Thread: Aftermarket mitre gauge vs sled.

Hi

Originally Posted by metalnwood

I can see the benefits of the size of the kreg as well as easily setting angles but I haven't seen any comparisons of their performance compared to a sled.

Type...

Kreg precision mitre gauge +review

OR

Kreg precision mitre gauge +review +sled

(copy and paste into the search window)

For some interesting information and reading, hope this helps

Thanks MrFixIt but..... When I type it in to this forum I only get my post.

When I type it in to google I get some reviews which I have read in the past. They all say that they are much better than the accessory you get with your table etc but no direct comparison to other jigs like a sled.

I was hoping for advise like 'If your'e just doing standard crosscuts the the kreg or incra wont beat the solid stability of a homemade sled' or 'A kreg mitre give you all the ease of crosscuts that you had with a sled but adds the ability to do angles without creating another jig'

I don't know if those examples are true or not

Thanks,
Jason

If your'e just doing standard crosscuts the the kreg or incra wont beat the solid stability of a homemade sled.

A kreg mitre give you all the ease of crosscuts that you had with a sled but adds the ability to do angles without creating another jig.




Crosscut sled video

Originally Posted by metalnwood

I was hoping for advise like 'If your'e just doing standard crosscuts the the kreg or incra wont beat the solid stability of a homemade sled'

I was hoping for advise like 'If your'e just doing standard crosscuts the the kreg or incra wont beat the solid stability of a homemade sled'



BE WARNED! I haven't ever used a flash mitre thing, and have a lot of trouble holding timber securely at any angle on a mitre thing, or at least securely enough to get a nice cut, so I am biased.

I also believe that the sled will allow you to do many things very safely.

I have a sled, it's quite large, almost the size of the table, 12mm mdf with brass runners and a big blob to stop the saw coming out the back. All my other jigs have hardwood or other temporary runners.

When I want to make a cut at a funny angle, I screw (or nail) a fence onto the sled at the appropriate angle, and either put a stop on it, or use the back horizontal bit as a stop. Because the piece is moving with the sled, there's almost no chance of even the slightest movement during the cut.

Sometimes with really small or fine work ( ) I will draw a pencil line at the appropriate angle, and HOLD the piece on the sled with a Grr-ripper.

DON'T even think about cutting small bits with a mitre gauge.

Making a sled takes very little time, and even for ripping through shelves and the like, it's a great substitute for a sliding table.

You'll need a sled anyway, so build it first, then decide if you need anything else.

Cheers,

P

I'm in the process of building Bob Jagers sled for the Triton at the moment,fantastic, saves all that stuffing around changing to c/cut mode.

Well, I have to say since getting the Incra SE1000 I have not used my sled. Not once.

For cutting angles, I clamp a flat bit of timber to the Incra which has some sandpaper glued to the side. This extends out through the blade so you can see exactly where the cut is and line up your workpiece with near perfection. The sandpaper prevents slipping, although I still clamp the workpiece as well.

I'm sure my sled was not as good as Midge's and some others, but I see no point in building a better one when the miter gauge is so good. I have built a separate jig for long angles like tapered legs, but other than that I use the miter gauge exclusively.

Tex

Tex,

Don't get me all excited about a new bit of kit!

I'm not bagging those flash things at all, but I'm curious as to the smallest piece of timber you cut using it?

It's horses for courses I know, and I can't do tapered legs on my current sled, maybe I need both?

Cheers,

P

Try cutting a 2400 x 675mm board on a Incra

Id have a sled anyday

I'm a lil with Tex here, ever since i got my Incra 3000 i grab my cross cut sled heaps less. Now i only ever grab the sled to do larger panels, mainly cause of the length difference of my sled i guess. I know the 3000 is heaps of overkill with what i do, but its awsome to be able to grab the mitre gauge and set it to any angle and know its right every time, and to be able to change to any angle you want in all of about 5 secs. There is also the possability of clamping the equivilant of a small sled to the mitre gauge to do the small jobs and being able to choose the angle perfectly the first time!

It seems to me that you need both! But then again if you have never had a really good mitre gauge, when you prolly dont know what your missing!!!

I've got the Kreg and it's excellent. Very accurate and easy to use. I agree with Lignum and Mick about large sheets being easier with a sled, but the Kreg is a great bit of kit.

I'll come down squarely on both sides of the issue. I've an Incra 3000 mounted to an Incra Mitre Express sled. Now this is a small sled, but for cutting shelves, legs, face frames, etc. it is the bee's knees. Anything up to about 1000mm and no wider than about 500mm. And you can use the mitre whilst still mounted on the sled, so no drama. The sled has a t-slot and sliding clamp for clamping the workpiece down and holding it solidly.

That said, for larger boards and panels, a largish home-built sled is still the go.

Yep,
Both are good. They are like chalk and cheese for me
If im squaring up a table top, the big sled (like ligs) is the go, much safer and easier
If im cross cutting, say some small drawer faces to length, or want to make a quick angled cut, the incra is the go
They both have a place in my workshop

I think you cant go wrong with incra, or the kreg gauges. Both brands get alot of good words of praise.
Cheers.

I'll have a sled any day of the week.
I have a square sled that gets a lot of work and a monster protractor sled that I use rarely..... but it is very accurate'
Cost .... cheap as chips.

cheers

I have the Kreg and a sled and use them both a lot.

Midge,

It is easy enough to clamp the workpiece to the Kreg, and its fence can be slid sideways and clamped, so that it just misses the saw blade. Alternatively, you can use an auxiliary fence that is cut by the saw blade.

Rocker