Thank you for watching! You can get a Sketchup model of this sled, as well as an SVG drawing for the wedgies, from my website: jerswoodshop.co... Patreon: / jerschmidt
Awesome, I may have to try this. With my sled I am limited in the width of the stock I can cut up into segments, your solution solves this problem. I really like how this sled concept is evolving.
BRAVO Jeremy. Through no fault of the original inventer of the wedgie sled he, like so many other inventers, are so in tuned into what they are creating that at times they can't see the more simpler way of going about it. Then young minds like yourself come along and see the easier way right off the bat of accomplishing the same task without all the added or needed complexities. What you have just shown here seems not only workable but also very practical but as you said not being one who has spent many hours of working with this type of woodwork project you might be missing something, BUT, I don't think so. Good work Jeremy and your presentation was also very well done. I really enjoy watching you at work. Keep it up.
Great idea with the cnc. I made a sled based on the original plans and created wedges out of acrylic using a laser engraver. I really like your idea of using the wedge as the fence, because it also means that the front and back edge are always equally aligned to the edge, unlike the original plan.
I have to agree 100%. I have been teaching woodworking in high school for 25 years and I'm always looking for great lessons. You put this together in a perfect way. Easy to understand. Concise. Loved it! I will be a subscriber for sure.
I keep seeing comments about tear out on the closest side of the wedge cuts. I'm thinking that an additional T-track on the left side of the sled (as you're looking down on it) with a sacrificial board bolted to it behind the wood being cut using the T-tracks would solve that problem. I plan on building this sled this week. If I find tear out to be an issue, I'll try the fix. Either way, this is an awesome idea, thanks for getting it out there!!!
Of all the variations op0f the wedgy sled design I have seen, his one, by far, is the one I like most. I will probably end up redoing my segmenting sled after the current projects I am working on to help make mine much more accurate. Currently, I have to do things with the half ring method of gluing half the ring together, sand the joints between the 2 ring halves and then glue the whole ring together. Thanks for sharing such useful info!
+AnkleBiter Woodworks Thanks! I used to use the half ring method (that's how I made the bowl seen at the first of this video), but I always had to do it by hand because I didn't have any other way of straightening the mating faces... Thus this idea was born.
Excellent thinking! Of course you get caught in the 'Catch 22' of having to cut a very precise pattern in order to be able to cut very precise pieces. At least you only have to do it once (not counting the six tries lol!) The advantage to the two fence system is that you can go to the nearest art supply store and buy 45 and 30/60 triangles to use for set ups. As Frank H. commented, this system does have the advantage of not restricting the width of the stiock (within reason). Thanks for the video! Keep making sawdust!
You young man are a credit to your trade you have a very well lit up workshop and your jigs superb A am a very old carpenter but i love the way you explain things so simply The best of Irish luck to you and keep the videos coming
just a thought, why not make something like a folding ruler, which has two arms and you can adjust whatever the angle you want, rather than have multiple piece of triangle piece of guide. Don't get me wrong those CNC pieces look nice.
Quick question: why can't you just create a single fence and flip the piece you're cutting? I'm really impressed how you're really coming into your own. Your videos and content are a lot more polished and it shows.
+Paulo De Oliveira That would basically be a miter gauge then. The thing that makes this sled work so well is the relationship between the front and back fences, and it has nothing to do with the relationship between the fence and the sled. Because of this there is no setup; the fences are just roughly mounted on the sled and the only precision parts there are is the front/back of the fence. Hope that made sense... Thanks!
At the risk of sounding like a nerd... math is the way to go for setting out the accurate angles (as opposed to protractor tools) for exacting projects like segmented bowls etc. I really like your presentations. Many thanx.
The only issue I see is not having the fence behind the blade as you mentioned in the video; however, I think one could fix the issue by putting one of Marius Hornberger's Cam clamps into the T-Track and tightening it down to the track. Then one could safely and quickly hold the stock against the fence. You said you were comfortable holding so may not be a solution you need.
Brilliant! So obvious, yet you're the first to my knowledge to build a better mousetrap. I was going to build the more traditional designed sled next week when I came across your video. Of course, you need to have a CNC to make this easy, and fortunately I do! Thanks for the great video. Keep em coming.
Thanks for the video. If you don't mind it's registered to the other face of the stock when you do the second cut, you might as well just flip the stock bottom-up and use the same face of the template/fence. That way the sled can be more compact as you don't need stock support room on both sides. You might even fit a 45 degree one or higher on bolts located top or bottom, whichever you prefer in controlling the stock and sled. It will only work with stock you can actually flip ofcourse, but I think the majority is?
+Dave Smulders You missed the point of the wedgie sled. What matters is that you cut one side of the joint on one side of the wedge, and the other side of the joint on the other side of the wedge. Because of this system there is absolutely no calibration to do; once you have the wedge on the right angle you can just slap it on the sled and make your cuts. Your idea is essentially the same as a miter gauge.
Yup I did :) Then the 45 degree one isn't all that bad either. If it's on just a bit crooked, the parts will still match, and although the lines won't be exactly crossing in the center it's only really marginal.
Hmm, could you give me an example of one person that is "do it like this and like that"? Because I can't think of anyone and you even claim it is everyone.
Looks like you should be able to do away with the sled and attach a slider directly to a wedge. You only have one slider anyway and your wood can move on the metal surface of the table saw this eliminating concern of overhang support for the 45 degree wedges. You would need to do away with the clamps which you probably won't need.
