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07-11-2021, 12:07 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-11-2021, 12:08 PM by fredhargis.)
Incra makes 24" runners, though they aren't any cheaper (about $30 each) but they are top notch (they also come in 18". An alternative would be to make your own, either from hard maple or even UHMW (or substitute). You might eb able to find a plastic cutting board that you can rip to make the runners.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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Make the runners from any stable wood—it’ll be fine.
Gary
Please don’t quote the trolls.
Liberty, Freedom and Individual Responsibility
Say what you'll do and do what you say.
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I have been making all my miter runners out of 1/4" plexiglass.
Stays stable and slides smoothly.
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I ripped my runners from the edge of a 3/4" plank of red oak. These are a bit too tight for my saw, so I stuck a piece of 120 self-adhesive sand paper to the casting on my saw and I rubbed the edge until I had a nice fit. I then applied paste wax to improve slip and reduce moisture absorption.
For precise work you might want to use two runners.
In any event the red oak worked fine. Maple might do better. Bamboo, if you can find it, absorbs very little moisture is is supposed to be very stable.
Since then I have gotten a radial arm saw and a Festool track saw, so I have little need for the sled.
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
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1/4 Baltic birch ply makes good runners as well. Extremely stable and wears longer than the sled in my experience.
Proud maker of large quantities of sawdust......oh, and the occasional project!
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Here's a little bit of a guideline that I use in the shop: There's always a product for sale that meets your needs, but unless it offers a substantial advantage over the shop-made version, save your money and DIY! You're already committed to building your own sled (which you could buy), Just keep at it and make the runners too. Manufactured runners don't offer a substantial benefit over shop-made runners.
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The longer runners allow you to push the sled further past the saw blade and it allows cross cuts on wider material. I don't think that there will be a meaningful difference in accuracy by going to the longer runners.
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
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I use the ZEROPLAY Guide Bars from Microjig. Have for more than 10 years.
Honestly, I have worked with Microjig for many years and work for MicroJig now, so take that into account.
The ZEROPLAY is only 9” long but you can use two together. For a panel sled, I would have then in tandem in the same miter slot. For a crosscut sled that spans the blade I would have on in each miter slot but staggered front to back so one was always fully in the slot no matter where the sled was.
Here is some video I did from my website.