I made one

[Garno]

Over the last few days I have dragged myself up to my shed and got around to finally making a crosscut sled for my table-saw.

I was going to post a picture of it in the "Post a photo of the last thing you made" thread but decided against doing so, I felt if I had one of the mods would of moved it to the "another joke" thread.

I spent many hours making it and I am genuinely embarrassed by how it has turned out, for something that looks so simple to make I somehow managed to find the most difficult route. The original back fence (or front fence, the one you push) started off looking like Hadrian's wall, it was far too tall. I had to remake and re-attach the other fence due to me cutting all the way through it because unlike the other fence it was not tall enough.

The one thing it does have going for it is that it is bang on square and that has cheered me up a lot, At least I think it is square, It looks square up against a carpenters square and a combination square. I will cut some wood tomorrow to make sure it is all 90 degrees as waiting for the glue to set on the fences although they are screwed as well.

So I have mixed feelings, most of them negative but draw a massive positive in making it all square. (Still looks like a load of cr*p though).

 

[SammyQ]

Innit nice when an ambition comes together? The so-called "Five cut" test will see if it is square enough for woodstrangling, Garno. Two mins tops to do.

Sam

 

[Garno]

Innit nice when an ambition comes together? The so-called "Five cut" test will see if it is square enough for woodstrangling, Garno. Two mins tops to do.

Sam

I am not sure what that is

 

[Garno]

I've just seen what the 5 cut method is :shock: :shock: :shock:

Something I now realise I should not of done is to glue down the fence, I can't adjust it if it is not square.

Tomorrow is going to be a very good day or a very bad one for me

 

[SammyQ]

Nae probs Garno! If you are just a tad out of square, glued on fragments of paper in strategic places on the fence can bring it back into blissful predictabilty. I got THAT tip from his worshipfullness David Charlesworth, Head Bombadier of Clever Wheezes.
You can also shim on a second (truer) face in perzactly the same way.

Sam

 

[Trainee neophyte]

I used a plywood runner, but the difference between summer and winter water content meant that it was very sloppy in the summer, and stuck in the winter. I had a window of excellence between April-May, and October-November. Hard to do all your crosscuts for the year in two six week bursts, six months apart. I think the UK is more dependable for moistness.

 

[Garno]

Well what can I say, I tried the 5 cut test and nearly fell through the floor.

This guy is talking about thousandth's of an inch where I was looking at mm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbG-n--LFgQ

On the 5th cut the measurement furthest from me was 12.35, the one nearest to me was 24.43 (that's when I started crying) the length was 370 and the fence 420 (I am redoing the fence to make it wider). It works out I need to move the fence 3.4mm which to me seems a heck of a lot. It was at this point I thanked the woodworking gods because due to poor health I could not pick it up and throw it away.

I then did what many people have done over the centuries, I sat down and stared at it. I am glad I did as I had a thought to check if the blade was parallel, yes you've guessed it, the blade is out by just under 2mm. I suppose this is what happens when you buy cheap equipment. I have googled how to make the blade parallel and will give that a try tomorrow and hopefully remake (for the third time) the fence at the front of the sled.

 

[Ttrees]

There is a good video called master your tablesaw, or masteryourtablesaw, Kelly Mehler is worth a watch.
[youtube]MvXajYX3fio[/youtube]
It is an American publication so beware that many of that stuff won't be advisable here, like pushsticks for example.
but he goes through setup, although strangely is OK with the end of the fence being a hair closer to the blade which is rather odd and frowned upon. :?
Its an oldie, so maybe a retake wasn't possible that day due to battery technology or whatever.

Another one worth watching on youtube is from Gwinnett workers, the oldest one is better.
[youtube]07uHhrYKDLA[/youtube]
The archived threads on here are also some necessary reading if you plan to be safe on the TS, especially after watching ANY American publication.
I'm sure you would find it if you can't then some keywords like push sticks or complacency.
You can't have too much knowledge if your planning to use the saw much.

All the best
Tom

 

[Garno]

There is a good video called master your tablesaw, or masteryourtablesaw, Kelly Mehler is worth a watch.
[youtube]MvXajYX3fio[/youtube]
It is an American publication so beware that many of that stuff won't be advisable here, like pushsticks for example.
but he goes through setup, although strangely is OK with the end of the fence being a hair closer to the blade which is rather odd and frowned upon. :?
Its an oldie, so maybe a retake wasn't possible that day due to battery technology or whatever.

Another one worth watching on youtube is from Gwinnett workers, the oldest one is better.
[youtube]07uHhrYKDLA[/youtube]
The archived threads on here are also some necessary reading if you plan to be safe on the TS, especially after watching ANY American publication.
I'm sure you would find it if you can't then some keywords like push sticks or complacency.
You can't have too much knowledge if your planning to use the saw much.

All the best
Tom

Thank you ever so much for posting this Tom it is very much appreciated,

I will view them this evening

Thanks again
Gary