Table Saw Sled - Small

glenn bradley

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When my dad inherited my hybrid tablesaw he also got a couple of sleds. One of them was a small one that I call my 'box sled' although it is used for many other smaller cuts. I am waiting on a finishing stage to cure on a few pieces which will take couple of days so I am free to take care of replacing this little guy. It is about 24" x 16" with about 12" of usable space between the front and rear fences. This makes it a build that can eat up some of my scrap. I usually use hardwoods for the fences but, in the spirit of cleaning out the scrap bin I will use BB ply for all of this.

Box Sled (0).jpg

My original "I'm-gonna-make-a-better-version-someday" dado jig built from an old bookcase is still getting used(???). *** [small voice in head] maybe I oughta take care of that between larger projects too ***

Box Sled (1).jpg

Anyway, here is the dado jig in use making the stopped dados that will hold the t-track. I also use it to hog out the ZCI strip location.

Box Sled (2).jpg . Box Sled (3).jpg

The "fence" pieces in the last pic are just some scrap I set there to make sure I am not wandering too far afield. The overlong ZCI insert is from my 'medium' sled and again is just a prop for the pic. The fences will actually be laminated BB ply pieces that I am waiting for the glue to set up. I just wanted to see the track in place. I will also laminate a dummy block for the blade exit location. Primarily used to cut mitered ends for small boxes it is also handy for any light crosscutting job that requires extra accuracy.

Box Sled (16).jpg

When I make the inserts for any jig, I make a bunch as the setup takes the time and not the actual making. Since all my sleds use inserts of a common width I made some extras for the medium sled too. The large sled goes through these the slowest and i still have plenty.

To drill the through holes in the fence I make sure everything is nice and square. A couterbore allows the washer and nut to set below the top to stay out of the way of any clamping or what-not.

Box Sled (5).jpg

And here it is partially assembled. I have to stop for some dinner and will pick this up tomorrow.

Box Sled (6).jpg

Ok, so among other things as mentioned, this is one thing it excels at; easy, air-tight, mitered edge boxes.

Box Sled (17).jpg
 
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