Dead Accurate Saw Sled
My table saw sled has seen better days. I’ve had it for a few years and it’s time to replace it. I didn’t want to spend money buying one so I made one using particle board. I recommend watching the video above because a picture is worth a thousand words. But, I’ll describe it too.
My sled is not “the ultimate” table saw sled. I don’t have fancy features or laser Bluetooth technology. I’ve seen some amazing sleds, but they just aren’t for me. I like bare bones simple shop jigs and this is a sled that you can make in an afternoon. The dimensions of my table saw sled are approximately 34”L x 23”W. The fence is 4” tall. The bottom is made from 1/2” particle board and the fences are made with two pieces of 3/4” thick particle board. I used scrap walnut for the rails.
Fences
I cut four pieces of 3/4” thick particle board to 34”L x 4”W. This allowed me to glue together two pieces to form the front and back fences. I clamped my fences to the rail on my table saw and shot in some pin nails. Clamping them made sure that they were dead flat.
Bottom
The bottom of the sled is 1/2” thick particle board. I cut a piece to 34”L x 23”W. I took some scrap walnut and cut it down so that it fit inside my miter slots on my table saw top. Those are going to be the rails of my sled. To attach the rails to the bottom piece, I placed some washers inside the miter grooves and then set the rails on top of the washers. This ensured that the rails are sitting proud of the table top and fully touching the particle board bottom. I placed a few drops of CA glue on the rails and set the bottom on top of it. To help with alignment, I used my table saw fence on the right hand side. Once the glue dried, I removed the bottom and rails, and then added a few screws through the rails and into the bottom. Make sure these are countersunk so they don’t scrape your saw top. Lastly, I used a hand saw to trim the rails to final length.
Attach the Fences
The fence furthest away from me was simply screwed into the bottom. Remember to counter sink the screws. You want to use the longest screws that you have. I didn’t glue my fence to the sled. Sometimes, I need to cross cut a panel wider than my sled so I like to be able to remove this fence. Ensure that you do not place any screws were the saw blade will cut.
To attach fence closest to you, place a screw in the left and right side corners of fence. At this point, don’t add any additional screws. Make a cut using your new sled. Now, you can determine how accurate your sled really is. I placed a square up to my blade and along the fence, only to find out that it was dead accurate at 90 degrees. I got lucky. If yours is not, here’s how you fix that.
Unscrew a screw in one of your corners. Leave the other one in place. Pivot your fence until it’s at 90 degrees with your blade. Drill a new hole and add your screw. Do not use the same hole. This will only move the fence back to it’s original spot. Make test cut of a piece of scrap wood and set a square on it to see if the cut was square. If it is, then add in the rest of your screws. If not, adjust your fence again. Sometimes, it’s going to take trial and error to get it right.
Finish
Once the sled is done, you can add a finish if you’d like. I sanded my sled, especially the edges on the fences where I place my hands. Make sure that you don’t sand too much on the face of the fence because you don’t want to throw off your 90 degree angle. I put some shellac on my sled, and then a coat of wax. This simply protects it and makes it slide smoothly. It’s completely optional. Now go enjoy your new sled and make awesome things!
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