Tablesaw sled

[Gary roofner]

Finally got started with my tablesaw sled . I started with 3' x 4' plywood panel and 2 36" x 3/4" alumum rails. I drilled holes ever 2" and taped the holes # 8 32 thread. I now have the two rails countersunk and screwed to the plywood. Now getting ready to mount the fence square to the tablesaw .

[Kerry Werry]

I put off making one of these for ages, I finally did and it is one of the best things I've made! Really helps out on projects!!

 

KLW

[Larry L.]

Today I found out my new cheap table saw doesn't cut square I have to adjust the guide-fence

I also learned my miter grooves are not 3/4" after I bought some rockler feather boards.

I'm 69 and not as sharp as I once was, and even that wasn't very sharp.

I may try to build a sled any pictures?

 

[Gary roofner]

When I finish I'll post pictures.

[Steve Bennett]

Yeah I found out the same about my miter gauge slots. It was a bear trying to make a cleat for the bottom of a sled i tried

[kenny from Sundre]

Larry L. said:

Today I found out my new cheap table saw doesn't cut square I have to adjust the guide-fence

I also learned my miter grooves are not 3/4" after I bought some rockler feather boards.

I'm 69 and not as sharp as I once was, and even that wasn't very sharp.

I may try to build a sled any pictures?

 Larry; log on to http://www.woodsmith.com/ and lookaround there. You will find plans for table saw sleds.

kenny

[Ken Darga]

Table saw sled plans

Here's a few more

Hope this helps

 

http://www.toolcrib.com/blog/2009/12/22-free-crosscut-sled-plans-th...

 

http://www.bobsplans.com/FreeJigPlans/TableSawJig/TableSawJig.htm

 

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/departments/building-skills/...

 

http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/6972/crosscut-sled-for-the-tabl...

 

http://www.mywoodprojects.com/plans/crosscutsled.aspx

 

http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com/Table_Saw_Rip_Sled_Plan.html

 

http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-plans/tablesaw/crosscut-sled/

 

http://www.turnedwood.com/framesled.html

[Gary roofner]

The feather board problem can be fixed by Kreg there feather boards fit most even  the sears undersized.

[Gary roofner]

Still haven't decided what to make the fence out of leaning toward 2 inch hard maple, or am I better of laminating some MDF?

[Kerry Werry]

I think MDF would be best, but having said that i used a nice straight true piece of hardwood I happened to have laying around. Screwed to the base using the Kreg jig I might add..

 

KLW

[Jay Boutwell]

larry, the best method to insure that your sled will cut true to the blade is by building the sled about 1" wider so that the sled will be cut off by the saw blade on your first cut.  Since the tracks in the table do not change this will insure that the sled and tracks are true to the saw blade trunion.  The new sled cut off edge is now the easy method to set your stock that you are cutting giving you an absolute "o" line.  By using the sled edge you can then take a accurate square to set the fence on both the saw and on the sled.  This is the only simple method to build the sled to insure that it is accurate with the blade.  Hope this is helpful and if you need more help please feel free to contact me. 

Larry L. said:

Today I found out my new cheap table saw doesn't cut square I have to adjust the guide-fence

I also learned my miter grooves are not 3/4" after I bought some rockler feather boards.

I'm 69 and not as sharp as I once was, and even that wasn't very sharp.

I may try to build a sled any pictures?

 

[Mike Kahle]

Not trying to hijack this thread, but since this is still on topic, maybe this can help others...

Jay, I tried the method you describe but did the cut in the middle of the sled, not the end. Using the guides on either side of the blade. I used the slot to true up the fence. Then I did the 5 cut test to see if the fence was actually true or not. First time it was off by 1/4 inch at the top of the fifth cut, the second time it was off by 3/16 inch at the bottom of the cut. I soon figured out that my 10 inch blade (a black and decker 40 tooth carbide tooth blade) bent and flopped when it was cutting, all on its own. I can set the regular fence 1 inch away from the blade, and do a cut, it will be exactly 1 inch wide, then do it again without touching the blade and the cut will be 1/16 to 1/8 shy or over the inch... and the opposite of that cut for the third cut....

Is this normal? the blade seems as this as the others I have. It is a new one that I just bought and put on.

Is this because I have a cheap Delta ShopMaster?

The miter guides on the Delta Shopmaster is a keyhole slot.... is not a true square and is not deep at all... extremely hard to make runners for this thing...

[Hugh Clare]

All of the above-mentioned adjustments are a waste of time if the trunnion is not true to the miter slots. It is the most important adjustment. The rest are based on the assumption that the first is correct.

 

Adjusting a rip fence parallel to an incorrectly adjusted blade will still produce accurate rip cuts. Crosscuts, however, will never be square as the miter slot will tend to pull the work piece away from/toward the blade, depending on which side of the blade your working.

 

If the rip fence is adjusted to the miter slots and the trunnion is still incorrect, the rip cuts will resemble a rip, but are in fact a cove cut, very inefficient and dangerous.

 

Please do not learn this lesson the hard way. A mis-adjusted table saw is EXTREMELY dangerous, let alone inefficient and frustrating to work with. Do yourselves a favor and take the extra time to check that adjustment.