DIY Table Saw Sled with Adjustable Zero Clearance / Mobile Workbench EP 7

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This is the seventh video in an eight part 
series about my new woodworking workbench   which I fitted with a bench table saw 
and router table today I'm going to show you how to build and use this table saw sled with replaceable adjustable inserts the workbench has a gap in the bottom 
of the table saw to store the sled and   keep it handy when needed I've used trailer floor plywood to make the base of the sled   it's a hard and sturdy kind of plywood 
that's used as the name suggests   for the interior of industrial vehicles it 
has a layer of phenolic resin on both sides   the side that's facing upward in the sled 
is slip resistant which allows for better   grip on the work pieces the bottom side 
is smooth so the sled will slide better I've also used the same aluminum profile fence as 
in the sliding carriage and the router table fence   it's a very versatile profile that will let me use   miter track stops and other accessories such as clamps I've installed a piece of wood acting 
as an insert to achieve clean cuts   at the exit point of the blade.


screwed it on using neck joint bushings   but you could use any kind of metal washers to 
avoid damaging the board when replacing the insert these are the inserts for the base they're made from HPL with grey melamine but we   could have used MDF or acrylic boards 
between five and seven millimeters thick   I've machined some grooves to adjust them according to how thick the blade will use is I can remove them from the back 
of the table by taking out the screws to adjust them it's best to raise the 
blade as much as possible and tighten   the screws leaving two tenths of a millimeter 
between the insert and the teeth of the blade   it's normal for the blades in these kinds of 
table saws to vibrate a little when starting or   stopping the motor here you can see how the blade 
removes some material from the inserts on startup   I've installed a soft start module in this saw and even though it's improved I haven't been   able to solve it completely with these adjustable inserts I'll be able to adjust them as they wear   out or deform by touching the blade I'm going to make a few cuts to see the sled in action   this sled is ideal for making cross cuts 
and medium and small size work pieces   in a safe and accurate way I can cut pieces up to 60 millimeters high and 460 millimeters deep   to cut larger work pieces 
I have the sliding carriage   the lower inserts make it so that the wood will 
barely splinter at the exit point of the blade now I'm going to try with a much more sensitive board 
a piece of chipboard with melamine on both sides   funnily enough there's more splintering on the 
upper side than on the lower one at the exit point   maybe the blade was too low but 
the inserts work like a charm I've installed some t-track profiles on the base of the sled that will let me hold and cut almost   all kinds of work pieces safely I'll be able to use t-track clamps and hold down clamps I can also use hold down clamps 
in the aluminum profile fence   but only the ones that have a bolt 
up to six millimeters in diameter these kinds of t-track clamps are very 
comfortable when holding relatively high pieces besides they maintain the position once loosened making them very comfortable for repeated cuts they'll also allow me to hold 
pieces so I can cut them at an angle   this sled is very comfortable for these kinds 
of cuts you only need to pre-mark the cut   and align the cutting lines with the base inserts the hold down clamps will be very useful for holding work pieces to the aluminum profile fence   and cut rabbets or make these kinds of cuts it's important to be careful with your 
hands in these kinds of jobs if the   sled doesn't have protection 
at the exit point of the cut it wouldn't be a bad idea to make a 
protector to install at the exit of the cut   it would be easy to install by screwing it to the back plywood piece these hold down clamps will be perfect for holding very small work pieces and cut them safely just like with the sliding carriage here we can also make an attachment so that we can extend   the miter track stop and cut larger work pieces  we only need to insert it on one of the sides of the aluminum profile fence and lock it at the desired length with a tightening knob this stop is reversible and can be used on both on the left and on the right side of the profile fence we could even make larger attachments 
to cut even longer work pieces   and also use the one that I made some 
days ago for the sliding carriage another interesting possibility 
of this sled is to use it with a dado blade to make rabbits in all sorts of wooden work pieces you only need to adjust the inserts of 
the base to the thickness of the blade   and change the aluminum 
profile fences wooden insert these types of blades are normally used to cut 
grooves with this setup it's 6.3 millimeters thick   to use it as a fence insert I can use any 
kind of board that's 15 millimeters thick it will allow me to cut for example wooden tenons it will also allow me to make box joints both with the same dado blade or with a normal blade making the insert is easy you only need to 
glue a piece of wood as a stop and place it   away from the cutting line the same distance as the thickness of the blade we'll be using the height of the blade must be the same 
as the thickness of the wooden pieces   I'm going to run a few tests to show 
off the process and the end result I think it's a little dangerous to 
make these sorts of joints this way   and I'm thinking of making a jig to mount on the 
sled and make box joints in a faster and safer way now I'll show you how to make the table saw sled.

