Hello. I appreciate that you all take time to answer our questions. I have already found a year’s subscription to the online Fine Woodworking well worth the money!
I purchased the materials to make a cross cut sled for my Craftsman small cheap table saw special. I don’t have any questions about constructing the box — it seems straight forward. I am wondering if you have a recommended way to construct the rails. I purchased some thin poplar and I thought I would wing it but if you have a suggestion I am all ears. (The craftsman rail slots are a sears custom design. I guess you probably already know that.)
Thanks. David
Replies
I made a sled and used quarter sawn stock for the rails. There is less expansion in the width of quarter sawn stock so it is less likely to bind when the air is more humid. You can also go for a tighter fit. I cut the rails a bit over sized and then hand planed to a very close fit.
David:
Poplar will work but it is rather soft and will wear out sooner than a harder wood like oak, maple, or birch. Below is an answer I gave recently to almost the same question:
"Craftsman until recently insisted on using a 5/8 inch wide miter slot on their saws, just to make life difficult.
I went to the huge MSC catalog, mscdirect.com, and found a few things that will probably work:
1018 Steel cold finished rectangles are available in 36" and 72" lengths 5/8" wide and 1/4", 5/16", and 3/8" thick. A 36" length costs around $7 to $8 plus shipping. This will be slightly rough surfaced and not machined. With luck it will be a close fit and a bit wide so you can file it down for a good fit. The part number on the 1/4" thick size is 03894102.
For a precision material you should look at what is called ground flat stock. This is the kind of steel used to make chisels and plane blades and it comes accurately machined to size. Of course it is more expensive, $13 for a 1/4" thick piece 18" long part #06116032. Even in the unhardened form these steels will be tougher to drill and cut. The type of hardening and alloy won't make any difference for your application, buy whatever is cheapest in the size you need. You may also be able to buy it oversized which means it will be about 1/100" wider than 5/8" so you can file it to a good fit.
I usually use 1/2" thick Baltic birch plywood, or solid hardwood strips, for my runners, cheap and easily made up as needed. I cut a shallow groove in the underside of the sled or fixture to lock the wood runner into. The groove strengthens the runner, absolutely prevents it from shifting, and leaves just enough of the 1/2" thick material exposed to sit in the typically 3/8" deep miter slot."
Hope this helps, John White
Edited 4/22/2008 2:45 pm ET by JohnWW
Thank you for the information. I will use one of your suggestions in the near future and go from there.David
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