Thread: How To make sleds??

I've currently just finished building my sled which i am not at all satisfied with.

Here are some things that i found while building the sled, and i hope these will stop you making the same mistakes i did.

I found out that even with use of the protractor guide that fits in the infill strip, the sled would still be able to move around quite a lot (1 to 2 degrees of rotation of the sled), so that idea is worthless and its not really possible (for me anyway) to construct an accurate enough mdf bit that slides along the infill track.

I have thus found the best solution is to get rid of the infill tracks altogether. both the left and right one. (I'm considering the middle one as small pieces have a tendancy to dip inwards and not rest square against the fence.) 2 rivets per track is all u need to remove.

After removing the infill tracks you can easily cut a long thin piece of mdf about 18.5mm wide to fit the spot where the infill track was. Note that you REALLY have to use both tracks the left and right to ensure it's square at all times to the blade. Even with a piece of mdf 220mm long sitting in the track i still experience up to 1 degree of rotation in my sled.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
Bismar

Standard way is to use the Triton table edges as your running guides using hardwood strips under the mdf sled sheet. Use a short block to join the two sides of the saw cut out so that you can still use the saw guard....

No point in re-inventing the wheel and as SbD says you use the table sides not the slots

Try this link - http://www.users.bigpond.com/bob.jager/triton_sled.htm - works for me

Ian

Originally Posted by Ian Smith

No point in re-inventing the wheel and as SbD says you use the table sides not the slots

Try this link - http://www.users.bigpond.com/bob.jager/triton_sled.htm - works for me

Ian

Way to go. easy and effective.

Thanks you for your reply if everybodyyou have some good ideas there, I will let you know what I decide on.

That's a great sled but I'd suggest one slight modification. Put a sawdust groove between the base and the vertical.

After many years of using a 'quick-stopgap' sled put together without much thought or enough care, I finally got irritated and thought: "I can do better than this now". Note the trusty old M3.
So I've just completed a 'new' sled made out of mostly recycled bit - as you do.
What a little ripper it's turning out to be.

As I see it there are four critical stages in making a sled for the Triton:

1. Aligning the saw in the table slot.

This takes time and if you move your table about at all, then it will never be accurate. A particular gripe I have with the Triton plate is that they have a silly mechanism for aligning the saw with those four adjuster slides. Aaaahhhh!!!!!! You can eventually get it to around 0.1mm accuracy - just don't move your table any more. I have a better method in mind for when I next need to do adjustment.

2. Making two nice 90 degree fences to attach to the base plate.

These are the pink laminex coated MDF things in my photos. Recycled of course -that explains those extra holes. Each is drilled for wingnuts at each end and four locking nuts which you tighten after aligning the fences at 90 degrees to the first partial cut. I routed off a strip of the laminex and glued them together. I then used a bearing bit to make the edges exact.

3. Attaching at least two adjustable sliders to the underside.

I recommend you do all three and use one of the table top channels as I did. It makes firming up the first edge slider a tad easier so that the sled is snug against the table top. Countersink the holes and file them into slots. This allows the small amount of adjustment needed to ride positively against the table sides. I used aluminum angle and plastic breadboard. You can see I've used thickish plastic mainly because I wanted a squared section for the table top channel (I needed to plane it down a widgeon and embedded nuts in the underside to prevent it snagging on the metal bars of the table top plate.

4. Aligning the rear fence.

This must be at absolute 90 to the first partial cut through the baseplate (I used 6mm MDF by the way). Tighten up the wingnuts first before the locking nuts are set.

Then spend 10 minutes or so checking and adjusting the edge sliders for tightness. Don't forget a wipe with your favourite lubricant - and I don't mean throat gargle grape derived type stuff. Camellia oil from the local asian victuallers is getting nod these days - and you're away!

Having done this I have now got a sled with virtually no play in it. It is a joy to use.

I think it took me 5 or 6 years in accumulating the bits and a day stooging around to actually persuade them to become a recognizable tool. SWMBO's only comment was: "Why are you making another tool? Haven't you got enough?". Groan!

Terra TY nice sled for the MK3

Another great ideahow did you cut the bread board, on the band saw or circular saw, I find the board melts back together behind the blade and the strips come out curved.

Hello wm460,

My method for cutting this stuff is to use a circular saw in a slide table much like what you can do with the Triton in overhead mode.

I don't own a slide compound mitre saw (SCMS) but I've made a couple of fixed rail aluminium slide frames that do much the same job that are smaller and easier to use than changing around the Triton M3. These are 185mm saws with 40T blades that I find easier on my wrists than the big Triton (and Yes, I use more breadboard under those saws for more slip and kerf control). It works well on the 11mm thick plastic I bought in Kmart. I have recently bought a 60T 185mm blade which I think should be better on the thinner boards (6mm) that you can buy from places like IKEA ($4.00 for a pair).

I found the overhead Triton cutting too risky for small pieces under the large Triton plate but it can be done with perhaps more patience and courage than I possess ( I still have all my fingers - I think).

Using the bandsaw was less than satisfactory for the very reasons you have stated. The kerf is far too thin for this clumsy troglodyte to heat control and allows the rejoining of the plastic if you're not too careful.
The 3mm+ kerf of the SC does limit any rejoin.

Making sure the board is very firmly clamped down before commencement.
Adjust the depth of cut to a smidgin more than the board and maybe use a sacrificial board under the plastic - it will provide that extra bit of support right up to the kerf line that the open channel of the Triton table doesn't provide. (That's if you're going the 'overhead mode', that is.)

Feed the saw in a few centimetres at a time. Draw the blade back a bit for cooling. Wait a few seconds and push a bit more through. Repeat until you are near the end when you will find out if your clamping is sufficient. The last bite can sometimes grab and 'chip' the end off but you're usually going to slice off more than the length you need so this is probably not a problem.

Same procedure if you have a SCMS -one day Bertha I will truly possess you and you will be mine - all mine!!! (sad fool must now put Hitachi catalogue back in draw lest SWMBO materializes in inner sanctum and surgically removes first joint left pinkie -down to 9!)

This is far safer than feeding the board into the saw freehand as you would in table top mode. If you go method then use a jig to hold the breadboard

Be prepared for a Xmas wonderland of white plastic snowflakes.