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Step By Step
Click image to enlarge.
1. Cut a 32-in. Length of 24-in. Wide shelving using a carpenter’s square and circular saw (or your table saw if you have an extended fence). Place the cut shelving on the saw with the edge hanging 2 in. over the left side of the saw table, and draw a left runner guideline even with the edge of the miter gauge slot. Also draw a line to mark the blade path.
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2. Rip the oak lattice to the same width as the miter gauge slots. Hand-sand or plane the runners so they’ll slide easily in the slots without binding. Cut them to the same length as the depth of your sled.
3. Clamp the left runner even with the line and clamp a straightedge tight against the runner to keep it straight while you mount it. Drill 1/16- in. pilot holes and then countersink holes and fasten the runner with five 1-in. No. 6 evenly spaced wood screws.
TIP
Attach a “flag” of tape 3/4 in. from the end of the drill bit to prevent you from drilling through the sled table.
4. Sprinkle sawdust in the right slot, press double-faced tape onto the second runner and lay it tape side up into the slot (the sawdust shims the runner above the table surface so the tape will stick to the sled bottom). The strip should be flush with the infeed edge of the saw table. Align the sled table with the infeed edge of the saw table, then lower the fixed left runner into the slot and lower the right side of the sled onto the taped runner. Carefully lift the sled off the saw, then screw on the second runner.
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Take the sled for a test run. If the sled sticks or binds, run it back and forth through the slots 20 or so times then flip the sled over and examine the runner edges. The sticking spots will be darker. Unscrew the runners and shave down these areas with a block plane or sandpaper.
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5. Using a jigsaw, cut a 20-in. long 2x6 for the stiffener and a 32-in. long 2x6 for the fence to the dimensions shown in Fig. A. We used a coffee cup to mark the layout curves. Sand the parts, round over the edges with a router (optional) and seal them with varnish.
Click image to enlarge.
6. Clamp the stiffener flush with the outfeed edge, keeping the right end of the stiffener even with the right end of the sled table. Drill pilot holes (1/8 in.) and countersink holes and screw the stiffener through the sled bottom with 3-in. drywall screws spaced every 3 in. Keep the screws 2 in. away from the blade path. Clamp the fence 1-1/2 in. back from the infeed edge (see photos) of the sled table. Install only one pivot screw at the right end of the fence and leave the clamp on the left side.
7. Square the fence with a straight-edged piece of plywood. Raise the blade 1 in. Above the saw table. Cut through a piece of scrap plywood, stopping the cut at the fence. Check for square by flipping over the left half of the plywood. Push the two cut edges together and check to see if the joint is uneven.
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8. Gently tap the fence to adjust it and make another test cut in a new scrap. Repeat this step until the two halves meet perfectly. Then flip over the sled and fasten the fence as you did the stiffener.
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9. Drill a 3/8-in. Hole in the left corner of the sled table (see fig. A for location) and install a 2-1/2 in. long, 3/8-in. dia. bolt positioned as shown in Fig. A. Raise the blade to full height and cut through the sled table and fence, shutting off the motor when the blade exits the table. (Keep your hands well away from the path of the blade while you’re making this dangerous cut.) Drill a 3/8- in. hole through the lip of the saw table and anchor a 2-1/2 in. long, 3/8-in. bolt with two nuts, washers and a lock washer. Adjust the bolt until the head of the bolt is centered on the sled table stop bolt.
TIP
When drilling metal, first use a center punch to make a divot to keep your drill bit from wandering. Then, to avoid overheating and dulling larger drill bits, work your way up to the 3/8-in. hole by starting with a 1/8-in. bit, then using a 1/4-in. bit, thena 3/8-in. bit.
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10. Precut and finish the two blade guard blocks (see fig. A for dimensions). Center the first block on the saw path and screw it to the fence with two 2-1/2 in. drywall screws. Center and screw the second block to the first block, offsetting those screws from the first guard block screws.
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11. Standard, 90-degree crosscuts are the bread-and-butter cuts this sled is designed to make. With the saw off, set the blade height to cut no higher than 1/8 in. above the wood. Pull the sled back, lay your workpiece against the fence and line up the blade with your cutting mark. Turn the saw on, hold the wood against the fence and slowly push the workpiece through the saw. After the cut is completed, slightly separate the two halves from the blade and shut off the saw. Let the blade coast to a complete stop before you remove the wood.
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12. Screw a stop block to a 1x4 and screw or clamp the 1x4 to the fence for repetitive, identical cuts that exceed the table saw fence rip capacity.
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Keep the stop blocks 1/8 in. above the sled table so sawdust won’t pile up against the block and make your length cuts inaccurate.
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13. Clamp a stop block to the table saw fence for repetitive cuts that are longer than the sled fence but shorter than the width of the maximum table saw fence set-ting.
CAUTION:
Position the stop block so the wood you’re cutting leaves the block before the wood meets the blade.
WARNING:
Don’t ever use the table saw fence without a stop block for length cuts. It’s a dangerous kickback hazard!
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14. Use a 45-degree architectural square to cut a perfect 45-degree, 12-in. Long jig from a piece of scrap plywood. Screw the jig stock to a separate piece of plywood held tight against the fence to hold it in place for safe cutting. Screw a 1x2 flush with the back edge of the jig with 1-5/8 in. drywall screws (Photo 15). Hold the right-end screw 3 in. away from the tip of the triangle.
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15. Clamp the miter jig to the sled fence with 2 in. Of the jig tip projecting past the right side of the saw path, then cut off the tip. This gives you room to move wood back and forth to fine-tune lengths. Grip cutting stock firmly against the jig and use it as a guide for cutting 45-degree angles.
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