MiniMax Crosscut Sled

I have become a big fan of crosscut sleds since the first one I built for my Craftsman table saw years ago. Not only do they make very square cuts, but the rear guide piece completely supports the board you're cutting enabling very small pieces to be safetly trimmed. Add to this the zero clearance you achieve with a home made sled and you've got an almost indespensible addition to your saw.   Here is my MiniMax machine in the center of my garrage/woorkshop. Any other location than the middle of the shop would severly limit the operations you can preform. I've made some quite impressive cuts on long boards where I've had to start with the end of the board sticking through the door at the back of my garage and protruding into my laundery room. On the outfeed, I've had to raise the overhead garage door and extend the piece a few feet out into the drive way. But, Hey, whatever it takes to get the job done.

 

The trick is to make the runner wide enough that it is a tight fit in the slot of the saws slider. It wont budge in the slot once it's in, but I just slide the slider and the sled goes with it. I've also made a dado sled which I've used for numerous dados and with a temporary indexing block to cut accurate box joints. I even made a quick sled to cut 45 degree angles with when needed.