I take advantage of shopmade cross-cut sleds on the tablesaw almost each day. I’ve at all times made them from scraps, and they’re often serviceable for a 12 months or two; I scab on spoil boards and regulate runners with blue tape, in all probability longer than I ought to to keep away from making a brand new sled.
Rockler’s new Desk Noticed Cross Reduce Sled and accompanying Drop-Off Platform was the primary manufactured sled package I’ve tried. I used to be skeptical the way it might be that significantly better than those I’ve made. Nonetheless, after spending a while with it, I feel it’s worth.
The sled requires some primary meeting, which incorporates calibrating the runners to your desk noticed miter slots and guaranteeing the fence is perpendicular to your blade. I had every thing unboxed, assembled, and was making correct cuts in lower than an hour. After these few take a look at cuts, I minimize a 4 nook mitered body that match collectively on the primary attempt with none fuss.
A number of options stand out on this sled. First, the fence pivots easily and holds nicely with an easy-to-read protractor. The locking knob is rock stable—nice for each security and repeatability. The fence additionally extends to 38.25 in., which provides the sled a pleasant capability for its small footprint.
Each the sled and the Drop-Off Platform have replaceable MDF zero-clearance attachments. These allow not solely clear cuts however the flexibility to swap out one other attachment to make cuts with the blade tilted (for both compound miters along side the fence, or with the fence at 90°). These angled blade cuts are sometimes what finally result in “scabs” on my shopmade sled and their quick life span. The identical is true on the fence; it has a spoil board that strikes independently of the fence, so you possibly can merely slide it into place to your particular cuts, and substitute it when the time comes. Each the sled and the drop-off platform have a cease block, which provides you a number of methods to arrange repeated cuts.
The flexibleness of this sled signifies that it successfully replaces a number of shopmade sleds in my fleet, which saves me time and area over the long term.
Rockler Desk Noticed Crosscut Sled
Whereas all of those options might be included in a shop-made sled, should you choose the comfort, longevity, and adjustability of an off-the-shelf answer, it is a useful gizmo. One commerce off: on a store made sled the fence sometimes spans each side of the blade, permitting you to carry the off-cut, slide it again from the blade and take away it, all with the noticed operating. Rockler’s Drop-Off platform safely catches the off-cut, however you should flip off the blade to retrieve it, which might decelerate manufacturing work.
Value: $249.99 on the time of writing
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