The following is a short discussion and description of a table saw sliding miter
sled in its various
configurations. Cross-cutting on the table saw very often demands high precision. The miter
gauge
provided with most table
saws can be very limited in its versatility. There is little bearing surface
provided for the piece being crosscut,
and there is friction created by moving the piece and miter
gauge across the
table saw top. This friction can
often reduce precision with much of your effort
concentrated in keeping the
piece from sliding left or right and
from rocking. A sliding miter sled
addresses these issues by providing a
secondary surface to which you can rest the piece being
crosscut. Once you have locked the piece against the fence
of the sliding miter sled, it is left only
to move the sliding table past the blade to perform a very
accurate crosscut.
Below is an overhead view of the sliding miter sled with attached adjustable fence and to the right
of the blade a fixed auxiliary table.
The auxiliary table serves to keep any offcuts from falling onto
the table top
and possibly binding the saw blade
causing kickback. The sliding miter table and the
auxiliary table both have
hardwood runners attached which
are sized to the length of the table saw
miter left and right miter slots,
therefore serving to align both sides of
the miter sled parallel with the
saw blade. Having both the sliding table and
auxiliary table in close proximity
to the blade also
serves as a zero clearance setup for your cuts.
More information and photos available if you
purchase the plan below. Once payment is processed, select
"Return to White
Mountain Design" to be able to download and save a more detailed plan to build this
sliding miter sled.
Sliding Miter Sled Plan $6.00