Can I ask about crosscut sleds?

Roger Pozzi

Member
Messages
75
Location
Mount Vernon, Ohio
I just built a small crosscut sled to aid me in box building. I used ½” phenolic faced plywood for the base with hard maple for the fence and Incra miter sliders. It’s only 12” deep since I never use lumber wider than 8” to 10” anyway.
My question to all the experts and users of crosscut sleds is: How precise should I expect to get this set up?
After 6 tries using the 5 cut method, I have 1/64” or .0145” difference in a 8” cut. Is that considered close enough?
I just want my boxes to come out square along with some small molding I use on some styles I build.
Thank you all in advance for your thoughts on this.
 
My feeling on tolerances is that the smaller the project, the more exacting you need to be. An error of 1/64" may not seem like much on a 5 foot by 5 foot box but it will have much more impact on a 5 inch by 5 inch item.
 
I shoot for about .001" over 12" or so. What design did you use to adjust the fence? I use t-bolts with tight fitting holes through the fence, oversized holes in the sled base and elongated holes to allow the heads to move forward and backward a bit. I loosen all four bolts, snug one of the ends . . .

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and just tap the fence the direction I want to go. Snug the other three bolts and test, loosen, tap, snug, test, etc. Takes a few tries but not many. Some have used a really clever threaded gizmo to allow very controlled adjustment. Maybe they will chime in. Smaller items are much less tolerant of deviation than larger pieces. A 30" square lower cabinet might accept 1/64" deviation on a miter but a 5" square box end would not IMHO.
 
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Thank you for your input.
After re-reading the 5 cut method, I discovered that the final difference has to be divided by 5.:doh:
Therefore, I really have a .0029" differential. I think that's close enough for my needs.
But, Glenn, I really like your idea on fence mounting. How did you get the oval mortises in your base? I think I'll incorporate that concept in my miter sled.
 
Thank you for your input.
After re-reading the 5 cut method, I discovered that the final difference has to be divided by 5.:doh:
Therefore, I really have a .0029" differential. I think that's close enough for my needs.
But, Glenn, I really like your idea on fence mounting. How did you get the oval mortises in your base? I think I'll incorporate that concept in my miter sled.

I used a Forstner bit to drill two shallow mortises and then used a chisel to connect them.

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