7 Mistakes To Avoid - Making My Ultimate Crosscut Sled

[@daviddura1172]

thank you for the tips and a big thank you for the HUMILITY... GOOD JUDGEMENT COMES FROM EXPERIENCE AND EXPERIENCE COME FROM A LOT OF BAD JUDGEMENTS....GOOD VIDEO....

[@cyberreefguru]

Thanks David - I appreciate the kudos. Thank you for watching!

[@freedomhillbilly348]

Totally agree with your "experimental" comments. Doing a first-time prototype always rakes 3 to 5 times longer and invariably involves redesign and wasted material. It's anxiety inducing and frustrating. I'm on day 3 and half way thru the Casey build. So far so good using just his video. I'm just using salvaged 1/2" BB and the hardware I've had for 20+ years. I'm doing the rear fence now and have run out of pieces long enough so I may end up milling a hardwood piece which would be easy to get flat. I am thinking of adding a replaceable sacrificial insert. Also, I first tried the plastic runner, but it's too loose in the miter slot and too flexy like you said. So I milled a hardwood piece that the CA glue works with, plus I have some teflon tape I could use to make the bottom more slick if need be. I slotted for the Tee track using a dado stack in the table saw for a perfectly clean fitting groove. I always suffer from the router fence moving on me for some reason, so I avoid it. I think using the two cut method is as effective as the 5-cut method - see Tom McLaughlin at Epic Woodworking for a detailed explanation. It is essentially the same as the 5-cut, but simpler and the math is trivial. I'm not there yet, but it has worked in the past. I too was drawn to the slick red on black and stylish sweep cuts of Casey's design. It sure is pretty. But I'm on a zero-cost budget with materials I have on hand. However, I did have to buy some CA glue for over $20 for the small size!! Insane! Otherwise I've kept the cost to zero by using what I have in the shop. Thanks for your advice and glad your jig turned out in the end. Persistence pays off.

[@cyberreefguru]

I'm glad you found something that works for you. I definitely want to redo this one and do it just a little better next time. Thanks for watching!

[@halle8378]

Nice, we all make mistakes, it’s the recovery that counts on your way to a fully functioning Xcut Sled

[@cyberreefguru]

Too true - thanks for watching Scott!

[@philippeterson9512]

I wonder if routing, a shallow groove in the bottom of the sled would’ve helped with the HDPE runner

[@cyberreefguru]

Hi Philip - I'm not sure. I wouldn't know where to put the groove until after the runner was in place, and holding it in place was the problem. More things to consider for the future! Thanks for watching.

[@Codeyellow]

Great video! The results speak for themselves! You got an accurate crosscut sled! As far as making your first laminated fence straight, would using a straight edge jig on the table saw have worked in your situation? That’s how I got my fence straight for my crosscut sled. I made it oversized anticipating that I wouldn’t be able to laminate it perfectly. Then with your second fence were both pieces that were laminated together bowed? I wonder if the bowed sides were glued together in the same direction that it would accentuate the bow by that amount.

[@cyberreefguru]

Using the table saw fence is a brilliant idea! I wish I had thought of that -- but it's firmly fixed in my memory for the next one :) Thanks for watching!

[@CReevesMakes]

Great video and thank you sharing! I’d love to chat with you about your experience and gain any feedback that I can amend the plans with. You have my contact info and thank you so much for sharing Tamar’s as well. Her and I shared a lot of ideas over a couple of days while teaching a jig making class at the last Workbench Con. Great video

[@cyberreefguru]

Thanks Casey - email coming your way soon :)