# Table saw sled size



## dcoledc (Nov 3, 2011)

I have a dewalt 745 portable table saw and was wanting to make a sled for it. I have never made a sled, but have watched several Youtube videos describing how to make one and have read several threads here. One thing I have yet to come across is recommended dimensions. How big should I make it in comparison to my table top?


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

There are numerous types of sleds for different types of cuts. There are long sleds for rips and tapers, crosscut sleds, angle and miter sleds, bevel sleds. Some run against the fence, some have runners that ride in the miter gauge slots and some may run on the edge of the saw table or specially constructed rails. Size is determined by what you want to cut and how you set up the sled. The fence/fences on a sled can either hold the stock from the front or from behind. Some sleds can be reversible. A 45 miter sled for example, turned one way, the long point is toward the operator, turned the other way, the long point is toward the blade. Making such a change may also increase the sleds capacity.

You can do a lot with a 36" rip sled, a miter sled with 8" capacity and a crosscut with 12" capacity. The sled needs to be guided by whatever method you choose through the complete cut. How you do this on your saw is up to you. You can add supports, outfeed and or infeed tables, long fences, rails or guide bars as needed. You are only limited by your engineering skills and maybe by a bit of practicality.


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## dcoledc (Nov 3, 2011)

Thank you for the reply. My lack of knowledge shows in my question. I guess the kind of sled I was talking about is a crosscut sled. I am just looking to be able to make 90 degree cuts.

Eitherway, if I understood you correctly, there is no right or wrong. It is just whatever gets the job done.


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## Pirate (Jul 23, 2009)

I find a small sled (a little wider than the miter slots are apart) comes in real handy for cutting small parts. Picture crosscutting a 2" piece of wood, using a miter gauge! An extension on the miter gauge helps, but the sled is my choice.

I haven't used my large sled in a while. I do most of my crosscutting with my ras, or on the ts, with my Incra SE1000 miter gauge.


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## Lola Ranch (Mar 22, 2010)

dcoledc said:


> I have a dewalt 745 portable table saw and was wanting to make a sled for it. I have never made a sled, but have watched several Youtube videos describing how to make one and have read several threads here. One thing I have yet to come across is recommended dimensions. How big should I make it in comparison to my table top?


Sliding sleds can make your table saw more useful and efficient. First I would ask, "Do you have a decent out feed support, or side extension?" 

If you don't have the proper support, the sled could become unbalanced and get you in real trouble.

The photo shows the two sleds I use most often (hanging on the wall). The 36" wide x 26" deep one is used for cutting plywood and when I attach the 45 degree miter fence (in the pre-established screw holes) it quickly becomes a miter sled. Then there is the shallower one with a wide area to the left of the blade which I use for cutting longer narrower pieces.

The only problem with a nice off-feed is that it doubles as a work area and is prone to clutter.

I have other specialized sleds for cutting tenons, dovetails, miter splines, etc.

Bret


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## dodgeboy77 (Mar 18, 2009)

I was watching this thread to see if it would answer a question I've had (justification for a minor hijack, I hope). I have a TS with two T type miter slots. If I use miter bars with washers on their lower front edges to lock them in, what's the widest crosscut I could design a crosscut sled to do (accurately and safely)?

I have a RAS that is good for about a 13" crosscut. I wondered if I could design a crosscut sled that would have a substantially wider crosscut capacity than that. For example, say I would have a 20"x40" table top glued up and want to square the edges. Can I build a crosscut sled to do this?

Bill


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## jschaben (Apr 1, 2010)

dodgeboy77 said:


> I was watching this thread to see if it would answer a question I've had (justification for a minor hijack, I hope). I have a TS with two T type miter slots. If I use miter bars with washers on their lower front edges to lock them in, what's the widest crosscut I could design a crosscut sled to do (accurately and safely)?
> 
> I have a RAS that is good for about a 13" crosscut. I wondered if I could design a crosscut sled that would have a substantially wider crosscut capacity than that. For example, say I would have a 20"x40" table top glued up and want to square the edges. Can I build a crosscut sled to do this?
> 
> Bill


I don't think your talking about a sled anymore, that's more infeed table territory.


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## Tom5151 (Nov 21, 2008)

I have a question that I hope is in keeping with this thread. If not let me know and i will start another. 

I am going to be building a crosscut sled soon as well. But it always occurs to me that you can only build one sled for one saw blade. What I mean is that as soon as you use any blade otehr than the one used to make the sled in the first place, you change the kerf width on the crosscut sled and potentially lose precision as well as zero clearance functionality. Is there such a thing as a ZCI for a crosscut sled?

Thanks and please let me know if I should start my own thread.

Thanks


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## Lola Ranch (Mar 22, 2010)

Tom5151 said:


> I have a question that I hope is in keeping with this thread. If not let me know and i will start another.
> 
> I am going to be building a crosscut sled soon as well. But it always occurs to me that you can only build one sled for one saw blade. What I mean is that as soon as you use any blade otehr than the one used to make the sled in the first place, you change the kerf width on the crosscut sled and potentially lose precision as well as zero clearance functionality. Is there such a thing as a ZCI for a crosscut sled?
> 
> ...


If you really needed a tight kerf, such as cutting rift oak plywood, you can always add a layer of 1/4" plywood or MDF to the top of your sled and saw a new kerf. The kerf gets a little bigger with use but with a good sharp blade a little slop does hurt.

bret


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## Tom5151 (Nov 21, 2008)

Lola Ranch said:


> If you really needed a tight kerf, such as cutting rift oak plywood, you can always add a layer of 1/4" plywood or MDF to the top of your sled and saw a new kerf. The kerf gets a little bigger with use but with a good sharp blade a little slop does hurt.
> 
> bret


Thanks Bret. So when you get ready to make a cut do you index your measurement off the balde since you have a bit of slop in the kerf on the sled?


