Cutoff Sled for the Tablesaw (1997)
This is another one of those "anti-fancy" projects. I built this jig after watching Norm on NYW use his sled many times for cutting wide panels on the tablesaw. His jig always seemed simple yet robust, so I copied it from memory. Here it is:
Doesn't get much more basic than this. It's just a piece of ½" ply for the base (which has warped a bit over the years but still works fine) with a quarter sawn oak runner and a poplar fence. I mostly use the jig in "push mode" on the left side of the blade (as pictured), but have also used it for very wide panels on the right side in "pull mode" where the fence is forward of the panel. I had to carefully size the runner for my miter gage slots, and getting the fence perfectly square with the blade was a bit tricky, but once those battles are won this is a very handy jig.
I've occasionally thought about building a fancy 2-runner sled that straddles the blade, but I just haven't had the need so far. It's always in the back of my mind to make something nicer, but it's never boiled to the top of my priority list. Maybe someday I'll make a super-duper sled, but until that day this one works just fine.
© Copyright 2006 Chris Billman