# Miter slot runners for sleds - suggestions?



## DeanK

Hey all. I'm building a crosscut sled for my new table saw. I expect a lot of opinions on this topic, and that's why I'm asking I guess. What have you had the most success with for miter slot runners? 

I have considered the fancy Incra miter sliders (free shipping right now from Lee Valley) as well as cutting my own from either UHMW plastic or some stable hardwood. I'm open to suggestions and experiences of others. For my previous saw I made my own runners from hard maple, but was never happy with how they slid and the amount of play, etc. Just a bit sloppy, but that was on a cheaper Craftsman saw with annoying non-standard miter slots. Now I'm using a new Delta 36-725 saw.

So, let's hear about what has worked best for you. Thanks!


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## GeorgeC

For any homebuilds I have always used oak. Perfectly satisfied.

George


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## Marv

The wood ones I tried never worked well either so I put UHMW on my crosscut sled as well as taper jig and it has held up for years. I did however buy one of the "fancy" Incra bars for a new sled in the making and I imagine it will work just as well as the one on my Incra miter gauge. :smile:


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## FrankC

First choice steel, second choice aluminium, both much more stable than wood.


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## epicfail48

For my sleds I've dabbled in near everything, from spruced to unnamed scrapwood to plywood. I'd say try UHMW, its dimensionally stable and self lubricating


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## TS3660

Whatever you choose to use, here's a tip on how to install them so there is no slop, even if you cut them a little narrow, which in this case, you actually SHOULD cut them a little narrow. When you put the slides in the slots, shim them sideways so they are snug against one side of the slot. Either shim them both toward each other, or away from each other, it doesn't matter. Then bring your sled down onto them and temporarily attach the sled to the runners with small screws from the top. Then pull the sled off the table with the runners now attached, and finish attaching them from the bottom with countersunk flat heads.


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## jjrbus

I like the wedging and then securing option. I have not built lots of sleds but I can see no reason to struggle trying to secure runners from underneath.

I will not be cutting where the fasteners are, slightly countersunk, they cause no issues.

Other than cosmetics am I missing something? Master Mistaker JIm


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## TS3660

jjrbus said:


> I like the wedging and then securing option. I have not built lots of sleds but I can see no reason to struggle trying to secure runners from underneath.
> 
> I will not be cutting where the fasteners are, slightly countersunk, they cause no issues.
> 
> Other than cosmetics am I missing something? Master Mistaker JIm


You can secure the whole thing from above if you want, but usually the runners are not very thick compared to the sled, so there won't be many threads of the screw in the runner. For this reason, I prefer to secure it with screws from the bottom and into the (usually thicker) sled.


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## FrankC

TS3660 said:


> You can secure the whole thing from above if you want, but usually the runners are not very thick compared to the sled, so there won't be many threads of the screw in the runner. For this reason, I prefer to secure it with screws from the bottom and into the (usually thicker) sled.


Another reason to use metal or UHMV runners, drill and tap them for machine screws.


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## Trav

I also think that ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is a perfect material for this application. If you live near an industrial city this should be very easy to procure for free if you ask around. If not I am sure it can be purchased cheaply in the quantity that you need for the runners. 

Machines well,it is self-lubricanting, and very impact resistant. 

Worth the investment in my opinion.


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## cabinetman

I'v used Maple, and properly fitted will work very good. Eventually it will wear. Flat bar stock steel works best IMO. Finding it in ¼" x ¾" is fairly easy. I think even the box stores sells lengths of it.


















.


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## DeanK

Thanks fellas, great replies! I'm leaning towards UHMW plastic or manufactured sliders. I just want something that I can set up and not have to fuss with in the future. My basement shop is not completely temperature and moisture controlled over Wisconsin season changes, so wood probably isn't the best option. 

Ttharp, I'd say Milwaukee qualifies as an industrial city, and you make a good point that I should ask around about scrap UHMW plastic. I'll start with a machinist friend of mine. Rockler and Woodcraft want around $30 for a small slab of it. 

Keep the opinions coming. I know there are a lot of YouTube videos of crosscut sled builds, but maybe I'll start a build thread here if there is interest. So far I've just purchased some 1/2" and 3/4" Baltic birch plywood and traced out the sled base on the 1/2" sheet.


