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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Build a miter sled for your table saw, since it makes 45-degree and other angled cuts simple and produces perfect picture frame corners when the 90-degree reference is exact. The speaker says this improved version is simpler to make than his earlier design, which he was never satisfied with.
Key Points
- The sled is built from 3/4 in plywood for the base and 1/2 in plywood for the runners that ride in the table saw's miter slots.
- Fit is controlled by sanding the runner edges until they slide snugly, then gluing and screwing them in place.
- Accuracy depends mainly on the sled's 90-degree fence being exact, not the fence's angle to the blade, because two mating pieces cut on opposite fences add up to a perfect 90-degree joint.
- The speaker credits the sled's simple build with making it worth filming, and he says it simplifies all of his 45-degree angled needs.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Cut the base from 3/4 in plywood and the runners from 1/2 in plywood.
- Sand the runner edges until they fit the table saw's miter slots snugly.
- To hold the runners up slightly above the table surface, place a stack of pennies in each miter slot, add a little glue to the runners, set them on the pennies, and let the glue dry.
- Glue two plywood strips together, then, once the glue is partly dry, drive 1/2 in screws into the tracks.
- Test the sled: it should slide smoothly and cut about halfway through a board.
- For the fence, use a 45-degree triangle against the blade with the sled in place to draw a line, then square up a strip and cut it to 2 1/2 in wide.
- Glue one fence strip, leave off glue at the end that will be cut off, line it up on the drawn line as closely as possible, let it partly dry, then screw it in from the other side.
- Raise the blade fully, cut through the fence, then make the first cut.
- Use a framing square to align the fence so the 90-degree angle is exact.
- Cut a 2x4 to fit the space, round its edge for comfort, and attach it as a blade guard; the blade will embed slightly in it.
- Apply paste wax to keep the sled sliding smoothly.
- The speaker notes that the 45-degree angle of the fences does not need to be perfect, as long as the 90-degree relationship between them is exact.
- He mentions a second film released the same week, shot in black and white, showing the miter sled in action making a picture frame, with a link to click.
Bottom Line
A miter sled built from plywood runners, screwed-on fences, and a blade guard is a simple, accurate way to make angled cuts, provided the 90-degree reference is exact.