You are the first to suggest this! That's an interesting idea, and I think I'm gonna try it. Love the simplicity; no moving parts. I'm a bit worried that it could be harder to keep the stock against the fence, since it won't have the friction of the base to help hold it in place. But I'll try it and see how well it works. Thanks!
Jeremy Schmidt - I can think of a few ways to give you little more control but it's a little hard to describe. One idea would be to make the wedge maybe twice as wide while keeping your necessary side angles. This will allow for a longer slider to be attached to the bottom of the wedge and more surface area contact and weight of both items against the table saw metal surface. This should improve stability and allow you to concentrate on holding the stock piece better rather than juggling both the stock and the wedge. Next, you can cut some holes or long rounded edge slits that go parallel to the angle sides. These can give you the ability to stick your thumbs in the holes while half your palm and other fingers can serve to hold on to the stock piece more firmy against the wedge as you slide both pieces to do your cuts. Alternately, you can attach a 1" high block of wood flush with the angle sides of the wedge. This might be a little more comfortable to anchor your thumb(s) and hold the stock piece against the wedge. Also, if you design it to be removable, then you can use taller blocks for taller sock pieces. You can even remove them all together and rely on the "thumb holes" I mentioned earlier for when you are cutting thin pieces of plywood since you don't need to grip them as strongly as you would a bigger stock piece. Finally, flush strip attached to the wedge along the edges near the blade would be good for safety. This will help keep your hands and fingers from slipping off to the side and meeting the spinning blade. You can make that block even higher than the blade's highest setting. Your only using the angled edges for your cuts anyway, so that tall block along the side provides a good fence between your hands and the blade. It doesn't need to be too thick either. Half inch plywood with screws should work fine. I hope this helps. Good luck.
Using the wedgie as the fence is just brilliant. Plus solving the problem of stock width restriction. The answer was right there in our hands and no one saw it until now. Will some enterprising CNC owner please make the wedgies from a durable material for sale in a number of angles.
Hi Jeremy, Kudos for your creativity. I am very concerned about your recommending cutting on the back side of a fence. It is not safe. As the strip gets shorter it becomes less stable. Everything depends upon the user holding the strip tight enough against the fence 100 percent of the time. I would not bet on it. I have enjoyed seeing the various methods of implementing the wedgie sled concept. There have been some really good ones. Using two independent fences allows making several varieties of segments with one setup. These include normal segments, skewed, left and right leaning, complementary pairs, reverse pairs, straight and so on. Your version is limited to only normal segments. An ordinary large 30 degree triangle can be used to make a 12 segment ring, the 60 degree end will do a 6, and a 45 degree triangle will make an 8. You do not have to buy anything to get going. Jerry Bennett
I love this. So simple and easy to use. Suggestion: Either steel sleeve in bolt holes or spline locater to keep accurate over long term use. The threads on the bolts will enlarge the plywood holes over time IMO. Hope this helps. Thanks
Thanks! If the wedges needed to be positioned accurately then sleeves would be a good idea. But that’s the beauty of having the front & back fence in one piece: the angle of the wedge relative to the sled doesn’t matter, only the angle of the two fences *relative to each other*, and that angle is immovable.
Do you even need the wedge at this point? Couldn't you just have a rail with the correct angle (or even adjustable) with that nifty little handle, and run the stock off that one rail...just flipping the stock after each cut?!?! If it's a dumb question, I never claimed to be bright. :) I have 3 CNC's at the shop I work at so a cnc cut wedge might be a better option for me.
The reason the others have two fences compared to your one is in segmented work you can alter the fence angle of the two fences still using the wedge but the effect you get is a spiral rather than each angle pointing towards the center of the ring. You cant get the spiral effect with your setup, But still a good alternative. :-)
Hi Jeremy Your comment about mitre gauge accuracy I would challenge. As the old adage states you get what you pay for and if you buy a low cost mitre gauge it will more than likely not be accurate but if you buy one from INCRA out of Dallas you can get an accurate one for reasonable money and for a little more you can get even more accuracy. That is why they sell one hell of a load of them. Your wedgie sled has some benefits and I shall make one because my saw table does not have a standard mitre slot 3/4" by 3/8", but that is because in Europe folks like Festool set their own standards. Cheers
+Bawdsey64 You're right, a better miter gauge would be a different story. I have three of the style I showed and they are all junk, but they are all cheap ones. However, I am quite sure there is no miter gauge accurate enough to make a perfect 12-segment ring. As I said in the video, a half thousandth angle on the fence is unacceptable.
Came across this just today. Your sled idea makes so much more sense to me. I've never done any segment making or turning so take my question with a grain of salt. Is part of the issue with the gaps in the segments (on your first-fourth tries) due to the inconsistent overhang on your cuts? I would think that if there was a stop block of some kind before your blade so each overhang is the same, wouldn't that help with gaps? Probably not. It's been too many years since high school geometry.
+akw825 In theory, the angle is all the should matter. If each of the segments is exactly 30°, then 12 of them should add up to 360°, regardless of length. However, in practice it is difficult to place them correctly to make this come out right. (A longer segment has to be set out from the middle in order to fit right) So you're right, if I cut them all to the exact same length it would be easier to get them lined up.
Very Nice! ! only a question ... It wasn't possible Cut the wedgie ( at the First attempt to find the right angle) with you cnc machine? I don't know... maybe it was more precise and Close to the ideal Cut. Sorry for My english😂😂
Neat! I bought several of the "wedgies" to set the segment angles. I can use them instead of cutting ones like you did. I think this is a brilliant design change.
Jeremy, I bought them from the SegEasy web site. The link to the sets and individual wedgies is: www.segeasy.com/toystore2.htm. They are made of a high density polyurethane and quite durable.
