I bought a cheap bench and wanted to flatten the top. I fitted 15mm ply side rails on small stand offs so the bit could reach across the entire bench width. I made the two sled rails from 1/8” x1” aluminium angle (which I checked for straightness) and put some furniture wax on them for an easy slide of the router base. The rails were separated by a wood block at both heads, the width of the router base. Worked brilliantly and cost little. The chippings left the bench top through the standoff gaps each side. Hardest bit was ensuring a perfect alignment of the six feet long ply rails each side of the bench. This worked with my cordless DeWalt palm router using a one inch surfacing bit and I kept the depth of cut to under 1/16” to avoid over loading.
The easy way to start flattening that warped slab is to clamp it down tight and freehand with a chainsaw. Seriously, it's easier than it sounds, just go slow. When you think "one more pass should do it" STOP and finish on the sled! PS, your hints in the Router Sled Mistakes video were awesome.
I have used my DIY sled for about 5 slabs. It is very messy but it works. It’s great if the weather is nice I can share the dust with my neighbors 😂. Thanks for a informative comparison. On the moisture issue I have never used a meter. To be honest I have been lucky most of my projects have not warped. On the epoxy resin tables I like to use a polyurethane on the bottom to help seal the wood.
I used the wooden DIY sled in the past and I didn’t like it, because it bends in the center, so little, but it doesn’t perfectly flat a slab. Slab large around 40inches, and 100 long, with a quite heavy router 13 lbs. I’ll try with the metal ones, but I doubt they won’t bend as well.
Looks like my garage except yours is even more packed full lol i made my own router sled with wood and now making a linear rail router sled, the wood plywood model works to an extent but im going for pro performance
Great video. I’ve been looking into sled improvements for a while so it was good to see your video and comparisons. Was there a time saving between the two sleds for how long it took to flatten each side?
Thanks! The linear bearing one was a bit faster for the actual routing, but setup took a bit longer because you have to slide rails onto bearings and tighten Allen wrenches.
Is there any flex in the rails? My DIY sled is made out of angle iron so it gets the bit closer to the work surface and I can put a little wax on them to help the router slide easier.
Yes the dust collection is a game changer! The vendor is the kind of guy that will bend over backwards to make sure you're happy with your sled and give you his personal number in the setup manual.
I really like your home build flattening sled. It's the design I would use. But in regards to moisture meters, how do you know the Wagner is more accurate? Not just because 😂🎉it costs more, I hope. There could be a huge variability between any brand of moisture meter. How could you measure the moisture more reliably to compare it to your meters? How about comparing it to another high end meter?
That's a good point. Cost does not always equal quality. In this case, in addition to the cost I'm basing my assumption off of recommendations from other woodworkers that I trust. Although, it wouldn't be a bad idea to borrow a few of these from friends to get a good comparison of higher end meters.
@@EveningWoodworker would you be able to measure the sag when you place the router in the middle of the 20mm rails? Originally I was wondering if 16mm rods would be enough for a1m span...
I don’t understand parts of this video that mention “with the grain”. Router bits go round and round. They cut both with and across the grain. Direction of sled travel seems like a second-order consideration.
When a router plunges, then yes it's in all directions. However when you're moving it sideways, it cuts mainly on the side of the cutter. So if you're running it across a slab, I get less grain tearout when I run it back and forth in the direction of the grain. Try it and see if you agree
@@EveningWoodworkerI'm not sure why you couldn't run the DIY sled along the grain since it's riding the rails. Who says you have to move it back and forth on every pass. Just keep it in one spot and move the sled up and down along the piece. There might even be a way, with some sort of T-track installed in your sled to clamp down the router during each pass, which would make re-adjustments simple.
There are a lot of DIY linear sled builds on TH-cam, easier than I thought, I built mine 4x6 for less than $250, already had a router on hand. Any woodworker can do this, why buy an expensive kit ?
Sometimes people just want it already done. There are lots of random pre-made jigs for sale out there that you could easily make yourself, but they seem to still do well!
I bought a cheap bench and wanted to flatten the top. I fitted 15mm ply side rails on small stand offs so the bit could reach across the entire bench width. I made the two sled rails from 1/8” x1” aluminium angle (which I checked for straightness) and put some furniture wax on them for an easy slide of the router base. The rails were separated by a wood block at both heads, the width of the router base. Worked brilliantly and cost little. The chippings left the bench top through the standoff gaps each side. Hardest bit was ensuring a perfect alignment of the six feet long ply rails each side of the bench. This worked with my cordless DeWalt palm router using a one inch surfacing bit and I kept the depth of cut to under 1/16” to avoid over loading.
Sounds like a great setup!
The easy way to start flattening that warped slab is to clamp it down tight and freehand with a chainsaw. Seriously, it's easier than it sounds, just go slow. When you think "one more pass should do it" STOP and finish on the sled! PS, your hints in the Router Sled Mistakes video were awesome.
Thanks! Also that's an interesting idea with a chainsaw. I'm guessing it takes some practice too!
Really helpful video…I watched the one on making a DIY sled first and then this one. Super helpful. Thx.