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Why not make an insert*



Tom5151 said:


> I have a question that I hope is in keeping with this thread. If not let me know and i will start another.
> 
> I am going to be building a crosscut sled soon as well. But it always occurs to me *that you can only build one sled for one saw blade. What I mean is that as soon as you use any blade otehr than the one used to make the sled in the first place, you change the kerf width on the crosscut sled and potentially lose precision as well as zero clearance functionality.* Is there such a thing as a ZCI for a crosscut sled?
> 
> ...


Good point, but an easy fix. Just make an insert for your sled that's replaceable. Or fill the kerf with Bondo and sand it flush and it's like new. I do this on my RAS table when the kerf gets sloppy, works great.  bill


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## Tom5151 (Nov 21, 2008)

woodnthings said:


> Good point, but an easy fix. Just make an insert for your sled that's replaceable. Or fill the kerf with Bondo and sand it flush and it's like new. I do this on my RAS table when the kerf gets sloppy, works great.  bill


Hey Bill,

A replacable insert for the sled? That's a wonderful idea. Since the sled beds are typically made from thinner material just how to you go about doing that? I appreciate any advice you have for me.:smile:

Thanks.


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## dcoledc (Nov 3, 2011)

Bret, thanks for the info and photos. I do not have any real kind of support at this point. My garage just doesn't have room. With that in mind, I guess I am best off just making a small one that allows the sled to slide instead of the workpiece.

Once again, I see how much I have to learn.:smile:


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

Tom5151 said:


> Hey Bill,
> 
> A replacable insert for the sled? That's a wonderful idea. Since the sled beds are typically made from thinner material just how to you go about doing that? I appreciate any advice you have for me.:smile:
> 
> Thanks.


A tongue and groove would work or a half lap rabbett with mechanical fasteners/screws to keep it in place about 2" wide or so, down the blade path. It's gonna get sawed in two pieces, unless the kerf doesn't go through the sled front and rear. 
Another way is to cover the sled's table with a 1/8" piece of hard board for a new surface when ever necessary.
Another way is to cover the sled's table with 3 pieces of hardboard, the center strip 3" wide being removable/replaceable, but held in place with small screws. 

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_joineryterms.htm#tongueandgroove


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## Mandres (Sep 6, 2011)

There are some interesting ideas in this version of the crosscut sled:

http://www.woodsmithshop.com/download/403/precisioncrosscutsled.pdf

It's adjustable to fit blades with different kerfs, dado blades, etc so you wouldn't need to make a removable insert. 

I also like the extension "wing" that you can add or remove as needed. That lets you make the main sled in a smaller, manageable size for most projects. 

It does only use 1 miter slot runner, so it might be more likely to go out of adjustment over time compared to using 2 runners. 

This video has a nice technique for squaring the fence perfectly perpendicular to the blade. It's worth watching too:

http://thewoodwhisperer.com/the-cross-cut-sled/


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## Tom5151 (Nov 21, 2008)

woodnthings said:


> A tongue and groove would work or a half lap rabbett with mechanical fasteners/screws to keep it in place about 2" wide or so, down the blade path. It's gonna get sawed in two pieces, unless the kerf doesn't go through the sled front and rear.
> Another way is to cover the sled's table with a 1/8" piece of hard board for a new surface when ever necessary.
> Another way is to cover the sled's table with 3 pieces of hardboard, the center strip 3" wide being removable/replaceable, but held in place with small screws.
> 
> http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_joineryterms.htm#tongueandgroove


Thank you very much Bill. These are great ideas and got my mind thinking now.:thumbsup:


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## Tom5151 (Nov 21, 2008)

Mandres said:


> There are some interesting ideas in this version of the crosscut sled:
> 
> http://www.woodsmithshop.com/download/403/precisioncrosscutsled.pdf
> 
> ...


ah..that is a great idea......thank you very much for the link


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## Mandres (Sep 6, 2011)

The issue that I've had with building my sled is what to use for the runners. First I tried using scraps of laminate flooring, which did pretty well except that they didn't hold screws well and I'm not sure the mdf-like material will hold up over time. 

Then I tried using UHMW plastic strips I found online, and they're not working well at all. Even with a shallow dado to hold them straight I cannot get the slid to slide without binding. I think the screws are forcing this stuff to swell outwards. I thought about glueing it, but apparently this stuff can't be glued. 

I'm about to break down and just buy one of the commercial aluminum adjustable bars to have it over and done with.


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## Lola Ranch (Mar 22, 2010)

Sleds are simple things. Don't over complicate it. If they ever wear out just make a new one, only takes a half hour.

Just make the runners out of any good hardwood then make your initial adjustments with a sanding block or a rabbet plane, slap a little "J" wax on it, nothing slides smoother.

The #1 most important tip I can offer on sleds is: Put a little rabbet at the bottom of the push fence so the sawdust has somewhere to go and you can keep your work piece tight to the fence. Tip #2 make it light, think about how many thousands of times you have to lift it on or off the saw.

It confounds me why you would want it adjustable. I build them square and they NEVER get out of adjustment. Your saw would have to move. Adjust the saw.

Bret :smile:


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## H. A. S. (Sep 23, 2010)

Great post, Bret!:thumbsup:


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