Easy! Make Runners for Table Saw Sleds!

Simple, detailed and informative. I show you how to make runners, also known as miter bars, for table saw sleds, like cross-cut sleds. I explain materials, show you how to sneak up on the right width, cut runners, and even how to glue them to the sled. By the time you're done with this video, and with a little practice, you'll be cutting runners with ease.

Index:
00:00 Start
00:23 Goal
01:02 Materials
01:11 UHMW Plastic
01:37 Hardwoods, Grain
01:59 Plywood
02:18 Cutting Thin Strips
02:41 Zero Clearance Insert Plate
02:58 Cutting Runners
03:08 Standing on End
03:36 Sneaking Up on a Cut
04:16 Blanks
04:38 Plywood Blanks
05:17 Maple Blanks
05:41 Finished Blanks
05:49 The Scrap Piece
06:27 Sneaking Up on the Cut
07:23 Cutting the Blanks to Size
08:14 Tips
08:25 Timed Example
09:02 Gluing the Runner to the Sled
09:55 More to Come
10:10 Thanks!

Other videos in this series:

Other relevant videos:

Products featured in this video:

[GNU_Linux_for_good]

One hell of a lecture! I'm in a constant need of runners because the world is full of jigs I have to build. So, I learned: dial your table saw in *once* and make a *bunch* of runners. Thanks.

[mlong]

I'm enjoying this channel. Thanks "Newbie Dan" for sharing your knowledge and talent.

[erictupper]

i fought the Craftsman tab issue, and just ground them off. MUCH easier. Then to cut runners..realized extruded shelf strips for wall mounting are the perfect size, depth, and rigidity to work very well for runners, plus predrilled for counter sinking. Some strips are narrower and cheap extruded alum, so use your calipers and measure closely. once you find some that give you a good fit, there is no more swelling or twisting and you have a better runner and buying these runner strips are much less $ alot less hassle than creeping up or down with your fence. You probably have strips leftover from previous shelving projects too.

[robertross]

I'm am a new newbie and the video on making runners was well done, make some.

[ggsmith]

Thank you sir for this video! Another technique here for those of us that have cheap table saws with sloppy fences... Follow the steps above but don't sweat cutting the runners too narrow. Use two runners for your sled and when you go to glue/tape them up make sure they are pressed to the outside edges of the slots (both away from the blade) using folded up pieces of cardboard/paper/whatever. After the glue and screw to the sled base, if the sled binds lightly sand the outside edge of ONE of the runners until the sled slides smoothly. Thanks again for this vid, and count me as a new subscriber!

[tulioalopez]

Thank you for everything. Keep watching your videos for everything. Merry Christmas

[jerymedobbs]

Minute Yes!!!! You are an exceptional videographer. If you have friends or associates, I hope you encourage them to do the same. Thank you sir. This video, which provided me no new knowledge, is the best diy vudeo I have viewed for quite some time, simply due to the time indexes. Please carry on in helpfulness.

[firechicken]

Today I went to build a sled for my Ryobi table saw when I noticed that this particular table saw has "tabs" inside the runners. The runners are not open as I have seen in most of the videos. This made creating a runner for this brand of table saw a bit different. To solve the problem, so cut my strips, then set the depth of the blade and cut slots in the runners sides. This allowed me to perfectly slide my runners into the miter slot and was then able to build the sled. Thanks for the videos.

[darrylhodgson]

I appreciate you including the mistakes (soft wood) in your videos. These teach us newbies just as much as the subject of the video. Being a mistake prone person this means much to me. I still can count to ten on my fingers!

[davidrobins]

Thanks for a very clear description of how to make runners.

[philgoulding]

Thank you for a lot of good tips. Been working with a radial arm for decades but you still need a table saw for certain applications. Besides the opportunities on projects multiply many fold with a table saw. Keep up the great videos. We are never to old to learn new things especially in woodworking.

[kathrynnewton]

Yes I agree about be open about mistakes, it takes courage!

[garretbryl]

Great video. I made some but I decided to use my CNC. No trial and error with that method

[glencrandall]

Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

[elioaziz]

It is really enjoyable to hear..you speak with rhyme...

[alejandrotoscano]

Great explanation. I've recently bought a table saw and was looking for some guidance to make a cross cut sled. Find a LOT of videos on that, but NO ONE explain this issue as this video. Congratulations.

[truman]

Thank you for sharing your incredible knowledge

[harrypowers]

Thanks Dan, I really like your videos…you present them so clearly and simply, they are a pleasure to watch; and you don’t have that annoying music that distracts from your instructive style. I am subscribed to over 50 woodworking channels and yours is probably my favorite. 👍🏻

[bigviper]

Great video! Loved your patient and clear instructions!

[DKWalser]

There's a lot of good information, well explained, in this video. Allow me to add a suggestion for those wanting to use solid wood for their runners: Don't try to cut them to fit perfectly. Instead, make the fit of the runners adjustable in the following manner. Cut the runners so they are a little loose -- say 1/16". Then, on each end, cut a thin kerf running vertically (from the top to the bottom of the runner) about 2" long. Make the kerf about 1/4" from one side of the runner. It doesn't matter which side as long as kerf at each end of the runner are on the SAME side. You can use a bandsaw or a hand saw to make the kerfs. Then, you can drive a small screw into the end grain of the kerf as a wedge to expand the 'thin side' of the runner outward to achieve a perfect fit. Not only is this faster than trying to cut the runners to the exact perfect size, it allows you to adjust the fit for changes in humidity.


Yes, one side of the runner will only make contact with the miter slot at each end. However, the other side -- the straight side -- will be in contact with the miter slot for its entire length. Since your sled will always be referencing off the same side of the miter slot (it doesn't matter which side, but I always use the side closest to the blade as my 'reference side' of the runner), you'll have consistent accuracy.