Small & Mighty Crosscut Sled

I designed a new table saw crosscut sled that’s light and compact, yet capable of 95% of my crosscut needs.

Cutting Down Parts

The whole sled is made from less than a two foot by four foot sheet of three-quarter inch Baltic birch plywood. Though it’s expensive, it’ll last a long time since it’s durable and free from voids and delaminations that you always see in cheaper ply.

I cut out all my parts using the cut sheet from the plans I made.

Dimensions

The final dimensions of the base measure 32 inches wide by ten and a half inches deep, which may seem shallow, but I want to use this sled for mainly cutting narrow boards, rather than larger panels. I tend to use my miter gauge for these cuts, but it’s definitely better to use a crosscut sled when you can.

The problem with a miter gauge is that the workpiece doesn’t rest on a static surface, but slides across a slippery waxed table saw top, which is super annoying ‘cause then it wanders left or right as you make a cut, and you’re out of square. Ultimate crosscut sled is unnecessarily huge Years ago I built a humongous table saw sled. I rarely use that sled though because it’s so friggin heavy! There’s so much room to the right of the blade that never gets used and just adds a bunch of weight. It’s also really deep, and I can’t think of a time when I ever maxed it out. I figured if I eliminated the forward fence too, I’d cut down on the weight even more.

95% of the time, a table saw sled doesn’t need to be so large. That being said, I do recognize the need to cut large panels, so I’ve also designed a simple panel-style sled.

Laminations

For the fence, the stop block, and a part of the guard, I doubled up the thickness of plywood to make them beefier.

Both the stop-block and the guard are simple since they’re the same two pieces of plywood glued together.

For the fence however, I wanted to ensure that it got glued nice and straight, so I clamped it to a two-foot framing level while the glue dried. Clamping framing level to fence to ensure it glues straight

T-Track in Base

It seems very common to embed T-track in your crosscut sled base to use it for accessories and expandability.

One reason you might want to add T-track to your sled base is to use some hold down clamps for really small parts where you shouldn’t put your hands too close to the blade. I rarely encounter this problem, but when I have in the past, I’ve held the part with the eraser end of a pencil.

You might want to crosscut something very long, and to prevent it from tipping, you can secure it using hold down clamps as well. I can’t say I’ve ever really encountered this either, because as a hobbyist furniture maker, I never have to cut anything incredibly long. If I do, I can just use a square with a circular saw and get adequate results. If you have an accurate miter saw, even better.

You can also use T-track in your base to trick out your crosscut sled with modular components to expand the capabilities of your sled, like adding a miter attachment. I’m more of a fan of keeping separate jigs for separate functions though because it’s simpler, quicker, and possibly more accurate too.

So I won’t be adding T-track to my sled base cause I don’t find it necessary.

Guard Bracket

Since there’s no forward fence holding the sled together on the far side, I needed to make sure it had plenty of support. I designed a beefy bracket that doubles as a guard so that the blade doesn’t jump out and bite you.

First, I cut a couple of dados in this piece–which is actually two different parts that make up the guard, but strategically left as one piece in the cut sheet to be able to cut two dados at once. Using router bit to make a cut for the guard bracket To make the cut, you can use a dado stack in your table saw, or you can use a router table if you live in a country where owning a dado stack will land you 11 months in the SHU.The dado needs to be the exact same width as the part of the guard we laminated before, and be careful here ‘cause three-quarter-inch plywood is definitely not three-quarters of an inch, so use the part to measure the width of the dado you need.

There is an additional dado going in the other direction that is best to cut now, and is the width of a single piece of the plywood.

Now I could separate the two parts.

After splitting into two, the last dado magically transformed into a rabbet and the first wide dado lined up perfectly between both pieces. I did it this way because it’s sometimes safer to work with one larger piece, rather than multiple smaller pieces.

I added a radius to any of the exposed corners of each of the guard parts so I don’t shank myself. You can do this with a jigsaw or a band saw, if you have one. Then sand the part with a belt or disc sander. You can hand-sand this if you don’t have either.

I also rounded over all the exposed edges with my palm router so my dainty hands don’t get cut.

To assemble the guard bracket, I clamped everything together temporarily to countersink four holes where the bottom meets the dado-turned-rabbet.

Then I added some glue and screwed the bottom part into the rabbet.

Now I could glue the laminated piece and clamp it. Do not put screws in this because the blade will hit them. I placed the previous screws far from the centre line so that the blade doesn’t hit them either. Gluing and clamping sled guard bracket

Miter Bars

The miter rails or miter bars are what guide the sled through the miter slots on your table saw top. These can be made using wood or purchased from a manufacturer.

Making them out of wood isn’t difficult, just be careful to sneak up on the perfect fit by taking the smallest amount possible off, and checking each time. You want the fit to be snug so you can adjust it with sandpaper later.

If you’re going to make them out of wood, you want to use ¼” hardwood plywood like Baltic birch, since this will be both stable and dense enough to stand up to long-term use.

I’ve used hardwood in the past, like maple, but I find with the changing seasons, I have to adjust the fit from time to time when it gets more humid, only to find it becomes a little loose when it dries out.

Don’t make them out of softwood. They’ll be unstable and not durable at all.

For the most durable and flexible option, I chose to go with inexpensive manufactured miter bars. The brilliant thing about these is that they feature an expanding nylon washer that removes any slop when you tighten the Allen screw. They’re also pre-drilled and countersunk. But best of all, I didn’t have to make them.

Miter Bar Installation

To install the miter bars on the bottom of the base, I first needed to establish the sled’s position on the table saw top. To do this, I measured 24” from the left of the sled and made a mark. This let me know where the blade will intersect the base. I slid the fence from the left and secured it down where it touches the base in this position. Do not move the fence ever again. Like, forever.

