I am new to woodworking, and made my first crosscut sled, using poplar for the miter guide rails (unfortunately paying no mind to grain orientation). It slid well at first, but had become progressively worse. I saw the recent FWW article ( http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/Workshop/WorkshopPDF.aspx?id=27684 ), and it left me impressed and curious. (Using bolts and oversized holes for adjustment illistrates genius in thoughtful simplicity.)
Here are my questions:
Would MDF (w/ glue) work for the rails instead of a hardwood? Would this be an improvement, or a loss?
How do you store your table saw jigs? I have drilled a hanging hole at one end of my circ saw guide, but that seems fairly “risk free”, since the weight distribution runs down the guide. With a crosscut jig (esp. using 3/4″ mdf as the base), its heft makes this trickier. I could put one hole (or more?) in each half of the base to hang against a wall, but it seems like there should be a better way.
-ben
Replies
Hey Ben,
Thanks for the question. I do have to say however that thoughtful simplicity comes from years of mindless stupidity working with a bad design.
As Henry Petroski talks about in his wonderful book - The Nature of Useful Things-, design follows failure. Failure in design should be considered merely an opportunity to try again, better. So too should your design failure using poplar runners lead you to new options.
You have two choices for runners: quartersawn hardwood or phenolic runners which you can buy. Quartersawn hardwoods such as maple, ash or oak are long wearing and the vertical grain direction in the runners means that there will be less seasonal movement in their thickness. This will ensure that the runners run consistently sweet throughout the year. You can also buy phenolic runners. Either should be attached carefully and then scraped or planed for a perfect, no sideways slop, fit. Then wax the heck out of everything.
MDF as you will notice upon inspection is really soft in the middle. Its faces are tightly compressed but the middle is soft, like many of us these days I'm afraid. So no matter how you use it, you'll either have a soft middle which will wear out fast or you'll have to screw through its thickness which MDF does not like at all. It'll split.
As for storing my jig, I just lean mine against the saw cabinet on the floor next to the saw. It's close, there are no holes to line up, and as long as I don't set it on the fence when I set it down, it stays true.
Best of luck. Gary
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