Squaring up a panel sled

[milanuk]

So... finally decided I've had enough of the SMT being in, then out, then even further out... and set out to make a simple panel sled. Fit a few strips of red oak I had sitting around to fit in the two slots of the left hand miter strip for guiding the sled, and one to locate another piece the same size as the sled on the right side for off cuts. I took another 2" x 2" stick of red oak to serve as the fence on the front (far) side of the sled. I used a drafting square against the blade to get it 'close', clamped it, drilled and screwed it in place, and started cutting.

The first piece looked good... really good. With my combo square I couldn't see any light between the blade and the wood. So then I decided to try the five-cut test - the bane of my existence. After marking a ~13 x15" piece of 3/4 MDF, I made the cuts - ended up about 33 thou thicker at one end than the other. I figure thats about as close as I ever got with the SMT, with just a cobbled together crude sled.

Question is, do I keep going or call it good?

[chopnhack]

Depends on the precision of the project you are looking to do. My guess would be look at your runners, make sure they fit well and glide smoothly. But more importantly, why did you not make the board oversized and just cut it on the first pass through for it to be dead on?

[steve-norrell]

Fit a few strips of red oak I had sitting around to fit in the two slots of the left hand miter strip for guiding the sled, and one to locate another piece the same size as the sled on the right side for off cuts.

I apologize of I missed something, but the above statements suggest that you added either the two-slot Ryobi miter table or built your own. In either case it is important that the slots be parallel to the blade. I don't know what kind of alignment you can expect if the slots are not parallel and you proceed as you mentioned.

Again, if the slots are not parallel, the sled will have to move either away from, or toward the blade, as you push it across the table top. The amount of movement may be very small, almost imperceptible, but it will be there.

The three attached photos show the method I use to align the slots with the blade. It is important, as noted, that you are looking straight down on the blade.

Good luck, Steve

[milanuk]

chopnhack,

I did, for the bed of the sled. I'm talking about a test piece - trim each edge, then cut a slice off one edge and measure the thickness at each end - supposed to show you how much and which way your x-cut fence is off.

Steve,

I'm using the OEM dual miter slot table insert. Sometime in the recent past I mounted it on there, and had a jig made up that rode in one of the slots and mounted a dial indicator to it and I seem to recall it (the slots) being pretty much parallel.

Going back and measuring the actual width of the runners I see they are not perfectly straight/parallel along their own length. Since they are glued in place, that means yet another jig tossed in the friggin' trash.

I've about had it with trying to make jigs. I don't have a Rockler or Woodcraft or anything similar closer than 3hrs so anything not carried @ Lowes or HD has to be either made or ordered in. For whatever reason, precision jig making is something I just suck at. I'd just suck up my pride and get a Dubby or the Rockler equivalent, but I'm about done with this saw - as soon as I can save up for something better, it's outta here, and I'm not going to spend money on a sled twice. I'm tired of something I have to nudge, wiggle or fudge into place - and as soon as I bump it or move it across the shop, it's out of tune again. It's not quite that bad, but right about now it sure feels like it.

[cgallery]

If you can cross-cut a 12" wide piece of stock and a quality square (like a Starrett or a good plastic triangle) shows it is square, then I say stop, you're done.

The five-cut method is a great idea, but you have five chances of biffing it. You could have a little dust between the fence and the workpiece. The workpiece could shift during one of the cuts. There could be a bow in the first edge against the fence. Any of those types of problems will throw the entire test off.

I use a plastic triangle to check my 16" sled w/ a 12" workpiece, and I use a known-good contractor's square to check my 25" sled w/ a 24" workpiece. That is good enough for me.

[chopnhack]

gotcha, now I know what you mean, I thought the sled was off and I was starting to wonder how it could have been off that much!

[milanuk]

Phil,

Good point. I put this sled together mainly as a proof of concept so I didn't make a rabbet on the bottom edge of the fence to give dust someplace to go.

I'm still pretty bummed about the sled runners though. I've been having problems for years making jigs - always something just a skosh out here or there that I end up not finding until too late. Some people make their own jigs and they come out perfect and gorgeous - mine look like a drunk meth-head with palsy got loose in the shop.

[gjat]

Some people make their own jigs and they come out perfect and gorgeous - mine look like a drunk meth-head with palsy got loose in the shop.

My mom said I didn't have a twin borther!

[billwmeyer]

I don't know how you made your sled, and I haven't made mine yet, but what I plan to do is put the runners in the miter slots and then put double sticky tape on them and apply the sled. I will then draw lines beside the runners and screw in place. I actually started to do this a few months ago, and couldn't find my tape. Matter of fact, I still haven't found it.

It's too bad you are having so much trouble with your sliding miter table. For all of the abuse I have given my saw, including putting it in a storage building for nearly a year, it has always been dead on. I have had my saw for about 8 years or so.

One trick I learned here, is that after taking the sled off, lock in the back rail first, then the front. By doing that it has always been in line.

Good luck!

Bill

[eezlock]

squaring up a panel sled

Have you watched how Norm made his at the New Yankee Workshop?
I think, if you follow his guidelines it should come out square and relatively
trouble free for you. I made one similar to his a couple of years back, with one major exception....I used an Incra miter slider to work in one of the dual slot miter tracks, I like it a lot better than wooden sides on my panel cutting sled.

Before you give up on the saw, give it a try, you will like the results a whole lot better! I also grew tired of the SMT and sold it a long time ago.