How to Make a Sled for a Band Saw

[@SpicySteve-tz2so]

This showed up in my suggested videos today. I wish it showed up yesterday, as I made a sled for my small table saw LAST NIGHT. Your video answered the question I had about how to get the push board square to the blade. THANK YOU!

[@bcrigg9388]

EXCELLENT Video Sir. I am copying your jig for my tiny shop.

[@mikek7193]

Really like this video. You explain things in such a clear way. An unexpected highlight for me was seeing you use a push stick at 90 degrees of what I've always done. Great way to keep safe. I am going to make this one today. Thank you for sharing! Mike

[@rontocknell3592]

I also like the push stick design

[@rontocknell3592]

You could also make a stop for it by drilling a hole in the back of the fence to support a dowel or steel rod. An adjustable stop could be attached that catches against the edge of the table, preventing the sled going beyond the chosen depth.

[@edwinleach4013]

Nice additions.

[@joergneumann3756]

Brilliant! Ich habe es genau wie in der Anleitung nachgebaut! Thank you!

[@johnmclain6535]

This worked like a charm...the 2nd time. Lol. I did a crappy job on the runner so it had play in it. The 2nd time I got it right 👍👍

[@DragonclawMakerStudio]

Thanks for the video. I feel the same way about bandsaw versus table saw. There are just some cuts that a bandsaw does safer.

[@uktay001]

Brilliant video for a very simple and useful sled thank you for posting this.

[@spendtimesavemoneydiy]

Nice little video! I made one of these to cut wheels for toys from dowels. I put a stop on mine so no one could cut it in half!

[@spendtimesavemoneydiy]

I simply made it longer at the back and screwed a piece of wood underneath as the stop

[@SwapnilBhartiya]

Good idea. Thanks. Was looking for something simple yet effective - most out there are OVER engineered and defy the purpose of a jig.

[@Fliperyy]

Excellent! My next project - thank you!

[@JolienBrebels]

That's a great jig Vinny! I should make this for my Bandsaw! It will be way better than the little sled that comes with it! Thanks for the video! Looking forward to the project with the winecorks!

[@Makify1]

I agree, those little plastic sleds that come with saws are usually pretty bad. That's one reason why I made this sled.

[@bigjeepman1036]

I've got a small 10" bandsaw on order and when it arrives, my first "what to do next" will be this simple sled. Even if it wears over time and becomes loose in the mitre slot, I'll just make another.

[@edwinleach4013]

Thanks for the video. Very nice work.

[@MrFlint51]

My bandsaw does not have a track, so I made my sled one inch wider than the table and fitted runners on the outside edges

[@waynelambert4108]

Simple bandsaw sled I noticed u also made Table saw sled is there a video on how u made that one thank u 👍

[@diegudr]

Thanks for the instructions. I had a slight problem though. Perhaps it is because I have a consumer grade $160 bandsaw. But when I went to cut the groove, the blade flexed and wandered all around and didn't cut straight despite the fact that I already had the runner attached at the bottom. Anyway I just took it over to the table saw and made the groove wider. This way the blade is not forced into a wonky position every time I use the sled.

[@hectorgerco2963]

Hi , very nice video, very helpful , I have the rikon bandsaw similar to yours , can you help me , because I cannot do straight cuts , the blade bends , I bought last month the machine still have the factory blade , but no way , can you tell me if I have to buy another blade or what to do. Thank you Hector from Argentina

[@cadmus49]

sweet and simple

[@johnroth8275]

Thanks. I’m going to make one .

[@ecaff9515]

Great idea

[@TheWoodYogi]

Nice and handy jig : Thank you ॐ

[@JamesJohnson-zc1cr]

Why do you cut wine corks? I'm intrigued! That's it that's the question.

[@diegudr]

Can you use a 2x3 with the bevel cut off of one slide for the top piece?

[@susanmorgan166]

hi my little bansaw doesnt have a runner what would you suggest

[@ooCHICOoo]

great 👍 job my friend

[@lowellgold9755]

I tried this technique, but when I made the first cut on the sled to set the fence the blade had drifted clear in perpendicular to and away from the runner stalling out the motor ? It seemed like I needed to adjust the runner to the drift angle ? Or, maybe my blade was too dull ?

[@edwinleach4013]

If you set your band saw blade so that the teeth are at the crown of the wheel you may avoid your problem.

[@mrexiges1]

I made one of these and found it did not slide smoothly especially when sawing!! Guess it was way too big and heavy ..so am re designing to your dimensions. I find it necessary to clean out the sawdust from under the slide . even though I have strong extraction. Good luck

[@gregh3947]

Thanks, I was looking for a way to align the back fence 90 the blade. It's easy once someone shows you how.. Thanks.. I was pondering all kinds of different ways.. None of which I liked. .

