# Ripping on a cross-cut sled



## fenestrane (Mar 10, 2015)

I am new to woodworking, and I have a DeWalt table saw with a cheap aluminum fence. I do not feel that confident ripping along this flimsy fence. What do you think of ripping using a cross-cut sled, specifically, of its safety?


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

You'll have a hard time ensuring a consistent width with that setup for one, and for 2 you'll be limited by how long a piece you can rip. I'd make peace with the stock fence if I were you, there's plenty of ways you can make it more useful


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## Tman1 (Jan 14, 2013)

I don't know how your method could lead to an out of square condition across the width of the board. I can't imagine the tape is thick enough to cause that much error. I think your saw blade is not square to the table, the bottom of your sled is not flat to the table, or the faces of the board are not parallel. Any of these conditions should be fixed no matter how you cut the board. 

If you are going to rip with your sled, I would recommend using something like toggle clamps to secure the board to the sled while you rip it. You could also improve the accuracy and parallelism of your cut with some jigs and/or squares. 

In my opinion, if the board is well secured, it should be a safe cut. If it is not well secured (I'm not sure if I would trust double sided tape), it isn't much better than a free hand cut and could be more dangerous depending on technique.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*both posts above have good advice*

Make peace with your existing fence if at all possible. "Flimsy" is the part that scares me, however. It should not budge when locked down and should always lock down parallel to the miter slot no matter where on the table it is placed! If not, that's a real problem. :yes:

As for using a sled to rip shorter lengths, it will be difficult to get a constant width to the rips. It would also be a good idea to use clamping toggles to hold the work down. One advantage to a sled is a "zero clearance" kerf so the small piece don't slide down between the insert and the blade. Another advantage is the sled pushes both the work and the cut off piece through past the blade and is safer in that regard.

There are times I wish I could "transport" through the interweb and see just what your situation is and determine a fix..... or not. I have made my own fences, have 3 Delta Unifences and 2 Biesemeyers, so I have a fair amount of experience with them. A good fence is hard to find... LOL. It is really the heart of the table saw and is the one device or control you will use constantly on a project, so it had better be working great.... if not, that's a real problem.:yes:

Show us a photo of the fence as you have it, a few different views would help.


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## fenestrane (Mar 10, 2015)

Thank you guys for really useful feedback. You pointed to few things I did not think of. I agree, toggle clamps would be a major improvement.

Below is the saw I have.
*Woodnthings*, what I don't like about my fence is that it is made of thin aluminum with no stiffeners whatsoever. This is just plain crazy. Cast iron, in my opinion, would be the only suitable material for that. Another thing I don't like about any rip fence is that the board moves along (i.e. rubs against) the fence and the table. This is why kickback happens (uneven friction along those two surfaces). On a sled, this is eliminated entirely Also, on a sled, my hands are further away from the blade than any push stick would allow.

I forgot to mention why this idea crossed my mind in the first place: I needed to rip a board that had no straight edge.


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## Sorrowful Jones (Nov 28, 2010)

fenestrane said:


> Another thing I don't like about any rip fence is that the board moves along (i.e. rubs against) the fence and the table. This is why kickback happens (uneven friction along those two surfaces). On a sled, this is eliminated entirely Also, on a sled, my hands are further away from the blade than any push stick would allow.


Friction is not why kickback happens. Kickback happens when the fence is not perfectly parallel to the blade and the front of the fence, that is the end fartherest from you, is closer to the blade than the rear. When this happens the workpiece is "pinched" between the blade and fence as it is fed through. The direction of the blade causes the workpiece to be picked up and thrown back. You might try waxing (with furniture wax, not car wax) the table and fence to make it slide a bit easier.

I suspect your fence does have stiffeners located out of sight inside the cavity. I suspect you can tinker with your existing fence and make it work pretty well. Cast iron would be absurdly heavy for a small saw like that.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

The fence on your saw is not much different than any other fence on many saws. I have never seen cast iron used on a table saw fence.

If the fence does not move when it is fastened in place then it is good to use. If the adjustment takes time that can be irritating, but does not make the fence unusable.

I would forget about trying some "kludge" method and just use the saw the way the manufacturer intended.

George


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## woodchux (Jul 6, 2014)

Great advice from all previous posts! Also consider reviewing your TS manual or contacting DeWalt for info about adjusting the TS fence and checking the alignment of the blade. Be safe.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

If you have to rip a board with no straight edges then use a jig like this to hold the board against your table saw fence:
http://benchnotes.com/Taper and Straight Edge Jig/taper_and_straight_edge_ji.htm


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*my advice ....*

Return the saw. It's too small, too light, has a flimsy fence and is not meant for "woodworking", more of a contractor's job site saw. There's not enough distance from the fence rail to the blade to crosscut anything wider than 10" or so. That is a critical dimension. Look at other full size saws for a good example. 

The same money spent on a used/older cast iron contractor saw ... Craftsman or Rigid would give you a much better saw, but not as light of course. 

I own a Bosch 4000 a great, job site saw and it's light powerful has a decent fence, but it cost a few hundred dollars more.... around $500.00 or so.

All the free advice in the world can not change the physical attributes of a machine..... just sayin'

BTW Amazon has reviews for just about any tool or machine you can buy these days.


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## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

I have that saw. No problem ripping anything with it. In fact, I love how easy it is to adjust.

If you are leery, cobble up an auxiliary fence that is longer and clamp it to the fence.


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## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

> I forgot to mention why this idea crossed my mind in the first place: I needed to rip a board that had no straight edge.


Well, there is your problem.
Google straight edge ripping sled. :yes:

Mine works great. However I do use it on a bigger saw. :thumbsup:


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## jspadaro (Mar 20, 2015)

MT Stringer said:


> I have that saw. No problem ripping anything with it. In fact, I love how easy it is to adjust.
> 
> If you are leery, cobble up an auxiliary fence that is longer and clamp it to the fence.


This x2. I had that saw. The fence was definitely NOT on my list of complaints about it.

(My complaints? The tiny table, the universal motor is loud as can be, and no ability to do a dado stack. Oh! And I almost forgot, the plastic tabletop scratches up in nothing flat.)

It's a good little saw, though. I also second whoever said that if you're looking to do real woodworking though, a used contractor saw is a great option.


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