DennisS wrote:
I've got more than a couple sleds for my saw. Various angle cuts/miters/etc. One giant one for cabinet doors. A smaller one for ... smaller pieces. I use beech or maple for the runners. It would be interesting to hear how everyone goes about making her/his sled(s).
I make em out of scraps, so this new one wound up with Doug Fir for the runners, but at least it's a nice tight grained piece... An older sled that I made, had Purple Heart for the runners. Purple heart makes for some really good runners..
For making it, I start by finding the best specimens I have in my scraps. Imo, the species isn't as important as the piece itself. Even Douglas fir is pretty good stuff "if it's a good piece". I have some old pieces of Doug Fir that used to be part of houses that were built in the 50s, and that wood is far superior to anything found in a modern 2X4. The best pieces come from old doors. Doors always have super straight, tight, grain.. and it's actually quite stable, even in the weather.
So I get all the milling done (fences and runners), and then I attach the runners to the base. I always use 1/4" ply for the base because I don't want to lose any depth of cut. ... I usually run a blade stabilizer, so the 10" blade only has a 2" depth capacity left.. minus a 1/4" for the base, and it's already down to 1-3/4"... and it really becomes a big deal when cutting at a 45* bevel. I don't like when I have to stop what I'm doing to remove the stabilizer, but it happens sometimes.
So now, with the runners screwed and glued to the base, I raise the blade through the base and cut about halfway through the length of it (I hope that makes sense). I use that kerf to align the main fence with a framing square. (both fences get glued and screwed). If I have a big enough scrap of ply, I make a spreader to set the back fence, to make sure it's perfectly parallel. But I don't sweat the back fence too much... One of these days I might need it for a jig, but it never happened yet
To finish, I build the blade box and attach it to the whole thing. That box helps to keep the main fence square to the base, and it gives the runners some support too... That helps a lot because the plywood base is only 1/4" thick, and the runners help to keep it "reasonably" flat.
[edit] PS, I've seen sleds made with a 1/4" sheet of lexan (plexiglass) for the base. Looks like a sweet setup, but that stuff ain't cheap!