Thread: Question: Could you / Do you use a Router sled to make your boxes?

A router sled can only be used for planing a board flat. It's not possible to do mitre joints etc.
What you need is a router table and appropriate jigs/bits.
For mitre joints and other cross-grain shaping, for instance, Google 'coping sled'.

Thanks for the reply Hermit.

I had thought that if it could be done with a hand held router it would work in the sled. As the sled would then allow greater accuracy.

I will go back to the drawing board.

Cheers

Originally Posted by jarradds123

Thanks for the reply Hermit.

I had thought that if it could be done with a hand held router it would work in the sled. As the sled would then allow greater accuracy.

I will go back to the drawing board.

Cheers

It wouldn't be all that hard to make a router table, to take your current router upside-down.
There are plenty of plans online to get you started. 'T' track etc can be bought from Carbatec or Rockler.

What Hermit said is right - the sled is primarily designed for planing a board to get it flat. Admittedly, if you lock the carriage in position, the router can be used to do rabbets and dadoes across the board and even down the board if you lock the router in position on the carriage and run it lengthwise. It definitely won't do 45 degree cuts.

Perhaps you sholuld look around for a used Triton router table to start you off, but as Hermit said, they are easy to make. Once you have a router table, you can buy a jig to do dovetail joints and finger joints for your boxes

The next tool you need is a mitresaw that will allow you to crosscut timbers to the exact same length, a key issue in successful mitre joints, and to cut boards at 45 degrees for mitre joints.

You still have to get boards cut to the correct width. To do this from dressed timber, you really need to rip cut the timber on a table saw.

Some will argue that a bandsaw is the best bit of machinery that allows you to do all these things, provided you clean it up with planes

Having said that, all the above is based on having machinery, and not much skill involved. As a start, can I suggest you consider getting some hand tools and developing your skills with a hand saw or two, some chisels, marking knife and marking gauge, a couple of planes, and you are off on the box making journey of hand made joints and hinges etc

Thanks for the reply Hermit and Dengue.

I think I will start with using the hand tools to develop my skills and experience. I will then look at a router table with a coping sled or box joint jig to simplify things.

Thanks for your help. Hopefully I can post my first box soon.

Cheers

Jarrad
Librarian has put up a whole lot of Box Making tips which I'd recommend.

Cheers .....

Thanks for all the replies.

I made a small router table, planing sled (to be upgraded if it will be for long term use) and a finger joint jig.

I am looking at a coping sled now.

Currently I am playing around with each component of the box and hope to attempt my first box shorty.

Cheers

Just being contrary or thinking laterally, I haven't done this in practice.

If you can lock the carriage in position to allow you to cut a dado as suggested above, and you have a good 45degree V bit, and you can lock the work into the sled well enough to handle the lateral forces involved, could you not form the mitre for two panels meeting at a corner with a couple of passes of the V bit so that it cuts through the panel forming a perfect grain matching mitre?

As stated above, have not done this with a sled, but have done it it with a 10HP spindled commercial CNC in a production setting using composite ali/plastic panel (6mm), and 16mm MDF colourboard door and panel material, using a 32 mm (from memory) diameter Carbitool V bit. Major differences, to my mind would be system rigidity and available power, but it should be possible, even if in 2 or 3mm cuts.

If you haven't done so Jarradds123, have a look at Template Tom's videos on the forum - pages 8 and 9. He does some amazing work with hand held routers and jigs he makes.