Three ways to get a sled
| Option | Fits | Capacity | What the maker sets |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWERTEC 71403 sled (bought) | Cabinet and full-size contractor saws with 3/8 × 3/4 in slots; not portable saws | Not stated in the manual reviewed | At least 4-1/4 in from blade to slot; no rip fence; no dado blades |
| SawStop TSA-SA48 sliding crosscut table | SawStop ICS, PCS and CNS saws only | 60 in crosscut; 110 lb on the table extended | Mounted to the saw; rip 48 in, or 37 in when flush |
| Kreg DIY sled plan (shop-made) | Any saw whose slots take the runners | About 13 in left and 11 in right of the blade as drawn | No safety section in the plan |
From POWERTEC's and SawStop's manuals and Kreg's published plan.
Equipment notePaid link
Table saw crosscut sled
POWERTEC 71403
The bought sled in the table above: POWERTEC's 71403, made for cabinet and full-size contractor saws with 3/8 × 3/4 in slots, not for portable saws.
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Choosing between them
- A bought sled is ready to use but made for a class of saw. POWERTEC makes its sled for cabinet and full-size contractor saws, not portable ones, and asks for at least 4-1/4 in between blade and slot. On a jobsite saw, check the maker's saw list before buying.
- A sliding table replaces the sled for long crosscuts — SawStop's crosscuts up to 60 in — but fits only its maker's saws and takes floor space beside them. For panel work at full size, see sliding table saws.
- A shop-made sled can be sized to any saw, including a portable one, and its runners fitted to your own slots. Kreg's plan uses half a sheet of 3/4 in plywood; table saw sled plans compares it with a dado sled and adds the safety rules the plan omits.
- A better miter gauge may be enough if your crosscuts are narrow; see choosing a miter gauge.
- Dado sleds are only for saws that allow a dado stack; DEWALT's DWE7485, for one, allows none. POWERTEC's sled is not for dado blades either.
Checks on your saw
- Slot size. POWERTEC's bar is for 3/8 × 3/4 in slots, but INCRA notes that slots sold as 3/4 in vary from 0.740 to 0.765 in. Measure yours; a bar must slide freely without side play.
- Space beside the blade. Measure from blade to slot and compare it with what the sled asks for — POWERTEC's 4-1/4 in, for example.
- Table and support. A sled hangs off the front and back of a small table. Plan support so the sled and work stay level — see roller stands.
- Squaring. Any sled needs its fence square to the blade, set and checked as in the sled guide.
Caution— Rules for any sled
POWERTEC's rules for its sled apply to any: no rip fence in use with it, fence and hold-down clear of the blade, the blade as low as your saw's manual defines, and no pieces too short to hold.
Before buying or building a sled
- Your saw is on the sled maker's list of saw types
- Your slots are measured, and the runners slide without play
- There is enough space between blade and slot
- The capacity left and right of the blade suits your work
- Support for the sled and work at the front and back of the table
- For dado work: the saw allows a dado stack
Sources
Figures are each maker's own for the product named. The shop-made plan's capacities are Kreg's for its drawing and change with the base you cut. No sled was tested and none is ranked.
- 1.
Owner's Manual, Model No. 71403 Table Saw Crosscut Sled. POWERTEC.
Used for: The 71403 sled for cabinet and full-size contractor saws with 3/8 × 3/4 in slots, not portable saws; at least 4-1/4 in from blade to slot; no rip fence and no dado blades with it; the blade as low as the saw's manual defines; a bar that slides freely without play.
- 2.
Sliding Crosscut Table, Model TSA-SA48, Installation Guide. SawStop.
Used for: The TSA-SA48 sliding crosscut table for SawStop's ICS, PCS and CNS saws: a 9 × 47 in sliding table, 60 in travel and crosscut, 48 in rip (37 in flush), 110 lb capacity extended, 70 lb.
- 3.
DIY Table Saw Sled (plan). Kreg Tool.
Used for: A shop-made sled on a 3/4 × 24 × 30 in plywood base from half a sheet, with about 13 in of capacity left of the blade and 11 in right, and no safety section.
- 4.
INCRA Miter 1000SE. INCRA.
Used for: Slots sold as 3/4 in varying from 0.740 to 0.765 in.
- 5.
DWE7485 8-1/4" (210 mm) Compact Job Site Table Saw, Instruction Manual. DEWALT.
Used for: A compact saw that allows no dado sets, so a dado sled is not for it.
About this buying guide
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