How to Make a Miter Sled

Description:

This week I’m making an updated miter sled video. I made a miter sled for my table saw a few years ago, but I kept having issues with the wood runners expanding and contracting depending on the weather. Fortunately, Microjig sent me a product a couple years ago that should fix this problem. It’s called the ZEROPLAY system and it allows you to attach plastic runners to your table saw sleds. This will prevent the runners from expanding and contracting based off the season and allow you to have a sled that slides smoothly all year round. I started this sled out using a sheet of 3/4″ plywood and cut a base piece. Next, I adjusted my ZEROPLAY runners to fit perfectly in my table saw track. Once I had a smooth fit, I drilled a few holes in my sheet of plywood and attached the runners with the screws and washers (included with the ZEROPLAY miter bars). Now that I have my sled sliding smoothly on my table saw, I need to raise my blade to the max height and make a cut halfway through my board. This cut will be used as a reference for setting up my fence. To make the fence, I glued up 2 sheets of 3/4″ plywood and cut them to about 3″ wide. Using a speed square, I glued and screwed one side of my fence down at a 45 degree angle to my reference cut. You’ll want to slide your sled through your saw to get a nice 45 degree edge on your fence. Now you’re ready to add the other side of the fence. I started by cutting a 45 degree angle so I could butt up my two fence pieces. Using a carpenters square, I made sure my second fence was a perfect 90 degree angle from the original. Once again, I glued and screwed the fence into place and ran the sled through the saw to clear out the center section of the new fence. Last but not least, I added another piece of plywood going down the center of the sled. This piece will act as a blade guard incase you push your sled too far.

When it comes to using your new sled, you’ll want to mark the fence on the left “Side A” and the fence on the right “Side B”. As you make your cuts, write down the corresponding fence that the miter was made on. You want to only join a “Side A” miter with a “Side B” miter in order to get the best results. In doing this, you’ll be forgiven for any slight deviation you had when you setup your fence on your sled. As long as both fences come together to make a perfect 90 degree angle, then you’ll have perfect fitting miters!