Did the CNC ones come out seemingly perfect ? Would be interesting to test the precision of the CNC in terms of how many segments you can reach while keeping a perfect match...I'll try that on mine
Nice job. I think to reverse the bolts you could sink large all thread nuts in the base then cut them flush with the top Then you could use the bolts to hold it down
ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!! Some of the earlier comments are great. The simpler sled is also more flexible and adaptable - with some added design features, it could become the only sled you will need!!.
Excellent Project... The only thing I see that may or may not be a flaw is when you change segments patterns. It just seems to me that there is no real way to get the Segments back to where it was originally set unless I missed something. The more you put the screws through the holes they will always cut out a bit of board and over time could elongate the holes. Or as you tighten the knobs down might shit the template or segment pattern a bit. As you said a tiny error adds up quick. So my question is, how do you replace and change the pattern and still line things up? What I was thinking was possible adding a 3rd secure point. That way the more secure points you have the greater chance you have of lining things up again and again despite the wear and tear of the metal on wood action. Just a thought... I look forward to your reply.... Cheers....
+Paul Bialozor The angle that the fence/template is mounted on does not make any difference on the angle of the segments. Think about it. If you're making a picture frame with mitered 90° corners, one side can be cut at 44° and the other at 46°, and joint will still fit perfectly. All that matters is that the front and back of the fence are the correct angle relative to each other.
Yes I see what you are saying here with regards to a 90 Degree corner and agree. But are you saying if your jig is off by a little, as you mount and unmounted the jig over and over, that 44 and 46 when factored over 12 Pieces (Speaking figuratively using your numbers on 90 degrees knowing that 12 pieces would be a completely different number) that some error would not be present? I find that hard to believe. Just seems to me that some error would occur. To make a segmented piece and you divide 360 by 12 and each piece has to be exactly 30 Degrees divided by 2 or 15 Degrees to ensure each angle side lines up. If you cut 16 and 14 degrees because your jig is off just a bit, I doubt over 12 pieces they would line up in the end. I am just trying to grasp the concept of your wonderful jig here, not trying to argue with you in any way...
Paul Bialozor Ok, think of it in an extreme way. This is often the best way to wrap one's brain around something like this. In the case of a 12 segment ring, you could mount the fence 15° off and it would still work. One end of the segments would be cut at 0° and the other end at 30°, multiply by 12 segments and it still comes out to 360. Each segment just needs to measure 30° total, and that's all that matters. Now of course if you actually did this, it wouldn't look right. All of the wood grain would be spiraling around in a sawtooth pattern. So for that reason it's a good idea to be within 1° or so, just so it looks right.
Great video. Might have to rebuild my sled now. You also blew my mind with having the two heads on the combination square at once. Not sure if I'd ever need it, but that trick is getting stored.
This is a much better solution if you have a zero clearance base plate. Single guide rail reference is just much easier to set up and be consistent with.
Very cool! I like that it takes a repeatable, modular approach. Having not used it, I'm curious if the T-track is too close to the cutting side for using the speed to joint boards. Are you only planning to clean up narrower stock?
+Walter Kessler Thank you! I'm only planning to use it to joint shorter boards. The sled starts to get less precise in the slot after the back of it passes the blade, so it wouldn't be that good for longer stock anyway. And yes, I did cut the angles on the CNC.
Very nice. I don't turn anything, but the T-track and those angles clamps would be a little more forgiving than the toggle clamps I'm currently using. I think moving the track a little further from the blade, I could cut one on wider boards.
Wow.. Awesome!! Subscribed for sure. Your like a Matthias Wandel, Frank Howarth and Samurai carpenter all rolled into one! On a sidenote what kind of drill press do you own? It looks like a late 50s early 60s Delta 15" model.
+Danny M Thank you! Yeah it's a Rockwell 15", probably the same as what you're thinking it is only old enough that it didn't have the Delta name yet. The model number plate is missing so unfortunately I don't know the exact model.
+Jeremy Schmidt I just restored a 1957 Delta Rockwell 15" One of those they don't build them like they used to kind of machines, barley any runout! I would love to see a shop tour in the future when you have time. Cheers!
Very well done video. Most everything is explained very well. Im not sure why you installed the T track though. I thought it was to hold a sliding bolt for the angle guide, but in 5:43-5:45 the bolt coming up through the angle pc is clearly closer to the jig edge than the T track. What is the T tracks purpose? Is it solely to hold the 45 pc later as shown at the 6:20 mark? thx
You can remove the wedge fences altogether and use this sled to joint the edge of a crooked board. So the T-track is there to use with clamps to hold said board in place. It’s also used while making the wedge fences themselves, as I showed.
Great video as usual, Jeremy, I love how you explain things. Now, about that bowl at the beginning... Are we going to see a video on that? I like the design.
+Johnny West Thanks! I made that bowl quite a while ago, and I posted about it on my Instagram at the time. So you can go dig through my Instagram archives and see a little more about it.
There is at least one huge disadvantage. With the wedgie sled you can scew the prices to the blade, so they aren't 90°. Doing that will give you almost the same pieces but when they glue up you'll see they spiral away from the center. You can make awesome patterns. You can still do that with your sled if you remove one pivot point.
Another great video Jer! I was wondering if this angle piece could be cut on CNC without that many trials. On the other hand I love that you made it very user friendly as no one sane will buy a CNC just for that :) Cheers!
+Andrea Arzensek Thanks! My CNC isn't quite precise enough to make them right the first time, so I just used the sled to take care of that slight error with the table saw.
