# Using a cross cut sled



## DrillingThrough (Apr 29, 2014)

I've built a cross cut sled and I'm wondering how I should use it. I'm cutting fairly small things so I'm a bit nervous about holding things with my fingers. If I don't hold it, then I've found that the things move slightly. Do people tend to clamp things on the sled?

Another thing I've tried is using a push stick, pushing towards the back of the sled, (against my pushing motion). Is this a safe/reasonable thing to do? I use it side on, so it's not hard to reach.

Is there much chance of a kickback? I removed the riving knife when I made the sled.


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## DrillingThrough (Apr 29, 2014)

I've managed to keep them steady now. I've been holding them firmer at the start and also having a stop block clamped in place. They don't move now


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

DrillingThrough said:


> Do people tend to clamp things on the sled?


I do, I tend to value my body parts.


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## BrianS (Nov 7, 2004)

I would install some type of clamping device for small pieces. Fingers are important IMHO. Is there a reason you removed the riving knife? Using a sled does NOT remove the possibility of kickback occurring.


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## Al B Thayer (Jun 2, 2014)

*It's much safer*



DrillingThrough said:


> I've built a cross cut sled and I'm wondering how I should use it. I'm cutting fairly small things so I'm a bit nervous about holding things with my fingers. If I don't hold it, then I've found that the things move slightly. Do people tend to clamp things on the sled?
> 
> Another thing I've tried is using a push stick, pushing towards the back of the sled, (against my pushing motion). Is this a safe/reasonable thing to do? I use it side on, so it's not hard to reach.
> 
> Is there much chance of a kickback? I removed the riving knife when I made the sled.


You may have already found out but all you need to do is hold the piece enough to keep it from moving after its cut. The sled is the safest way to cross cut on the table saw. If I'm cutting super small pieces I use a small stick to hold the piece from moving. Your sled should be made with zero clearence. If its not. mud in the slot with bondo and make a new cut. 

Al


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## Gaffboat (Mar 11, 2012)

I found it easier to cut very small things on a sled I made for my bandsaw.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

*clamping...*

This is what I did on a recent project.

This would be very easy to copy....


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## Jakexp (Apr 26, 2013)

A couple of toggle clamps and you'll be a lot more comfortable cutting small pieces.


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## retired92 (Dec 1, 2013)

James,

I really like your sled. Several questions, if I may...Material used for base, size of base, how many runners and made of what? I have seen many versions of a sled and this looks to be the best I have seen. Thanks.....learning and asking....

Don


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

jw2170 said:


> This is what I did on a recent project.
> 
> This would be very easy to copy....


Nice Jig James, its the correct answer. N

The other answer is Optus, still it seems to be fixed now. N


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## DrillingThrough (Apr 29, 2014)

BrianS said:


> Is there a reason you removed the riving knife? Using a sled does NOT remove the possibility of kickback occurring.


I believe the riving knife is taller than the blade, so I may need to do a deeper cut before reattaching the riving knife, which may make the sled less stable.


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## Daikusan (Apr 12, 2013)

James
Thanks for the picture of your jig.


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## BrianS (Nov 7, 2004)

DrillingThrough said:


> I believe the riving knife is taller than the blade, so I may need to do a deeper cut before reattaching the riving knife, which may make the sled less stable.


Peter, thanks for pointing that out, I never gave the height a thought... I'm currently in the process of making my own crosscut sled. Will have to check that with my saw.


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## berry (Oct 17, 2005)

I have a strip of sandpaper attached to the entire length of the back edge on my sled that helps to keep stock from sliding around. I hold small pieces in place the eraser end of a # 2 pencil. It's a nice size "push stick" for this application. I'm sure I got the idea from an old David Marks video.


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## Al B Thayer (Jun 2, 2014)

Gaffboat said:


> I found it easier to cut very small things on a sled I made for my bandsaw.


Wouldn't that leave a lot of sanding to do? 

Al


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

BrianS said:


> Is there a reason you removed the riving knife? Using a sled does NOT remove the possibility of kickback occurring.


Interesting. I removed my riving knife when I first bought my saw - maybe 15 or more years ago - but different background (read my sig), and never had kickback. Definitely do not want one with any of my saw sleds. But as I only use a saw sled for crosscutting, I just don't see any reason you would get kickback with a properly constructed saw sled - even for one that's not so properly constructed.

Care to give a bit of detail on that?


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## Gaffboat (Mar 11, 2012)

Al B Thayer said:


> Wouldn't that leave a lot of sanding to do?
> 
> Al


Yes Al, sanding is required but "a lot" is a relative term. The small pieces I cut would be floor sweepings to most others. For example, in my recent "Swamp Shakedown" project I had to rip 1/4" wide battens out of 1/16" thick stock that was one inch wide by eight inches long and trim a piece glued up of three layers of 1/8" thick stock to a finished size of about 1.5" x 2". The bandsaw is the best solution for projects like that since the scroll saw doesn't lend itself to square rip or crosscuts.

The ears for the character head in the attached photo were cut from the ends of stirring sticks using the bandsaw sled and the head was cut to initial size the same way. A lot of what I do is working with pieces that are less (MUCH less) than 4" x 4". What I save as useable scraps is downright embarrassing and growing.


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## Daikusan (Apr 12, 2013)

Gaffboat said:


> What I save as useable scraps is downright embarrassing and growing.


Oliver
That is not embarrassing. It is being smart and frugal.


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## BrianS (Nov 7, 2004)

JOAT said:


> Interesting. I removed my riving knife when I first bought my saw - maybe 15 or more years ago - but different background (read my sig), and never had kickback. Definitely do not want one with any of my saw sleds. But as I only use a saw sled for crosscutting, I just don't see any reason you would get kickback with a properly constructed saw sled - even for one that's not so properly constructed.
> 
> Care to give a bit of detail on that?


Well, your 15 years without one obviously trumps my 5 years with one...  

I was going under the assumption that when the wood hits the teeth at the back of the blade, kickback can occur. And, I didn't think it mattered much if you were cross cutting or not. Perhaps I'm being a bit anal here, but I don't like projectiles that go flying past me at high speeds.


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## Daikusan (Apr 12, 2013)

BrianS said:


> Perhaps I'm being a bit anal here, but I don't like projectiles that go flying past me at high speeds.


"Flying past" at high speeds is considerably more acceptable than a direct hit at high speed, or for that matter at any speed.


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## BrianS (Nov 7, 2004)

Daikusan said:


> "Flying past" at high speeds is considerably more acceptable than a direct hit at high speed, or for that matter at any speed.


Yes, point well taken Steve. A miss is indeed as good as a mile!!


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

BrianS said:


> Well, your 15 years without one obviously trumps my 5 years with one...
> 
> I was going under the assumption that when the wood hits the teeth at the back of the blade, kickback can occur. And, I didn't think it mattered much if you were cross cutting or not. Perhaps I'm being a bit anal here, but I don't like projectiles that go flying past me at high speeds.


Actually a bit more than that, if you count my experience in my youth.

I'm not going to go into kickback, I'll let someone else do that. But one piece of advice, never stand in line with the saw blade when cutting, stand to one side, so if you do have a kickback it will indeed go past you. When I was in the 10th grade, first year they let us use the saw, no riving knife or blade guard by the way, our instructor showed us what kickback was, and how to avoid it. He is also the one that said never stand in line with the blade. I graduated in 1958, so you do the math.


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