A few months ago I was building a router table and asked about putting a
miter slot into it to use with a sled.
Several people said they just ran the sled against the fence and found it
worked out well. It made sense, so I went that way.
The table is fine, but now I am making the sled and am not sure it still
makes sense. On some cuts (say a tongue and groove frame) won't the router
bit hit the sled? I suppose you could put a spacer between the sled and
workpiece, so the router bit is too high to hit the sled, but that seems
like it would ask for inaccuracies.
Am I missing something here?
Why can't the piece of wood ride against the fence as you've always
done? Is it too small?
Is your problem, that you don't having anything to guide the sled?
One way I can think of a sled working without a mitre slot is to have
the sled ride against the front edge of the router table assuming it's
a straight edge.
Toller wrote:
> A few months ago I was building a router table and asked about putting a
> miter slot into it to use with a sled.
> Several people said they just ran the sled against the fence and found it
> worked out well. It made sense, so I went that way.
>
> The table is fine, but now I am making the sled and am not sure it still
> makes sense. On some cuts (say a tongue and groove frame) won't the router
> bit hit the sled? I suppose you could put a spacer between the sled and
> workpiece, so the router bit is too high to hit the sled, but that seems
> like it would ask for inaccuracies.
>
> Am I missing something here?
If I read the question correctly, you are using the router table sled
like you would a table saw sled, i.e. you are placing the work piece on
top of the sled surface. As I have seen router table sleds, they are
more like push blocks (or miter guages) in that the work piece stays on
the router table surface and sits in front of the sled and the sled
pushes it past the router bit. The sled does get pushed into the bit
and acts as a backer board. Either build the sled with a disposable
piece at the front corner or, as someone else said, simply cut that
part off the sled after each session.
Dave Hall
Toller wrote:
> On my old table I ran the sled in a miter slot, but I always had
> problems alligning my crappy fence to the miter slot. So, I did away
> with the miter slot and figure I would just run the sled against the
> fence. But not it seems like the router bit will cut into the sled
> base in many instances.
If you just *have* to have a sled, make a fairly long one so you can cut
out a bit in the center where the wood you are routing will go. Then
the non-cutout parts of the sled edge can ride on the fence.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
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"Dave Hall" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Toller wrote:
>> A few months ago I was building a router table and asked about putting a
>> miter slot into it to use with a sled.
>> Several people said they just ran the sled against the fence and found it
>> worked out well. It made sense, so I went that way.
>>
>> The table is fine, but now I am making the sled and am not sure it still
>> makes sense. On some cuts (say a tongue and groove frame) won't the
>> router
>> bit hit the sled? I suppose you could put a spacer between the sled and
>> workpiece, so the router bit is too high to hit the sled, but that seems
>> like it would ask for inaccuracies.
>>
>> Am I missing something here?
>
> If I read the question correctly, you are using the router table sled
> like you would a table saw sled, i.e. you are placing the work piece on
> top of the sled surface. As I have seen router table sleds, they are
> more like push blocks (or miter guages) in that the work piece stays on
> the router table surface and sits in front of the sled and the sled
> pushes it past the router bit. The sled does get pushed into the bit
> and acts as a backer board. Either build the sled with a disposable
> piece at the front corner or, as someone else said, simply cut that
> part off the sled after each session.
>
That is one way to do it, but I wanted to clamp the wood to the sled; much
like
http://www.pricecutter.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_400%2D1241B
On my old table I ran the sled in a miter slot, but I always had problems
alligning my crappy fence to the miter slot. So, I did away with the miter
slot and figure I would just run the sled against the fence. But not it
seems like the router bit will cut into the sled base in many instances.
Toller wrote:
> A few months ago I was building a router table and asked about
> putting a miter slot into it to use with a sled.
> Several people said they just ran the sled against the fence and
> found it worked out well. It made sense, so I went that way.
>
> The table is fine, but now I am making the sled and am not sure it
> still makes sense. On some cuts (say a tongue and groove frame)
> won't the router bit hit the sled?
Yes. Which is good, stops blowout
___________
> I suppose you could put a spacer
> between the sled and workpiece, so the router bit is too high to hit
> the sled, but that seems like it would ask for inaccuracies.
>
> Am I missing something here?
Yes. You are trying to be too fancy. Forget a sled, just grab a piece
of scrap around 4" wide by at least that long with two square edges and
use it to push the skinny piece by riding the push block on the fence.
When you are through cutting ends, trim off the 1/2" or so that was cut
by the bit and set the rest aside for use next time.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
"Upscale" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Why can't the piece of wood ride against the fence as you've always
> done? Is it too small?
When you make a frame, you route the length with one bit and the ends with
another. I really need something to hold the wood when doing the ends.
>
> Is your problem, that you don't having anything to guide the sled?
>
> One way I can think of a sled working without a mitre slot is to have
> the sled ride against the front edge of the router table assuming it's
> a straight edge.
Yeah, that is certainly a possibility, but holding it agains the fence would
make allignment easier.
>
If your part is clamped to the sled and your sled runs in a miter slot, what
do you need the fence for?Clamp a stop block to the table to establish
length, but your part up against it, clamp to sled, push past cutter. No
need for the fence.
"Toller" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> On my old table I ran the sled in a miter slot, but I always had problems
> alligning my crappy fence to the miter slot. So, I did away with the
miter
> slot and figure I would just run the sled against the fence. But not it
> seems like the router bit will cut into the sled base in many instances.
>
>
"Upscale" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Any chance you can fasten some type of guide bar or its equivalent to
> the fence as a basis for guiding a sled. I'm thinking of something
> along the lines of the Lee Valley router table sled.
>
> http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&cat=1,43053&p=43885
>
Interesting concept, but I am using a Rockler fence I got at a garage sale,
and it doesn't have the top part the sled rides in.. (Mini-gloat though;
unused and complete for $5.)
"dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:15sGf.30017$H43.4694@trnddc08...
> Toller wrote:
>
>> On my old table I ran the sled in a miter slot, but I always had
>> problems alligning my crappy fence to the miter slot. So, I did away
>> with the miter slot and figure I would just run the sled against the
>> fence. But not it seems like the router bit will cut into the sled
>> base in many instances.
>
> If you just *have* to have a sled, make a fairly long one so you can cut
> out a bit in the center where the wood you are routing will go. Then
> the non-cutout parts of the sled edge can ride on the fence.
>
Why didn't I think of that! Good idea.
Why?
"Toller" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> Yeah, that is certainly a possibility, but holding it agains the fence
would
> make allignment easier.
> >
>
>