Posts: 1
Threads: 0
Joined: Jul 2021
Super newbie here. Just bought a Delta table saw and downloaded the plans for the precision crosscut sled. I saw it on YouTube and thought it was the best one I have seen. The plans call for the miter slot runners to be 24". The Kreg ones I saw were 30" and $30 a piece. Looking for a less expensive solution but the ones I can find are not 24" but maybe 10" . Can I use the shorter runners with these plans? Anyone out there built this crosscut sled? Thanks for the help.
Posts: 12,633
Threads: 0
Joined: Aug 2003
Location: Wapakoneta, OH
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.
Posts: 22,239
Threads: 0
Joined: Oct 2003
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.
Posts: 1,390
Threads: 0
Joined: Sep 2007
(07-11-2021, 03:52 PM)Gary G™ Wrote: Make the runners from any stable wood—it’ll be fine.
Or order from one of the many on-line metals places. Get 3/8x3/4 cold rolled stock cut to any length you want. Drill and tap or whatever detail to suit your needs. I've been doing that for 30 years.
To tell if your slot will take this, drop a penny in the slot. A penny is exactly 3/4" diameter (actually they more often measure .749" rather than .750").
Posts: 31
Threads: 0
Joined: Feb 2021
I have been making all my miter runners out of 1/4" plexiglass.
Stays stable and slides smoothly.
Posts: 7,421
Threads: 1
Joined: Sep 2005
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.
Posts: 923
Threads: 0
Joined: Nov 1999
Location: Williston ND
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!
Posts: 706
Threads: 0
Joined: Dec 2011
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.
Posts: 7,421
Threads: 1
Joined: Sep 2005
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.
Posts: 13,485
Threads: 0
Joined: Oct 1999
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.