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## shoot summ

I've got a pair of these queued up awaiting my sled build...

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2020317/26212/25-12-GlideLOCK-Steel-Miter-Slider-SE.aspx


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## Marv

shoot summ said:


> I've got a pair of these queued up awaiting my sled build...
> 
> http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2020317/26212/25-12-GlideLOCK-Steel-Miter-Slider-SE.aspx


 That's the same one I bought and it appears to be the same as on my Incra miter gauge so I think it will work well.

DeanK-Unless I find cheaper soon I'm going to order one of the sheets below to make a sub-fence for my router table as well as use for other jigs. If you don't need longer than a 21" runner you could get quite a few out of this sheet or use the rest for other jigs etc.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/171344284065?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:VRI&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2661


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## DeanK

Marv said:


> That's the same one I bought and it appears to be the same as on my Incra miter gauge so I think it will work well.
> 
> DeanK-Unless I find cheaper soon I'm going to order one of the sheets below to make a sub-fence for my router table as well as use for other jigs. If you don't need longer than a 21" runner you could get quite a few out of this sheet or use the rest for other jigs etc.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/171344284065?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:VRI&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2661


Wow, that looks like a great deal compared to prices at Rockler and woodcraft. I think I may get that. It would be great to have more for future projects. My machinist buddy says they only have round stock, so this is my best option now I think. 
Thanks for the tip!


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## bzguy

Just one way of 100's....
I cut some runners out of Corian scraps, it's 1/2" material, just right.
I put them in slots with thin spacers under them, copious amounts of super glue on the top.
Then I set my fence at the right place and lowered the sled onto them butted against it.
Then you can flip, drill, countersink for secure attachment.


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## shoot summ

Marv said:


> That's the same one I bought and it appears to be the same as on my Incra miter gauge so I think it will work well.
> 
> DeanK-Unless I find cheaper soon I'm going to order one of the sheets below to make a sub-fence for my router table as well as use for other jigs. If you don't need longer than a 21" runner you could get quite a few out of this sheet or use the rest for other jigs etc.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/171344284065?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:VRI&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2661


Looks like a cutting board...

Sam's club has a 15x20x1/2" for $8.98, was looking at them just last night for another project...


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## DeanK

shoot summ said:


> Looks like a cutting board...
> 
> Sam's club has a 15x20x1/2" for $8.98, was looking at them just last night for another project...


Cutting boards are made from HDPE. I had actually thought about looking for a cutting board to slice up for runners, but then learned it's a completely different plastic. I think for this particular application, the self lubricating property of UHMW is the biggest advantage over HDPE.


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## DeanK

Just found that Lee Valley sells pre-cut miter slot runners that are 24" long. They go for $5.60 each if ordering 3+. 

Hmmm.... Thinking I could get 4 and then find something else to get me up to $40 for the free shipping deal... See, this is how I get in trouble with the wife. Trying to save a little money and I'll probably end up spending $100. Time to make her something again I suppose.


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## pweller

I just made my runners out of scrap oak. I put 2 coats of Minwax Paste Finishing Wax on them, which is the same stuff I use on my cast iron top.

It doesn't really have to be anything exotic. As long as you wax it, it will last for a long time. Probably, by the time the runners are worn, the whole sled will be worn out anyway.

By design, there needs to be a very slight amount of play in the assembly otherwise it won't slide. So, the runners need to be close, but not perfect. You can take out most of the slop by using TS3660's suggestion.


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## Masterjer

Out of curiosity, how much do you undersize your runners in relation to the miter slots? Are we talking a couple thousandths, or do you need to go narrower to reduce sliding friction?


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## rrich

I made a sled for a dial indicator that I use to verify the blade/trunnion alignment and fence alignment.

The runner was made from stock aluminum bar, 1/4" thick. The aluminum bar was slightly sloppy in the slot. On the front end of the bar (away from the operator) I used a crescent wrench to bend a slight kink in the bar. (Across the wide part of the bar.)

With the bar attached to the sled, I moved the sled forward and back until the sled moved freely. A kludge for sure but I have a nice tight sled.


