.