Simple table saw sled

August 28th, 2024

A sled is essential for ensuring accuracy and safety, giving you a stable platform to make consistent and clean cuts. In this step-by-step tutorial, I’ll show you how to build what I believe is the easiest and best table saw sled. I’ll also demonstrate the two step and five step method to making sure you get the most precise 90˚ angle with your fence and the blade.

ATTENTION: These plans are yours to use…they are offered as a gift from me to you. You have every right to use them to make this project for yourself, but please, do not sell or give these plans away as your own. I make absolutely no money off of these so I would appreciate those who view these plans to abide by basic copyright laws.

watch all steps in this video before starting

Please use the material and tool list below as a guide to finding the products locally.

Materials

(2) 3/4″ x 24″ x 24″ Plywood panels:

(3) 3/4″ x 2″ x 24″ Plywood (front fence)
3/4″ x 3″ x 24″ Plywood (front fence)
(2) 3/8″ x 3/4″ x 24″ Plywood (runners)
3/4″ x 3 1/2″ x 24″ Plywood (back fence)
3/4″ x 3 1/2″ x 7 1/2″ Plywood (safety piece)
(10) #8 x 3/4″ Flat head screws
#6 x 1 1/4″ Flat head screws
(4) #10 x 2″ Flat head screws
Spacers (I used pennies)
Polyurethane aerosol (optional)
Wood glue

Tools Needed/used

- Table saw (with miter gauge)
- Drill
- Router with a v-bit (optional)
- Marking gauge (optional, but oh so nice)
- Clamps
- Carpenter square
- Machinist square
- Feeler gauge (optional)
- Yardstick
- 5/32″, 1/8″ Drill bit
- Counter sink bit

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Step by step instructions

1. Material breakdown

This entire project can be made with just two sheets of 24″ x 24″ plywood from your local hardware store, but be sure it’s 3/4’s of an inch. The only major tool you’ll need is a table saw and a hand drill.

We’ll make the rails, four parts of the front fence as well as the back. The rails should move smoothly, but should be snug enough that there isn’t any back and forth play.

Click image to see this step on youtube

2. Gluing rails and fence

Both rails will now be added to the

The four parts of the fence are laminated together in this step, with the widest piece the piece that will be laid next to the base. While it would be great if we lined up all the 3 pieces together with the edge of the 4th, it’s not completely necessary (although you should, of course, try to).

The rails will be glued to the bottom of the sled by adding a bead of glue and then something heavy to the top, like a couple buckets of water.

Click image to see this step on youtube

3. Squaring the fence

At this point we can take the freshly glued stack of plywood from step 2 and true it up with the fence of our saw. Raise the blade to a height to do this, but be sure you use a push block of some kind.

Click image to see this step on youtube

4. Attaching rails and back

In this step we’ll add screws to the rails on the bottom as well as the back fence to the back. The good news with the back fence is that it doesn’t need to be accurately placed on the base board like the front fence.