Thanks! I'm glad you liked it
I have used my DIY sled for about 5 slabs. It is very messy but it works. It’s great if the weather is nice I can share the dust with my neighbors 😂. Thanks for a informative comparison.
On the moisture issue I have never used a meter. To be honest I have been lucky most of my projects have not warped. On the epoxy resin tables I like to use a polyurethane on the bottom to help seal the wood.
Thanks! I guess you can either use a moisture meter or just wait a year or two until you know it's dry!
Not in the market for a router sled but that was a very informative video! Well done! 👍👍
Thanks! I'm glad you liked it.
I used the wooden DIY sled in the past and I didn’t like it, because it bends in the center, so little, but it doesn’t perfectly flat a slab. Slab large around 40inches, and 100 long, with a quite heavy router 13 lbs. I’ll try with the metal ones, but I doubt they won’t bend as well.
The thicker diameter linear rails (20mm) will help reduce the sagging in the middle... they're just a lot heavier!
Looks like my garage except yours is even more packed full lol i made my own router sled with wood and now making a linear rail router sled, the wood plywood model works to an extent but im going for pro performance
Great video. I’ve been looking into sled improvements for a while so it was good to see your video and comparisons. Was there a time saving between the two sleds for how long it took to flatten each side?
Thanks! The linear bearing one was a bit faster for the actual routing, but setup took a bit longer because you have to slide rails onto bearings and tighten Allen wrenches.
Great info about the moisture tester.
Thanks! It's an often overlooked tool.
Is there any flex in the rails? My DIY sled is made out of angle iron so it gets the bit closer to the work surface and I can put a little wax on them to help the router slide easier.
I didn't have any flex in mine. I do like the idea of getting the bit closer to the work surface though.
What router bit are you using?
Here's what I use: amzn.to/3yh8jRO
I think the dust collection is enough incentive to get the pro model you showed. How is the vendor??
Yes the dust collection is a game changer! The vendor is the kind of guy that will bend over backwards to make sure you're happy with your sled and give you his personal number in the setup manual.
What are the sized of the acrylic
I tried to look at the sleds from your friend but keeps saying page not found
Sorry about that... here's the correct link: s2ms.com/collections/router-sleds/products/basic-slab-flattening-router-sled-rails
I really like your home build flattening sled. It's the design I would use.
But in regards to moisture meters, how do you know the Wagner is more accurate? Not just because 😂🎉it costs more, I hope. There could be a huge variability between any brand of moisture meter. How could you measure the moisture more reliably to compare it to your meters? How about comparing it to another high end meter?
That's a good point. Cost does not always equal quality. In this case, in addition to the cost I'm basing my assumption off of recommendations from other woodworkers that I trust. Although, it wouldn't be a bad idea to borrow a few of these from friends to get a good comparison of higher end meters.
Fill in the cup with epoxy resin. The top will be flat with a 3D effect when looking down into it. Leave the bottom of the slab exposed-ragged edge.
What diameter are the libear bearing rails / rods
The 8' ones are 12mm and the shorter ones are 20mm
@@EveningWoodworker would you be able to measure the sag when you place the router in the middle of the 20mm rails? Originally I was wondering if 16mm rods would be enough for a1m span...
I don’t understand parts of this video that mention “with the grain”. Router bits go round and round. They cut both with and across the grain. Direction of sled travel seems like a second-order consideration.
When a router plunges, then yes it's in all directions. However when you're moving it sideways, it cuts mainly on the side of the cutter. So if you're running it across a slab, I get less grain tearout when I run it back and forth in the direction of the grain. Try it and see if you agree
@@EveningWoodworkerI'm not sure why you couldn't run the DIY sled along the grain since it's riding the rails. Who says you have to move it back and forth on every pass. Just keep it in one spot and move the sled up and down along the piece. There might even be a way, with some sort of T-track installed in your sled to clamp down the router during each pass, which would make re-adjustments simple.
Crazy wood suggestion - a few chess sets 4 in tall at most. Definitely NOT for the board itself! Use plenty of sealer,.
Hang it vertically and put a clock and the 3 weather guages.
Couldn't you take some bees wax or something similar to put on the rails and maybe the underside of the sled at the rail.
I tried it with some wax I had and it just made it sticky so the sawdust would stick to it. It seemed to work better just sliding on the bare wood
short version: " you should buy a router sled from my friend Josh..." 😂
He does make some great router sleds!
what's preventing you from adding dust collection to the DIY router sled?
I guess I could... I was just trying to make something quick and dirty.
@@EveningWoodworker so it's not so much an advantage of the high-end sled, if a DIY sled can have this without a problem
🔥🔥🔥
Dust collection is important
Wood surface mold can be inhaled into the lungs.
There are a lot of DIY linear sled builds on TH-cam, easier than I thought, I built mine 4x6 for less than $250, already had a router on hand.
Any woodworker can do this, why buy an expensive kit ?
Sometimes people just want it already done. There are lots of random pre-made jigs for sale out there that you could easily make yourself, but they seem to still do well!
Well dun, no superfluous redereck
Thanks! Trying to be efficient with everyone's time!