Brilliant as always. A heads-up, you may be asked to change the name/title (you know...because of the copyright/trademark cops and all). Cheers! Chris.
I noticed your lathe. Very nice. I picked one up at a school auction for $75. Had the tail vise but was missing the banjo which I could never find. Ended up selling a few parts then scrapping the bed. Curious as to where you found yours.
Thank you very much for the clear explanation. Now I do not need to buy wedgies and can make them myself . You have always excellent ideas . You are always honest and are not aiming to sell any thing🌹
This is how I built mine. Waiting for the day I would find out “the hard way” why it isn’t done like this. The day never came! Thanks for the affirmation!
I'm not even interested in turning yet, but this is totally going to be my jointing/miter sled! I love how simple it is. What kind of T-track did you use?
Love your work. Thanks for sharing. Especially the SVG and the SKP files. And for explaining how ridiculously accurate the wedges must be. The sketchup file has some odd shaped wedgie degrees. Just wondering what they are for. Also, did you find your CNC machine was accurate enough for the 22.5° or did you have to trial and error it as well? I'm having the wedges priced from my local CNC people. Many thanks.
Thanks! If you take 360 divided by the degrees in the wedge fence you'll get how many segments that one makes. Or take 360 divided by the desired number of segments to find what angle it should be. So the fence for a 7-segment ring will be 51.42857142 degrees. My CNC is not good enough to make the fences, however I think most CNC's would be. Mine is a particularly bad design. I did still cut them out with CNC, since it gets them very close, then do the final truing on the table saw.
Thanks for confirming how you're calculating your wedges. The 75°, 67.5°, 54° and 64.3° is what I was referring to. Just curious what I might be missing. My CNC people are telling me the angles would be spot on. We'll see.
You said thanks a lot for watching, I say thanks a lot for making the video. Enjoy all your vids. Would the cnc router be a better tool to make setup block? And do away with the trial and err. Assuming one has a cnc.
instead of moving from the front to the back edge of your sled between cuts, couldn't you just flip your piece over and make all cuts from the front side of your sled that way every cut is supported by the sled? then you really only have to worry about setting the angle of your template piece on 1 side. the back side would not matter. might also give you more room fir larger work pieces on your sled.
+Kent Cogan You've missed the point altogether. If I were to do that, it would be no different than a miter gauge. You would still have to set the angle very precisely. With this sled you don't have to set or calibrate anything, you just drop the fence on and go. It doesn't matter if the fence is crooked, the joint will still fit perfectly providing your wedge fence was made correctly.
Jeremy, could you use your laser cutter to get a more precise template? Now, I don't have a laser cutter--so i appreciate your explanation! But, for you (Mr. Laser Owner), is a laser-cut template accurate from the very start?
+Jeremy Schmidt - Of course, when you have a CNC Router, you can just cut the fences on it and save all of the trial and error. I assume you didn't just cut the text on the other ones you made. :) Maybe you want to provide a CNC service to the rest of us for a set of common fence angles? ;) I'd buy a set!
+Bobber W My CNC is not accurate enough to eliminate all the trial and error. I was actually considering selling sets on Etsy, 7 angles ranging from 4-12 segments, but after seeing that my machine just isn't good enough for that I dropped the idea. Maybe after I build my new CNC machine :)
+Dan Letkeman True, but that isn't really any better with a traditionally wedgie sled. Since their fences are moveable neither of them are zero clearance.
Very very kewl, J. I love when someone simplifies something that is already good. "If it works, make it better." But on the 45, can't you mount the wedge favoring one side of the sled, and just flip your piece over to cut opposite angles? ie., always use the same side of the isosceles triangle? Or am I missing something too obvious to see?
+Ken Kloeber Thanks! You probably are missing something too obvious to see. The point of the wedge shaped fences is that an error is completely impossible. You cannot mount the fence wrong or knock anything out of adjustment. And the only way that this can work this way is if you use opposite fence sides as the reference. I hope that makes sense.
Buf if the 45 deg fence is positioned to favor one side of the sled, the bolt holes would be unique (and you have the 'top side' routed, ) so you can't screw up where it goes on the sled. And the user HAS to be aware of which side of the fence to use (cutting a left or right hand 45.) so flipping the board upside down to cut the opposite direction 45 is no different than knowing which side of the triangle to use. Let's say the 45 deg fence is positioned to favor the left of the sled (so you are always cutting on the right hand fence) you just flip your board bad side up rather than cutting good side up. If they can't figure that out, they better stay away from a power saw! LOL
+Ken Kloeber The bolt holes are not that precise, and they also wear out with use. So they can't be used as a reference. With my design the bolts don't do anything but hold the fence down, and all of the accuracy is in the fence itself. Since the fence is one piece and has no moving parts, it can never be wrong. While your idea should work in theory, you wouldn't have the same degree of accuracy. And in my opinion, the peace of mind in knowing the sled IS correct and CANNOT be incorrect is worth a lot.
+Ken Kloeber It doesn't need to be true to the blade! That's what I've been trying to tell you! If the triangle is mounted at a 5° angle, it will still make perfect segments just like always. ALL that matters is that the front and back are at the correct angle to each other. That's it. As long as the angles of the front and back fences add up to a total of 30° (in the case of the 12 segment fence), the segments will be dead on. It's fine if the front fence is at 21.3° and the back fence is at 8.7°, because that still adds up the 30°.
What you mentioned about the stock needing to be parallel is a significant issue, with a regular wegie sled all you need is one flat face to work from and it will turn out a perfect ring.
I'm curious about the rate of wear on the holes that are in your fence inserts. Something tells me pushing threaded rods through them would create some slop over time. Perhaps metal sleeves are in order?