I placed some washers in the miter slots so that the miter bars are just proud of the top.

The most important tip about installing these style miter bars is that the nylon washers must be oriented up if you have a table saw with t-slot runners. This consequently hides the adjustment screw, so I marked and drilled four ¾” holes in the base to access them. You also need to make sure that both miter bar nylon washers will expand in the same direction, so ensure that they both point the same way. Nylon washers pointing to the same way to expand in same direction With the miter bars flush with the front of the top, I put a few dabs of CA glue on them, and then lay the base on top of them, keeping it pressed up against the fence AND flush with the front of the top too. Now I could place something heavy on top while the glue dried.

After a few minutes, I gently flipped the base, and drilled and sunk some three quarter inch screws to permanently secure them.

Last, I adjusted the Allen screws for a slop-free and smooth-running experience.

Fence

Now I turned my attention to the fence we laminated up earlier.

I cleaned up the edges and brought it down to final dimension on the table saw. I also put a heavy chamfer on the bottom forward facing edge of the fence with my palm router. This is to prevent saw dust getting in between the workpiece and the fence, which could potentially cause your part to be out of square.

I measured where the screws go to secure the fence to the base and pre-drilled holes for them. With the base in the miter slots, I cut the base partially through, but stopped before I reached the end.

Using an accurate framing square, not one that’s been dropped off a third story roof, clamp the fence square with the kerf cut in the base. Take your time here.

Once happy with how square it was, I slid the sled back far enough so that I could countersink two screws: one near the end, and one near the kerf. Fence out of square After making a test cut, I wasn’t too impressed with how square it was, so I knew I was going to have to make an adjustment. But then I had an even worse realization: I had separated the right side of the base making this test cut…

Not to worry! I figured out I could attach a temporary forward fence while the base was still in the miter slots, and that secured everything well enough so that I could make the adjustments to the fence.

Side note, if you want the most accurate square crosscut sled that a woodshop could possibly need, now would be the time to do the five-cut method that William Ng popularized. However, I didn’t want to think that hard.

Instead I clamped a scrap of wood, which happened to be my push stick, to the base up against the current fence position. I knew which direction I needed to move the fence, so I loosened one screw and added some playing cards to pivot the angle of the fence into square. I honestly just guessed the amount of cards I needed, and through trial and error got it adequately square for a woodworking shop in two tries. This was way faster than the five cut method, and required a lot less brain activity. Getting the crosscut sled square I cut a test piece and checked it with my most accurate square. And it looked good enough to me, so I proceeded to secure the rest of the fence. To do that, I clamped the fence to a level again so I could ensure it stayed straight as I countersunk the rest of the screws in.

Attaching the Guard

The assembled guard was now dry, so it was time to attach it to the back of the fence.

I lay a couple of playing cards beneath the guard just to elevate it, so that it wasn’t dragging on the table saw top.

I wasn’t gluing it, in case I ever needed to disassemble it, but I did countersink four screws to secure it well. Remember, this is the piece that’s supporting the two halves of the sled together, since there’s no forward fence.

T-Track

Having T-track on your crosscut sled fence allows you to quickly set up a stop, and it’s an absolute must-have feature in my opinion. My old sled did not have T-track on the fence, so I definitely gravitated towards my miter gauge because I could utilize its flip stop.

A stop on your crosscut sled fence allows you to make repeated cuts of the exact same length. A flip stop is even better, because it can retain its position, but temporarily lift out of the way so you can square up one end of a board, and then flip down the stop to cut the other end to length.Yes, you can clamp a block to the fence, but it’s more finicky and time consuming, so you may as well install this now and you’ll thank yourself later.

I’m also partial to having an adhesive measuring tape on the track as well, so that I can quickly cut a board down to exact size without having to fuss with an actual measuring tape. Some people don’t find it accurate enough, but I promise it’s totally fine if you plan your cuts accordingly.

This is why I chose to use T-track with a built-in spot for an adhesive measuring tape. Sounds fancy, but it was near enough the same price as a regular T-track that it just made sense.

For the adhesive measuring tape, make sure you get one that reads from right to left, and not left to right.

Installing the T-Track

Countersinking screws to install T-track Installing the T-track is as simple as lining the right edge with the blade kerf and countersinking some number 6 screws in the slot itself.

It might have been easier to sink the screws where the measuring tape was going to go, but I didn’t want to ruin the tape, in case I ever wanted to move the track.

Next, use your flip stop and a steel rule to measure a known distance from the kerf, and apply the adhesive measuring tape.

Stop Block Extension

Now on to the exciting feature for this sled, which expands the length of repeatable cuts from 24 inches to 44 inches! That’s going to be possible with a stop block extension that’s dead simple to make. It’s entirely optional, but I think you’ll find it incredibly useful.

All you need is a 36-inch length of ¾-inch aluminum angle, which you can find at your home center.

Making Stop Block Extension

First, I cut the aluminum angle to length on the table saw. Yes, you can easily cut aluminum on the table saw, it’s nothing to be afraid of, but you MUST wear eye protection!

Remember that stop block that we laminated up a while back? Well, I rounded the corners while I was doing the same thing to the guard. Then I countersunk screws to secure the stop block to the left end of the angle. Countersinking screws to secure stop block to L-channel On the right side of the extension, I drilled two holes that t-bolts will secure the angle to the T-track.

I designed the length of the extension to add exactly twenty inches to the ruler, so the math is always easy to figure out.

Final Thoughts

This sled has everything I need and nothing I don’t, and I’m super stoked to put it to work in my shop. It’s light enough for everyday use, and still capable of most crosscuts you throw at it.