[@kristofferolsson2632]

Great job! I like it :)

[@Makify1]

Thanks!

[@krazypolak1820]

Nice and easy ty

[@propsandcosplay]

It’s a good idea I have one similar

[@tedfinkenauer42]

Very cool

[@jeffoldham3466]

I cant remember if I asked you this before,,but what are the dimensions of the sled,,thank you

[@tulioalopez]

Thanks buddy

[@jeffoldham3466]

good video,,gotta make me one,,,what brand is your band saw

[@Makify1]

It's a Craftsman but Rikon makes an identical model or maybe it's the other way around.

[@Maseko66]

I think I love you 😍

[@ishitake6058]

こんな、木工部屋欲しい。 英語解らないけど、見てます。

[@soledude]

👌👌👌

[@jeffoldham3466]

i got the same one,,,and its a good saw but the sliding guide that you have to put the blade thru to change it gives me problems,,thats the only part i dont like about it,,i wish it had a door that opened like the bigger saws

[@Makify1]

Me too! That would be soo nice.

[@MrSteamDragon]

Walnut in the dumpster ??! Wow ! Not an easy timber to get down here but you just grabbed it out the trash ...wow 😃🇦🇺

[@davidshaper5146]

I wonder how many people will cut their sled in half on the first try?

[@Makify1]

That's probably a common mistake but the sled would still work there just wouldn't be anything supporting one end of whatever was being cut. This may or may not be an issue.

[@mildyproductive9726]

I cut maybe 1/2" into my sled's fence. Not on the first try, but after a lot of use. So I made an adjustable stop that attaches to the front of the sled. It arrests the sled when it hits the front of the table. But even that was not enough, because this whole thing was removeable. And after I got used to using it with the stop, I had some even worse accidental overshoots when I forget I was not using it. So I while I still had enough meat left in the fence, I drilled a hole in it and glued in a piece of 3/8" hardened steel rod, directly in the path of the blade. Ultimately I see it as a safety feature, in case I were to somehow forget I wasn't using the stop, and I somehow had my thumb behind the fence in the path of the blade. But also, logically speaking, it is faster and easier to change the blade on my bandsaw than to build a new sled. And I'm such a cheapskate, that I should be much more careful with the sled if I knew it could damage my blades. The steel pin does the job. In many years since then, I have only thrown a few sparks off it, once, not so bad that the blade was ruined.

[@rontocknell3592]

It would be an act of extreme carelessness to cut the sled entirely through. Maybe a sign that such a person shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a bandsaw! However, some kind of adjustable stop would be simple to make and would enable accurate and repeatable cross cuts to a precise depth of cut. The downside of that would be that people who would otherwise cut their sled in half would continue using their bandsaw until they'd done something equally careless and perhaps more devastating.

[@mildyproductive9726]

Ron Tocknell Depends on what you're doing and on how thick the fence is. Maybe you're cutting hundreds of lengths of stock to the same dimensions (brass round? pvc pipe? Slim Jim's?), using a stop block clamped to the fence as reference. The sled allows you to keep your hands and thumbs well away from the line of the blade on this hypothetical cut, so you are free to develop a rhythm, once you have figured out all the important safety checks for each potentially dangerous successive cut. This rhythm you develop has some inverse relationship between attention and accuracy. And after you figure out all the important safety bits and consequences, it so happens to turn out that the only reason accuracy matters at all is to avoid cutting the stock only partway and/or cutting the sled in half. So you maybe develop a balance that is biased towards speed and minimal effort while being just careful enough to not cut the sled completely in two. And maybe in the middle of this batch of hundreds of cuts, you changed the blade. And maybe you haven't gotten the tracking and thrust bearing dialed in quite as well as you thought. The blade has a bit more bounce when it finishes the cut. So the rhythm or technique you developed results in a deeper follow through. Your process is holding up. You were in no danger of physical harm. All the cuts are good. But now the sled is hanging on by a thread. You can probably finish the rest of this job, just fine. But by the looks of it, the second time you try to put the sled up and back, it is going to fall apart. And it could be dangerous if the sled were to come apart in halves while you were using it. As you might see, the stop is not just useful for making repeatable blind cuts partway through the stock. (Although this is a nice feature for making half laps and tenons.) It is also very useful for making regular cuts. Along with preventing you from damaging the sled, it can increase your efficiency and productivity by reducing the amount of wasted movement and reducing fatigue and error. But you make a good point about safety. This is the reason that after I made the adjustable stop, I also embedded a piece of hardened tool steel inside of the fence. Regular band saw blades can't cut through it.

[@TheDustyShed]

Not on the first try.

[@serafimarts6775]

Bpyyy )) ok))👍

[@mickfizz1]

please wear gloves

[@Makify1]

The problem with gloves is that they can get caught in moving parts.