+cryptology It doesn't matter. Those aren't doing any precision alignment, they are only to hold the fences in place. The relationship between the front & back faces is what matters when it comes to precision.
just recently discovered you on youtube. I was wondering since you have a CNC router anyway, wouldn't those precise angle blocks have been more accurately cut using the CNC router? Another great video, thanks
I just ordered a wedgie from the originator. And I was thinking of just attaching it to my sled. I thought I was on to something so I came to TH-cam to see if someone beat me to it. Yup. Good job
Nice vid Jeremy.. a point if I may... I would imagine ANY play in the bolt holes would introduce error & as u have rightly said ... even a MINUTE error will show up, so I definitely would not change to insert nuts & knobs with screws... A sled with a permanantly fixed angled piece is probably the most accurate but you then need a bunch of sleds... 😅😅😅😅
+Peter Fitzpatrick The angle of the fence on the sled makes no difference. You could mount it on a ten degree angle and still get perfect segments. All the matters is that the two sides of the wedge fence are on the correct angle relative to each other, and that the position of the fence doesn't change during a cut.
+Matt Taylor I used my protractor to see which side was farther off, and removed material from that side. The sides don't need to be exactly the same, just close enough that the error isn't visible.
only drawback I can think of (versus the other design) would be maybe the holes wearing out some after a very long time, enough to throw off the precision of the angle
Tom Cummings you can harden the wood fibers in the holes with a few drops of cyanoacrylate (superglue). Bolts/studs with non threaded shank portions would further reduce wear.
May have been said but the original sled allows one to skew the wedge allowing more creativity. This is however, an awesome design for standard wedges.
+Doug Harder True. I could build a dedicated skewed fence if I have a lot of skewed segments to do, but in this case the original sled would be the better option.
If you don't have such a jig, or the pattern for the desired number of segments, there is a trick you can use to get perfect glue joints with only sorta-kinda-close angles....but it only works with even numbers of segments: Glue up two pieces using half the segments in each. Then plane, belt sand, jointer these two sub assemblies flat on their mating faces. now glue them together and marvel t the fact that you got zero gap joints with no precision angle measurement. Of course the angles/ segments will not all be equal, but in many cases that matters somewhere between barely and not at all. I learned this from a man that made foundry patterns. It is important to avoid exposed end-grain as water/oil from the casting sand will soak in and swell the wood and or catch as the pattern is withdrawn spoiling the sand mold. How to get really, really close: Rather than measuring angles with a protractor, the classic method is to step off the segments using dividers (hence the name) essentially you are doing a trial-an-error fit each time you walk the dividers around the circumference. If you then use the above trick, you will be close enough that the segments will appear equal to the naked eye unless you are doing a checkerboard bowl or some such.
Awesome, I may have to try this. With my sled I am limited in the width of the stock I can cut up into segments, your solution solves this problem. I really like how this sled concept is evolving.
+frank howarth
Hmm, I hadn't thought about the stock width advantage. Thanks!
As I was watching this video, I was thinking, this would be very helpful to Frank H. I wonder if Frank has seen this. Question answered
* Clicks over to frank's channel, eagerly awaiting the video... *
Aron Green
Has stock tear out at the back of the sled been a problem? Or does holding another scrap piece behind it prevent it?
I like that the fences are also zero clearance with the blade.
Er hat deine Idee nur umgeändert 😀
BRAVO Jeremy. Through no fault of the original inventer of the wedgie sled he, like so many other inventers, are so in tuned into what they are creating that at times they can't see the more simpler way of going about it. Then young minds like yourself come along and see the easier way right off the bat of accomplishing the same task without all the added or needed complexities. What you have just shown here seems not only workable but also very practical but as you said not being one who has spent many hours of working with this type of woodwork project you might be missing something, BUT, I don't think so. Good work Jeremy and your presentation was also very well done. I really enjoy watching you at work. Keep it up.
Great idea with the cnc. I made a sled based on the original plans and created wedges out of acrylic using a laser engraver. I really like your idea of using the wedge as the fence, because it also means that the front and back edge are always equally aligned to the edge, unlike the original plan.
You are a Scientist/an Artist/ and a gifted teacher all in one package. Thank you for setting the Standard so high.
I have to agree 100%. I have been teaching woodworking in high school for 25 years and I'm always looking for great lessons. You put this together in a perfect way. Easy to understand. Concise. Loved it! I will be a subscriber for sure.
I keep seeing comments about tear out on the closest side of the wedge cuts. I'm thinking that an additional T-track on the left side of the sled (as you're looking down on it) with a sacrificial board bolted to it behind the wood being cut using the T-tracks would solve that problem. I plan on building this sled this week. If I find tear out to be an issue, I'll try the fix. Either way, this is an awesome idea, thanks for getting it out there!!!
Of all the variations op0f the wedgy sled design I have seen, his one, by far, is the one I like most. I will probably end up redoing my segmenting sled after the current projects I am working on to help make mine much more accurate. Currently, I have to do things with the half ring method of gluing half the ring together, sand the joints between the 2 ring halves and then glue the whole ring together. Thanks for sharing such useful info!
+AnkleBiter Woodworks
Thanks!
I used to use the half ring method (that's how I made the bowl seen at the first of this video), but I always had to do it by hand because I didn't have any other way of straightening the mating faces... Thus this idea was born.
Cool beans!
So nice to see an idea being used the other way around like this!
+Wintergatan
Thanks!
Very well explained and not to much talking! Well done!
+Max Maker
Thanks!