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## DeanK

Well... I ended up putting in an order for the pre-cut UHMW plastic runners at Lee Valley. I ordered 4 of them. I'll be sure to post back about their fit and quality. I needed to get to $40 for the free shipping deal. I restrained myself and only bought some needed screws and cutting board feet. The total of the order came to $40.14. Sweet.


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## stewall

*UHMW tape for slop take-up, too*

I too recently bought some UHMW plastic runners, and am currently fitting them on a band saw circle cutting jig. They were a tight fit in that particular miter guide so I ran them through my jointer! :blink:
On a previous table saw sled, when I made some out of oak, I cut them a little too small so I had some UHMV self-sticking tape which I placed on one side of both runners and they now fit great and slide just right.


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## garryswf

Cabby, just a question, is there a specific reason for using 1/4" x3/4" instead of 3/8" x3/4".


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## MTL

For my crosscut sled I used UHMW. Attach from the bottom, countersink your holes and use flat head screws. You can then adjust friction by loosening/tightening the countersunk screws as the will expand the UHMW.


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## Marv

Just a heads up for anyone planning to use the Incra Miter slider SE with the steel bar for a sled. 
I purchased the 18" model for a mid size single runner sled to fit between my 12" capacity miter gauge and large 36" capacity sled. The picture I saw on the website I purchased from showed 2 of these side by side and for some reason I thought they were showing that it had adjusters on the top and bottom. Unfortunately when I received it I found that unlike my shorter Incra miter gauge bar which has 4 adjusters 3 1/2" apart this bar has only 2 adjusters spaced 7 1/2" apart and approximately 5 1/8" from the ends (the 2 black inserts are fixed) making about 10 1/4" of it useless for a sled application (this bar is more suitable for short travel jigs such as box joint jigs etc)


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## DeanK

I received my UHMW plastic runners earlier this week, but haven't had any shop time the past few days. I'll be sure to update when I can get down there, but this weekend is already pretty packed. Dealing with woodworking withdrawal right now...


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## DeanK

Here's how the sled is coming along. Pics from last weekend... 






























That's 1/2" Baltic birch plywood. I also glued up 2 pieces of 3/4" for a nice heavy duty fence. Need to do the same for the bridge on the opposite side and then start assembling. 











If there is interest I could do a separate build thread.


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## jharris2

You've got my attention Dean.

I'm intrigued by the shape of your sled.

Looking forward to seeing it develop.


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## Trav

jharris2 said:


> You've got my attention Dean. I'm intrigued by the shape of your sled. Looking forward to seeing it develop.



Me to. Why the cool shape?


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## Burt

I've used these Rockler bars and they work great. It's all about the nylon set screws for tuning to miter slot.
http://www.rockler.com/rockler-18-24-aluminum-miter-bar


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## Marv

Burt said:


> I've used these Rockler bars and they work great. It's all about the nylon set screws for tuning to miter slot.
> http://www.rockler.com/rockler-18-24-aluminum-miter-bar


I guess I should look around before buying stuff as I found the Kreg version of that one that's been hanging in the corner for years!


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## DeanK

Ttharp said:


> Me to. Why the cool shape?


I was killing some time at a local Barnes and Noble a few weeks ago and picked up a summer 2014 Woodsmith Tools & Jigs special issue with plans for an "Ultimate Crosscut Sled." I really liked the design and have been loosely using that plan for my sled. First change I made was to scale it down from 27" x 54" to 24" x 48" for the base since 1/4 sheets of Baltic birch are more readily available in these parts and easier to work with in my cramped shop. The extension on the left looks like it will be a nice feature for supporting longer boards. I liked that design. 

I have a long way to go and had hardly any shop time this weekend. Just got a little sanding done on the base and fence. As I find the time I'll keep taking pics of my progress and start up a build thread.


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## jharris2

I have that plan too Dean, pretty elaborate. If I'm not mistaken those plans include a box joint jig attachment.

That sled is a monster. I'd have now place to store or either.


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## DeanK

Don't see anything about a box joint jig in the magazine I have. I know there is online content for the plan that I can access, but haven't looked at yet. It could be reprinted from an earlier issue too, I suppose. 

Yeah, it's big. I will be drilling a couple holes in the base to hang it on a wall.


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