Keep table saw blade from cutting into the sled

Question

How do I prevent the blade from cutting into the "fence" of my table sled?

Wood rails engage slots in the table saw.

I see no way of raising the sled by much.

Answer 1

This is supposed to happen

Sleds are partially sacrificial. That's the whole reason they're made out of softwood and not steel.

What to do about it depends on what you're trying to accomplish.

If you're worried about the sled breaking, especially what with that knot there, then go ahead and sister it with taller timber such as a 2x8 set alongside the 2x4 (not stacked with it). Although you could just double it with a 2x4 that doesn't have a knot right there. I myself would glue and screw, but you do you.

If you're worried about the blade coming out beyond the sled and biting a careless thumb, I would seriously work on my body-awareness and sense of craft (or get a SawStop)... but OK then. In that case, add some timber to create a bunch of empty space between the active surface (the other side of this pictured 2x4) and the place the saw will actually be going.

Maybe a V-shaped guard cut out of 2x4 and topped with a piece of plywood. Or simply sister the visible 2x4 with a couple more 2x4's on the inside, although this would narrow the width of the sled.

Answer 2

How do I prevent the blade from cutting into the "fence" of table sled?

Well, that depends on whether or not you need to cut through your entire work piece.

All sleds that I've seen have the slit in the front and back. If you find that your sled is buckling then reinforce the fence by making it taller or screw on a metal angle bracket.

Option 1

Clamp your workpiece forward like this:

Source

Option 2

Add blocking so that your cut is finished before you get to the fence,

Option 3

Add stops at the bottom of the sled which don't let you push the fence into the blade.

Answer 3

To prevent the cut at the rear fence you can

• limit the travel of the sled/tray with stops (illustrated in yellow) attached to the bottom of the sled, and with arms extending the sled where needed to reach past the table top

They are drawn on both sides, and you choose which one or both you'll use. On the left of the pic (the front) I have them on an arm, on the right (the back) I have them right under the sled platform.

• pre-cut the fence (green) to the blade height, and ensure there is enough bridging (red) at the top of the fence to maintain a strong and stable sled

You can reinforce the bridge with a strip of additional lumber (nailed, screwed, glued), a metal bracket (screwed), or just ensure the fence is tall enough already or replacing it if necessary with taller lumber now or when it breaks.

Answer 4

A work in progress, but I am happy with the results.

Answer 5

To answer the question as explicitly asked:

How do I keep my table saw blade from cutting into my crosscut sled fence?

Buy a piece of 1/4" steel and bolt it to the front of the fence. This will, 100% guaranteed, prevent the blade from cutting through the fence.

It will also, 100% guaranteed, ruin every saw blade that comes in contact with it, bending teeth on cheap, non-carbide tipped blades, and breaking the carbide off of carbide tipped blades, sending the carbide around the room in random directions and at high speed.

After replacing several blades and picking chunks of carbide out of arms, faces, and walls, you'll get really good at stopping before the blade hits the fence.