Excellent thinking! Of course you get caught in the 'Catch 22' of having to cut a very precise pattern in order to be able to cut very precise pieces. At least you only have to do it once (not counting the six tries lol!) The advantage to the two fence system is that you can go to the nearest art supply store and buy 45 and 30/60 triangles to use for set ups. As Frank H. commented, this system does have the advantage of not restricting the width of the stiock (within reason).
Thanks for the video! Keep making sawdust!
You young man are a credit to your trade you have a very well lit up workshop and your jigs superb A am a very old carpenter but i love the way you explain things so simply The best of Irish luck to you and keep the videos coming
Looks like it works well. I think that really the only downside to the method is that the two sides must be parallel as you mentioned.
Why is that a downside? If you need the jig you probably have a table saw.
The one made with the CNC Router was gorgeous! Great video overall!
just a thought, why not make something like a folding ruler, which has two arms and you can adjust whatever the angle you want, rather than have multiple piece of triangle piece of guide. Don't get me wrong those CNC pieces look nice.
Nice! I want to try a segmented bowl soon and I think I'll need to implement this. Thanks!
+GarageWoodworks
Thanks, and good luck!
very clever. Hard to improve on something that works well already and is very simple. Nice job.
Great alternative, Jeremy! I was just looking at making one and now I have some options
Quick question: why can't you just create a single fence and flip the piece you're cutting?
I'm really impressed how you're really coming into your own. Your videos and content are a lot more polished and it shows.
+Paulo De Oliveira
That would basically be a miter gauge then. The thing that makes this sled work so well is the relationship between the front and back fences, and it has nothing to do with the relationship between the fence and the sled. Because of this there is no setup; the fences are just roughly mounted on the sled and the only precision parts there are is the front/back of the fence. Hope that made sense...
Thanks!
At the risk of sounding like a nerd... math is the way to go for setting out the accurate angles (as opposed to protractor tools) for exacting projects like segmented bowls etc.
I really like your presentations. Many thanx.
Yeah, math is probably the best way to set up the angle of the wedges...
The only issue I see is not having the fence behind the blade as you mentioned in the video; however, I think one could fix the issue by putting one of Marius Hornberger's Cam clamps into the T-Track and tightening it down to the track. Then one could safely and quickly hold the stock against the fence. You said you were comfortable holding so may not be a solution you need.
+Eric Smith
Yeah I'm comfortable with it, but a cam clamp or a toggle clamp would also be a good idea.
Would you consider sharing the CNC file? Awesome work, man.
Awesome explanation. I didn't get it when Frank Howarth did it with the split fences.
Brilliant! So obvious, yet you're the first to my knowledge to build a better mousetrap. I was going to build the more traditional designed sled next week when I came across your video. Of course, you need to have a CNC to make this easy, and fortunately I do! Thanks for the great video. Keep em coming.
Thanks for the video. If you don't mind it's registered to the other face of the stock when you do the second cut, you might as well just flip the stock bottom-up and use the same face of the template/fence. That way the sled can be more compact as you don't need stock support room on both sides. You might even fit a 45 degree one or higher on bolts located top or bottom, whichever you prefer in controlling the stock and sled. It will only work with stock you can actually flip ofcourse, but I think the majority is?
+Dave Smulders
You missed the point of the wedgie sled. What matters is that you cut one side of the joint on one side of the wedge, and the other side of the joint on the other side of the wedge. Because of this system there is absolutely no calibration to do; once you have the wedge on the right angle you can just slap it on the sled and make your cuts. Your idea is essentially the same as a miter gauge.
Yup I did :) Then the 45 degree one isn't all that bad either. If it's on just a bit crooked, the parts will still match, and although the lines won't be exactly crossing in the center it's only really marginal.
Everybody in the WW community is: Do this like this, and like that.
Jeremy: Screw that, I'll do it my way.
And it turns out awesome. Great job!
+Ovidiu-Florin BOGDAN
Yeah, that is exactly my attitude! Thank you!
Hmm, could you give me an example of one person that is "do it like this and like that"? Because I can't think of anyone and you even claim it is everyone.
you're right. It's called exageration. Humans do this all the time. See, I just did it.
Fred said that on Apr 4th 2016 at 4:32 pm.
You are a genius. I like watching all your videos.
You're doing a lot of thinking. Also really enjoyed the reverse of what happens usually when something is shown done with a CNC - priceless! Thanks.
Nice Job Jeremy, I think if you added a tail onto the 45 degree board you could attach it to the second bolt and keep your current design.
+Marty Josephson
The bolt can't even be there because the stock will hit it. Much less a tail.
Yep, your right, how about a miter slot then?
Looks like you should be able to do away with the sled and attach a slider directly to a wedge. You only have one slider anyway and your wood can move on the metal surface of the table saw this eliminating concern of overhang support for the 45 degree wedges. You would need to do away with the clamps which you probably won't need.
You are the first to suggest this! That's an interesting idea, and I think I'm gonna try it. Love the simplicity; no moving parts. I'm a bit worried that it could be harder to keep the stock against the fence, since it won't have the friction of the base to help hold it in place. But I'll try it and see how well it works. Thanks!
Jeremy Schmidt - I can think of a few ways to give you little more control but it's a little hard to describe. One idea would be to make the wedge maybe twice as wide while keeping your necessary side angles. This will allow for a longer slider to be attached to the bottom of the wedge and more surface area contact and weight of both items against the table saw metal surface. This should improve stability and allow you to concentrate on holding the stock piece better rather than juggling both the stock and the wedge.
