Bevel Sled

Great tool Jeff. I use an incra sled to make my boxes. 

Nice!! 

Just yesterday I was using mine - unfortunately I haven't been able to get it perfectly set so I have to skim cut using my miter gauge. Worked out, but really need to get my sled set.  Your sled looks to be giving perfect bevels at the corners.

TheWoodGuy- Thanks. I just picked up the Incra 1000se. I'm enjoying it. I did look at the Incra sleds as well.
BB1-Thanks. Those boxes in my pics are 2 1/4 in height so there's no run out. I'll be making larger boxes so I'll find out if its dialed in.

Longer cuts are definitely the truth check on a sled!  One aspect to consider is securing the board so it cannot shift during the cut. I added some adhesive backed sandpaper to my back fence to try to help with that.  

Good looking sled, it looks well thought out. I just made myself a smaller sled because I’ve only been making small items for the last few years. I have one similar size as yours, but I hardly use it anymore because it's so heavy.

Very nice!

Can you elaborate on the "single metal runner with adjustable spring loaded plungers" bit? That sounds intriguing.

Making the fence adjustable should come in handy if the alignment ever gets wonky.

Jeff. I bought the Incra replacement panels so I could cut 45s for boxes. It has a panel that catches the cut off pieces. You could make one for your sled. 

BB1-Sandpaper is a great idea. 

awSum55-My bevel sled wasn't heavy until I added the fences-that tipped the scales lol.

Ron Stewart-The metal miter slot runner is from Peachtree Woodworking. You use a allen key to adjust the spring loaded plungers to get a nice snug fit in the miter slot. A little finicky to get adjusted but overall I'm happy with the product.

TheWoodGuy-Thanks. Does the drop off panel have to be the same thickness as the sled?.

 

Good looking tool and the sample box miters look great!

Thanks Gary G.

this looks like a great sled. i need to make one for doing bevels myself. looks like dead on bevels !

Jeff, great question. No, the drop off panel doesn’t have to be the same thickness. In my opinion, a little thinner would work better or the same. Thicker would not work well. 

Nice sled, but of MDF, I bet it's heavy. Having the tracks will allow you to really secure your stock to the sled, which eliminates the error you can easily get from movement during the cut. You could also consider some PSA sandpaper to give some grit. 

I have a pile of sleds, all for different reasons, but sliding something through the blade well supported is a great answer for movement which can queer any cut. So for me, and my adult tremors I love them. 

On 3 of mine I have a deck for the offcuts to slide out onto. All 3 of them are locked in place, and don't move, much like using an outfeed table, both safety, and protection for the stock you are spending time trying to get a very nice cut, no bouncy slidy out of control where the offcut can fly up onto the blade and become a rocket headed at your head. On my decks all 3 of them are from the same material that I made the deck of the sled from. Offcuts just slide off, and usually just sit there, so my vote would be same height, and locked down so it isn't moving, and possibly then competing with the sled itself. 

If you do a lot of mitered corners on boxes and such, you might also want to consider a 45 degree sled. I use mine for short exact miters, and not so long bevels. Sandpaper on the fence, and deck right near the blade make it hold stock so I seldom have to use the clamps I laid in via T Track. I looked at a lot of designs, but ended up going kinda non conventional. At least it seems, most miter sleds have some kind of wedge shape, which I had a long time ago, and had a lot of issues with creep. Made for some goofy cuts. With this style I find the cuts to consistently be right where I want them. Marie offers a few challenges to overcome, so  I am popping her video on. Plus some of this type have the blade right at the edge. The way she and I did it, leaves you an offcut table that is attached, so it doesn't try to compete with the sled, because it is the sled.

George I like the video. The only thing I would change would be  the fences. I would make them an inch or so taller to make them more stable. 

I agree that fence looked a bit cheesy. I like some bulk, and height. especially on the rear, wood bearing side. The lead fence can be a lot less beefy. I also prefer either high grade plywood glued up a few pieces thick, or quarter sawn hardwood like hard maple on the rear fence, around 6/4 thick. Both will keep from moving, and are stout, so repeated meetings with a spinning blade doesn't chew them up, or wallow out the saw kerf. Both can lead to a lot less than accurate cut. 

Thanks for the info about the miter bars (and sorry for the late reply). Are these the ones you have? They sound interesting. I have Incra slides that made of aluminum with a few wedge-shaped nuts that adjust the width. Spring-loaded bearings sound better because they will apply consistent side pressure in slots whose width varies along their length. They seem reasonably priced too. I’ll have to keep them in mind if I ever buy more slides.

Hey Ron,
Yes, those are the miter bars. I did worry about the ts miter slots being possibly worn down from the metal rail runners but I think it will be ok.
Do you like the Incra miter sliders?.

Yes, I’ve been happy with the Incra sliders. I’ve had them for many years, and they’re on their second sled. I’ve felt no need to replace them.

George West-thanks for your comments. The mdf is a little heavy but not bad at being 18"x 24". I couldn't imagine a full size sled being made of mdf and having to lug that thing on and off the ts. I did look at DIY Montreals video you posted plus many others before I settled on my bevel sled project. I have thought of building a larger sled that does cross/bevel cuts ect. but again it would be heavy and storing things in my small shop has become challenging.

Pottz-thx. It was a fun build.
TheWoodGuy-thx. again.

Ron Stewart. I have a small parts cutting sled for pen blanks ect. that I might rebuild so I'll keep the Incra's in mind.