Thread: New sled works with blade guard

Wow, that's quite elaborate, well done! How much height did you loose on the blade? The sled looks quite thick.

I've never felt the need for a sled but I wonder if anyone has used say a 1-2 mm thick aluminium sheet as a sled base? Being soft it doesn't matter if it accidentally makes contact with the blade, in fact with a bit of care a standard high teeth count blade can also be used to cut the slot in the Al sheet. I understand that Al can mark timber grey/black if it is rubbed across the Al but that is not that likely on a sled.

Scott,

The base of the sled is only 12 mm, so that's the loss in the depth of cut. The nose and tail are built up with two more layers of 12 mm MDF for strength and rigidity.

A bigger deal is the loss in the width of board that can be cut. My old sled can cut a 650 mm wide board. This one can only handle about 510 mm, because the sled is not cut all the way through the base. That's Ok by me. Most of my work is furniture, so 510 mm is plenty. If I need more I can use the old sled, but without the overhead dust collection.

Been using it today ... its nice to have dust collection over the sled.

Bob,

Do you have a sliding table on your saw? I don't, so the sled is an important part of my workshop gear.

I saw a post somewhere on the notion of an alloy base for a sled, but cannot recall where. I can think of no good reason why it would not work.

Originally Posted by John Samuel

Bob,
Do you have a sliding table on your saw? I don't, so the sled is an important part of my workshop gear.

No I don't have a sliding table.

I guess I have mainly used mine to rip long lengths of timber.
When I do cross cut I use a T-slot mitre with a 750 mm long wooden mitre extension that stops 1mm short of the blade, and make sure the table is waxed so the the timber slides easily.
I can see where a sled would increase safety especially if both sides of the piece being cut are clamped to the sled.

I made a sort of sled that grips a very small log so that it can be ripped - I used that sled to mill the Jam wood for that boot. I subsequently have obtained a band saw so I don't use it - maybe I can convert that sled into a more conventional one?

Bob,

I find the sled very helpful when cutting the tops and sides of cabinets to size. I get a perfect right angle every time, and the workpiece is steady. It also helps that the off cut is supported through the entire cut ... makes the workpiece feel more balanced, at least to me.

It also makes cutting to size very quick and simple, by aligning the cut mark with the saw slot in the fence.

Is your T-Slot Mitre shop made? If it is, a pic would be nice because that is on my list of projects.

Originally Posted by John Samuel

Is your T-Slot Mitre shop made? If it is, a pic would be nice because that is on my list of projects.

It's a very common one that comes with most chinese table saw. I just added a 95 x 19 jarrah board extension to it so that it better supports long and short board. I also has slots in it so when used on an angle the extension can be slid close to the blade for better support.

Bobl,
I have used floating floor as a sled base as I did not want to loose too much depth. I t looks to be about 4 or 5mm.
Works fine too.
Regards
John