Two published plans
| Plan | Base | Fence | Runners | Guard | Squaring |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kreg DIY table saw sled (crosscut) | 3/4 × 24 × 30 in plywood | Laminated 3/4 × 3 in parts, 24 in long | Aluminium miter bars, glued and screwed | None in the plan | Framing square, then the five-cut method |
| Freud dado sled | 1/2 × 18 × 26 in plywood | 3/4 × 4 × 26 in, set exactly 90° | Hardwood, 3/8 × 3/4 × 18 in | Polycarbonate guard over the dado slot | Fence at 90° during assembly |
From Kreg's and Freud's published plans. Freud's is for saws whose manuals allow a dado set; DEWALT's DWE7485, for one, allows none.
The crosscut sled carries boards across an ordinary blade, with a fence square to the cut — the design and its uses are covered in the sled guide. The dado sled carries work across a dado stack for cross-grain dadoes, box joints and similar cuts, on saws that take a dado set at all; see dado blades.
Fitting a plan to your saw
- Runners. Measure your slots: INCRA gives the common slot as 3/4 in wide and 3/8 in deep, but notes real widths from 0.740 to 0.765 in. Freud's and POWERTEC's test is the same — the runners must slide freely without sideways movement.
- Runner spacing. Set by your saw's slots, not the plan's drawing. Kreg's plan sets the bars in the slots first and lowers the base onto them, so the spacing comes from the saw.
- Clearance from the blade. POWERTEC needs at least 4-1/4 in between blade and slot for its own fence to clear the blade; check that a plan's fence and blocks will clear yours.
- Saw type. POWERTEC makes its sled for cabinet and full-size contractor saws, not portable saws. A sled sized for a cabinet saw may overhang a jobsite saw's table; scale the base to your table and support.
- Material. Plan for the parts before cutting: the cut list optimizer lays the base and fence parts out on a sheet, with the kerf allowed for.
Building it
The order both plans follow
Fit the runners first
Freud: place them in the slots and check that they slide freely with no sideways play. Kreg sets its aluminium bars on washers in the slots so they stand slightly proud, ready to take the base.
Fix the base to the runners
Set the base parallel to and centred over the runners, then fix it — Freud with countersunk wood screws that do not protrude through the runners, Kreg with CA glue and screws.
Fit the fences
The fence nearest you references the work; set it square to the line the blade will cut. Kreg fixes one end with a pivot screw, squares it with a framing square and adds a second screw. Keep every screw out of the blade's path — Freud warns that screws in the cutter's path damage carbide teeth.
Add the guard and blocks
Freud's plan fits support blocks centred over the cut and a polycarbonate guard above the slot. The Kreg plan has no guard; see the next section.
Cut the kerf
Freud cuts its dado slot in three 1/4 in passes, disconnecting the power between passes. For a crosscut sled, raise the blade through the base and fence as your sled and saw manuals allow.
Check square
Run the five-cut check and adjust the fence until the error is as small as you can measure — the method is set out in the sled guide.
What the plans leave out
Kreg's plan has no safety section, and neither plan replaces your saw's manual. POWERTEC's manual for its own sled sets rules that apply just as well to a shop-made one:
- No rip fence in use with the sled.
- Fence and any hold-down positioned so they cannot touch the blade, and everything tightened before cutting.
- Blade height as low as the cut allows, as your saw's manual defines it.
- No pieces too short to be held securely with a hold-down.
- Out-feed support clear of the runners.
- Stop using the sled if any part cracks or loosens.
- Dado work only on saws that allow it, with the stack no wider than the saw's manual permits — Freud says to check the manual for the maximum width.
Freud's dado sled puts a polycarbonate guard over its slot; a crosscut sled built without one leaves the blade exposed where it comes through the fence, so keep hands out of that path. For buying a sled or a sliding table instead of building one, see choosing a sled; for push sticks, featherboards and the other jigs to build first, see table saw projects.
Before the first cut on a shop-made sled
- The runners slide freely in your slots without side play
- No screw lies in the blade's path
- The fence is square to the kerf, checked by the five-cut method
- The rip fence is off the saw or well clear
- Hands stay out of the blade's path where it comes through the fence
- For a dado sled: the saw allows a dado set and the stack is within its limit
Sources
Dimensions are the plan publishers' own; they are starting points, not sizes for every saw. Safety rules come from a sled maker's manual and saw makers' manuals and are attributed; follow your saw's manual where it differs.
- 1.
DIY Table Saw Sled (plan). Kreg Tool.
Used for: Kreg's DIY table saw sled: a 3/4 × 24 × 30 in plywood base from half a sheet; a fence laminated from 3/4 × 24 × 3 in parts; aluminium miter bars set on washers in the slots and fixed with CA glue and screws; the fence squared with a framing square and then checked by the five-cut method; about 13 in of capacity left of the blade and 11 in right; no safety section.
- 2.
Creating a Dado Sled — safety instructions. Freud Tools.
Used for: Freud's dado sled: a 1/2 × 18 × 26 in plywood base, 3/8 × 3/4 × 18 in runners that slide freely without sideways movement, a 3/4 × 4 × 26 in main fence at exactly 90°, support blocks, a polycarbonate guard over the dado slot, screws countersunk and kept out of the cutter's path, the slot cut in three 1/4 in passes with the power disconnected between them, and the saw manual's maximum dado width.
- 3.
Owner's Manual, Model No. 71403 Table Saw Crosscut Sled. POWERTEC.
Used for: POWERTEC's limits for its commercial sled: cabinet and full-size contractor saws with a 3/8 in deep × 3/4 in wide slot, not portable saws; at least 4-1/4 in from blade to slot; no rip fence or dado blades with that sled; fence and hold-down clear of the blade; the blade as low as the saw's manual defines; no pieces too short for the hold-down; out-feed support clear of the bar; a bar that slides freely without side play; stopping use if a part cracks.
- 4.
INCRA Miter 1000SE. INCRA.
Used for: Slots 3/4 in wide and 3/8 in deep, with or without a 15/16 in T-slot, and actual widths that vary from 0.740 to 0.765 in.
- 5.
DWE7485 8-1/4" (210 mm) Compact Job Site Table Saw, Instruction Manual. DEWALT.
Used for: DEWALT's rule that no dado set be used on its compact saw — a reminder that a dado sled is only for saws whose manuals allow a dado stack.
About this guide
Written by BenchRoot Editorial. How BenchRoot sources, checks and corrects its pages is set out in the Editorial Policy. If something here is wrong or unclear, the contact page explains how to tell us.