I'll start by cutting its base I'll mark the positions of all the holes needed for the screws and drill them with a column drill the next step is to cut the back part of the sled I mark the cuts following the plans and finish machining it with a bandsaw and a sanding disk I'll use the piece I've just machined to 
mark the other nine millimeter plywood piece   once it's cut I glue the two pieces together it's time to machine the front of the sled I've cut it to size and like earlier i'll 
pre-mark and drill all the necessary holes once machined I can mount the sled by screwing the base and the front and back together   I'll use the holes I'd already 
drilled as a guide to drill the base now on to the central cut in the 
sled first we should make sure if   the blades adjusted to the miter 
channels and bench table saw fence I lock the fence at the required 
measurements and start cutting   this is when we can leave the sled 
centered in the table saw or off center once the cut has been made I 
mark the position of each piece   and remove the sled to continue machining first I'll make the rabbet for the base insert   I'll do this little by little making sure 
I don't cut too deep it's important that this rabbet is exactly as thick as the material we'll be using for the insert with the table saw in several runs I'll cut the grooves to insert the t-track profiles   I'll finish the rabbit with the router table I'm also going to mark and machine the cut 
necessary for the back piece of the sled   it will let me place and remove the inserts easily I'm going to drill holes for the threaded inserts   I'll screw them to the board with a 
column drill to ensure they're square it's time to cut the aluminum 
profile fence to size I'll also cut the center of the profile 
so that I can place the wooden insert   I'll use a miter saw and a blade to cut aluminum I'll finish the cut with an 
oscillating multi-tool and a file before mounting the sled again I'll 
drill holes for the joint bushings I'll also cut the t-track profile so that 
I can screw them to the base of the sled I also cut the size the screws that will let   me hold the aluminum profile 
fence to the base of the sled even though it's not necessary to 
use them I'm also going to place   the screws that go on the underside of the sled it's time to cut the sliders that will 
direct the sliding movement of the sled   I'll cut some pieces of 8 
millimeter HPL I have in my workshop I make sure they're the right size by inserting them in the miter channels of the bench table saw   I mark and drill all the required 
holes with a column drill I'm going to insert on the miter channels other pieces of the same HPL acting as spacers and with a little cyanoacrylate I glue the sliders to the bottom of the sled   I've used the fence to leave the sled centered with a table saw top and squared with a saw blade once the glue is dry I remove the sled and place all of the screws using a self-centering drill bit I cut the inserts for the 
sled from another piece of HPL I'll use my 3d router to 
machine the adjustment grooves   I prepared a jig with a mark in the center of the milling to make this process easier first I'll cut a through groove with a six millimeter bit then another one halfway 
down with a 16 millimeter bit these grooves could have been made 
with a handheld router and jigs I cut the bolts to size and 
make sure everything's correct   by placing the inserts on the base of the sled for the exit wooden insert I'm going to 
cut four pieces so I can have replacements I cut them to size and make sure they 
fit the gap in the aluminum profile fence with a bit I marked the positions of the holes for the screws and drilled them with a column drill now I can finish machining 
the central cut on the table   I'll do it in several runs for 
every 10 millimeters approximately after measuring a small piece of 
plywood I use it as a reference   to glue on the measuring tape 
to the aluminum profile fence I'm going to make the extendable part of the fence first I'll cut the steel pipes to size I'll make some holes in the 
small profile with a bit 0.5   millimeters less wide than the bolt I'll be using I also use the column drill to thread the holes I'm also going to drill a hole that will allow me to lock this extendable fence as required   I could have done this earlier and 
it probably would have been easier   i'm going to try to remedy this 
with a wooden jig that helps me get straight holes I'm also going to need to thread the wood and the profile finally I'm going to cut and screw some plywood strips below the bench table saw   to make it possible to store this sled in the plants I used two 18 millimeter plywood strips but I had a 15 millimeter piece in my   shop that will let me get away without making a rabbet to achieve the required measurements I screw on two aluminum plates 
in the back that will act as stops   and screw the plywood strips to the bench there's one last consideration I'd like to 
talk about the blade in these kinds of saws isn't usually at the center of the work table in this case there's a 10 millimeter difference   the design of the plans has a central 
cut right in the center of the base   by using it in this saw the sled would be slightly off-center to one of the sides more or less like this I've modified the 
design on the fly while I was making it   so that the sled would be centered with the work table both systems are perfectly valid   that's all for today in a few days I'll post a new video showing everything this mobile workbench can offer I'll also show how to make the drawers 
and any other missing accessories see you soon

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