Safety guard on Table Saw and Cross Cut Sled

[Gary_S]

I wasn't to build and use a cross cut sled. My table saw blade is covered by one of those plastic safety shells and so I am unsure how to build the front wall of the saw as this will hit the cover. What does the front wall do? Can I omit it from the build and keep the guard or will I have to faff around removing the guard before using the sled?

Thanks

Gary

 

[Steve Maskery]

Sleds are usually used with saws that don't have a guard at all. I'm not recommending that, obviously. So either you need to build guarding into the sled itself, like mine, or you make that front wall high enough, and with a big enough gap in it to allow the guard through. I think that is going to be a bit unwieldy, TBH.
Don't forget that the biggest risk of cutting yourself is at the end of the cut, when the sled, and your hands, are farthest forward so a tunnel guard on the face nearest to you is a very good idea.
I'm going down to the workshop in a bit, I'll take a photo for you.

 

[Steve Maskery]

This is mine. It sat in a barn for a couple of years and the runners have swollen, so it doesn't fit in the mitre slots any more

The guard just floats in a couple of grooves, sat upon the workpiece

You can see my tunnel guard on the face nearest to me, but when I remake it, I shall put one on the far end too. OK, I don't get my fingers out there, but better safe than sorry and it doesn't get in the way at all.

Don't forget that you can't have the fences too low or you will simply cut the sled in half when you use it!

 

[JakeS]

Don't forget that you can't have the fences too low or you will simply cut the sled in half when you use it!

Also bear in mind the option of doing just that on purpose. It's obviously better to have two runners as it means your sled will suffer less from play, but I've been managing fine with a single-runner sled that I put together as a stopgap which just exists entirely on one side of the blade. You need to flip the workpiece around more often since the cut will only be clean on the one side, but it works perfectly well and gives a decent square cut. And because it doesn't have a rear rail, it just passes straight under the blade guard that's attached to the riving knife with no problem.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Yes, I have one of those as well. It's great for cutting tenon shoulders.
S

 

[MusicMan]

Nice guard design (as usual) Steve.

I was thinking that the best of both worlds might be detached sleds on either side of the blade. The one on the (say) left side would have the fence and be used for carrying the piece for cutting. The one on the right runs in the mitre slot but just has a base, no fence (but could have a guard carrier). Its purpose is simply to be a zero clearance insert on the other side of the blade. It does not need to move once in position and could even be locked.

Guidance by one slot only of one slot only is actually the best way to ensure accurate running. If you have two slots and hence four edges to follow, the sled doesn't know which one to follow and they 'fight'.

Keith

 

[Steve Maskery]

Actually, Keith, I have a great deal of sympathy for that viewpoint. 2 are better than one if they fit well, but, as you say, it is more difficult to achieve.

The one this replaced had little brass screws in the edges and I could adjust them to take up any slack.

 

[MusicMan]

Steve, yes, the screws will be more compliant than the edge, so will perform the function of keeping the slide tight up against the reference edge. I've seen nylon screws used similarly.

Keith