Next, you can cut some holes or long rounded edge slits that go parallel to the angle sides. These can give you the ability to stick your thumbs in the holes while half your palm and other fingers can serve to hold on to the stock piece more firmy against the wedge as you slide both pieces to do your cuts. Alternately, you can attach a 1" high block of wood flush with the angle sides of the wedge. This might be a little more comfortable to anchor your thumb(s) and hold the stock piece against the wedge. Also, if you design it to be removable, then you can use taller blocks for taller sock pieces. You can even remove them all together and rely on the "thumb holes" I mentioned earlier for when you are cutting thin pieces of plywood since you don't need to grip them as strongly as you would a bigger stock piece.
Finally, flush strip attached to the wedge along the edges near the blade would be good for safety. This will help keep your hands and fingers from slipping off to the side and meeting the spinning blade. You can make that block even higher than the blade's highest setting. Your only using the angled edges for your cuts anyway, so that tall block along the side provides a good fence between your hands and the blade. It doesn't need to be too thick either. Half inch plywood with screws should work fine.
I hope this helps. Good luck.
Using the wedgie as the fence is just brilliant. Plus solving the problem of stock width restriction. The answer was right there in our hands and no one saw it until now. Will some enterprising CNC owner please make the wedgies from a durable material for sale in a number of angles.
+Gil Grace
Thanks!
I would love it if a CNC owner would start making these! My CNC just isn't quite good enough...
Hi Jeremy,
Kudos for your creativity.
I am very concerned about your recommending cutting on the
back side of a fence. It is not safe. As the strip gets shorter it becomes less
stable. Everything depends upon the user holding the strip tight enough against
the fence 100 percent of the time. I would not bet on it.
I have enjoyed seeing the various methods of implementing
the wedgie sled concept. There have been some really good ones. Using two
independent fences allows making several varieties of segments with one setup.
These include normal segments, skewed, left and right leaning, complementary
pairs, reverse pairs, straight and so on. Your version is limited to only
normal segments.
An ordinary large 30 degree triangle can be used to make a
12 segment ring, the 60 degree end will do a 6, and a 45 degree triangle will
make an 8. You do not have to buy anything to get going.
Jerry Bennett
I love this. So simple and easy to use. Suggestion: Either steel sleeve in bolt holes or spline locater to keep accurate over long term use. The threads on the bolts will enlarge the plywood holes over time IMO. Hope this helps. Thanks
Thanks! If the wedges needed to be positioned accurately then sleeves would be a good idea. But that’s the beauty of having the front & back fence in one piece: the angle of the wedge relative to the sled doesn’t matter, only the angle of the two fences *relative to each other*, and that angle is immovable.
Wow, Jeremy, you’re quite the machinist. It was a pleasure watching you give meticulous detail to this project. Bobby 🤗
Do you even need the wedge at this point? Couldn't you just have a rail with the correct angle (or even adjustable) with that nifty little handle, and run the stock off that one rail...just flipping the stock after each cut?!?!
If it's a dumb question, I never claimed to be bright. :)
I have 3 CNC's at the shop I work at so a cnc cut wedge might be a better option for me.
The reason the others have two fences compared to your one is in segmented work you can alter the fence angle of the two fences still using the wedge but the effect you get is a spiral rather than each angle pointing towards the center of the ring. You cant get the spiral effect with your setup, But still a good alternative. :-)
Hi Jeremy
Your comment about mitre gauge accuracy I would challenge. As the old adage states you get what you pay for and if you buy a low cost mitre gauge it will more than likely not be accurate but if you buy one from INCRA out of Dallas you can get an accurate one for reasonable money and for a little more you can get even more accuracy. That is why they sell one hell of a load of them.
Your wedgie sled has some benefits and I shall make one because my saw table does not have a standard mitre slot 3/4" by 3/8", but that is because in Europe folks like Festool set their own standards.
Cheers
+Bawdsey64
You're right, a better miter gauge would be a different story. I have three of the style I showed and they are all junk, but they are all cheap ones.
However, I am quite sure there is no miter gauge accurate enough to make a perfect 12-segment ring. As I said in the video, a half thousandth angle on the fence is unacceptable.
I was just about the tackle a wedge sled. Perfect timing! I like it.
+Dustin Penner
Awesome! Thanks!
I wood like to still see your take on it.
Another great idea! Incidentally, I hadn't seen a router used to make the cutout for the bolt head. I'll have to try that. Thanks for all you do.
Came across this just today. Your sled idea makes so much more sense to me. I've never done any segment making or turning so take my question with a grain of salt. Is part of the issue with the gaps in the segments (on your first-fourth tries) due to the inconsistent overhang on your cuts? I would think that if there was a stop block of some kind before your blade so each overhang is the same, wouldn't that help with gaps? Probably not. It's been too many years since high school geometry.
+akw825
In theory, the angle is all the should matter. If each of the segments is exactly 30°, then 12 of them should add up to 360°, regardless of length. However, in practice it is difficult to place them correctly to make this come out right. (A longer segment has to be set out from the middle in order to fit right) So you're right, if I cut them all to the exact same length it would be easier to get them lined up.
Very Nice! !
only a question ... It wasn't possible Cut the wedgie ( at the First attempt to find the right angle) with you cnc machine?
I don't know... maybe it was more precise and Close to the ideal Cut.
Sorry for My english😂😂
The saw blade can push the board away from the angle in your design I prefer the pressure of the saw blade holding the board.
Neat! I bought several of the "wedgies" to set the segment angles. I can use them instead of cutting ones like you did. I think this is a brilliant design change.
+Mark Hazlewood
I'm not familiar with wedgies you can buy. Where did you get them?
