# The Tactile Sled



## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

a while back someone asked about table saw safety - my statement (not limited to table saws) was "Never take your eye off the part(s) that bite."

well, found myself having to make a couple dozen cross cuts, setting up for cheek cuts, setting up for half lap joints.

background: if you use a single runner sled on the table saw, you probably experienced.... if you're not pushing in the right spot, it wants to bind&stick.....

as I started into these cuts, I realized I was being distracted from eyeballs on the biting bits to be sure I was pushing the sled in the right spot....

all stop. find the spot, trace the thumb, make a divot.
this allows me to sense if I'm pushing in the right spot without taking eyeballs off the biting bit . . .

(thumb divot traced with black marker for visibility in this pix....)


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*reminds me of ....*

Some miter gauges are a bit "loose in the groove". You have found a technique that works for your sled and your projects which is great.:thumbsup: "X" marks the spot in this case. 
Were it me, I see two other choices:
A double runner sled, which is the only sled I've ever made: http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f27/table-saw-sled-build-49218/
Second choice would be to find or make a better miter bar, either metal or hardwood. I have about 8 miter gauges, some of which are fine, on others the bar is too short, but has a width adjustments, a good thing. I had to file the slots on several of my table saws to get a smooth running miter bar. Obviously the tolerances are NOT all the same at the factory where Craftsman saws were milled. You end up working with what you have in any case, as you have done successfully. :smile3:


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

I sliced off & planed down some rough cut hard maple, nailed/glued onto the MDF sled.
tweaked by scraping for a smooth slide hence there's no commercial miter bar in question. bit of poly to keep down the shrink/swell issue. 

regardless, pushing off center will tend to make things bind. even with a super nifty steel miter bar with nylon tipped set screws for width tweaking. it's the nature of the beast - unless you have a sixteen foot table with slot. might get away with it there....

the double runner sled is interesting - I've not gone there as the 'far end' has to be fixed somehow - which does limit the "front to back depth of cut" - all depends on what one does. I've been into 36-48" "panels" which I make over sized then use the sled to trim everything neat, parallel and same inch. different floats need different boats (g) 

but indeed the tactile divot/dimple made the rest of the cuts a _lot_ more comfortable.


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