Jeremy, I bought them from the SegEasy web site. The link to the sets and individual wedgies is: www.segeasy.com/toystore2.htm. They are made of a high density polyurethane and quite durable.
+Mark Hazlewood
Oh ok. Those look to me like they should work fine, maybe even better than my wooden wedges.
Did the CNC ones come out seemingly perfect ? Would be interesting to test the precision of the CNC in terms of how many segments you can reach while keeping a perfect match...I'll try that on mine
+nitsn
My CNC is not that precise. The fences off the CNC still required truing using the table saw. Hopefully my next CNC will be better :)
Thank you for your reply, that's interesting to know. Your videos are great, you have all my admiration. Keep going !
Sharp as tack, as always. Boy genius. Wish I had that head of yours.
Nice job. I think to reverse the bolts you could sink large all thread nuts in the base then cut them flush with the top Then you could use the bolts to hold it down
ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!! Some of the earlier comments are great.
The simpler sled is also more flexible and adaptable - with some added design features, it could become the only sled you will need!!.
Just found you from a link @JaysCustonCreations Looking forward to many more of your videos. Great job explaining what you are doing and why.
Excellent Project...
The only thing I see that may or may not be a flaw is when you change segments patterns.
It just seems to me that there is no real way to get the Segments back to where it was originally set unless I missed something. The more you put the screws through the holes they will always cut out a bit of board and over time could elongate the holes.
Or as you tighten the knobs down might shit the template or segment pattern a bit. As you said a tiny error adds up quick. So my question is, how do you replace and change the pattern and still line things up?
What I was thinking was possible adding a 3rd secure point. That way the more secure points you have the greater chance you have of lining things up again and again despite the wear and tear of the metal on wood action. Just a thought... I look forward to your reply.... Cheers....
+Paul Bialozor
The angle that the fence/template is mounted on does not make any difference on the angle of the segments. Think about it. If you're making a picture frame with mitered 90° corners, one side can be cut at 44° and the other at 46°, and joint will still fit perfectly. All that matters is that the front and back of the fence are the correct angle relative to each other.
Yes I see what you are saying here with regards to a 90 Degree corner and agree.
But are you saying if your jig is off by a little, as you mount and unmounted the jig over and over, that 44 and 46 when factored over 12 Pieces (Speaking figuratively using your numbers on 90 degrees knowing that 12 pieces would be a completely different number) that some error would not be present? I find that hard to believe. Just seems to me that some error would occur.
To make a segmented piece and you divide 360 by 12 and each piece has to be exactly 30 Degrees divided by 2 or 15 Degrees to ensure each angle side lines up. If you cut 16 and 14 degrees because your jig is off just a bit, I doubt over 12 pieces they would line up in the end.
I am just trying to grasp the concept of your wonderful jig here, not trying to argue with you in any way...
Paul Bialozor
Ok, think of it in an extreme way. This is often the best way to wrap one's brain around something like this.
In the case of a 12 segment ring, you could mount the fence 15° off and it would still work. One end of the segments would be cut at 0° and the other end at 30°, multiply by 12 segments and it still comes out to 360. Each segment just needs to measure 30° total, and that's all that matters.
Now of course if you actually did this, it wouldn't look right. All of the wood grain would be spiraling around in a sawtooth pattern. So for that reason it's a good idea to be within 1° or so, just so it looks right.
Thanks Jeremy! A very nice project. Maybe the main lesson to learn is that many projects require a trial and error approach.
Great video. Might have to rebuild my sled now.
You also blew my mind with having the two heads on the combination square at once. Not sure if I'd ever need it, but that trick is getting stored.
+JWR Woodworks
Thanks!
I've gotten a ton of use out of that protractor head and I've only had it a few weeks. I definitely recommend that attachment!
How simple, why didn't I think of that???? Well done, that's for me.
I don't even turn and I think I agree with you about this being simpler to use.
This is a much better solution if you have a zero clearance base plate. Single guide rail reference is just much easier to set up and be consistent with.
Very cool!
I like that it takes a repeatable, modular approach.
Having not used it, I'm curious if the T-track is too close to the cutting side for using the speed to joint boards. Are you only planning to clean up narrower stock?
Oh, also - Did you cut the other angle inserts on your CNC?
+Walter Kessler
Thank you!
I'm only planning to use it to joint shorter boards. The sled starts to get less precise in the slot after the back of it passes the blade, so it wouldn't be that good for longer stock anyway.
And yes, I did cut the angles on the CNC.
Very nice. I don't turn anything, but the T-track and those angles clamps would be a little more forgiving than the toggle clamps I'm currently using.
I think moving the track a little further from the blade, I could cut one on wider boards.
Wow.. Awesome!! Subscribed for sure. Your like a Matthias Wandel, Frank Howarth and Samurai carpenter all rolled into one! On a sidenote what kind of drill press do you own? It looks like a late 50s early 60s Delta 15" model.
+Danny M
Thank you!
Yeah it's a Rockwell 15", probably the same as what you're thinking it is only old enough that it didn't have the Delta name yet. The model number plate is missing so unfortunately I don't know the exact model.
+Jeremy Schmidt I just restored a 1957 Delta Rockwell 15" One of those they don't build them like they used to kind of machines, barley any runout! I would love to see a shop tour in the future when you have time. Cheers!
Very well done video. Most everything is explained very well. Im not sure why you installed the T track though. I thought it was to hold a sliding bolt for the angle guide, but in 5:43-5:45 the bolt coming up through the angle pc is clearly closer to the jig edge than the T track. What is the T tracks purpose? Is it solely to hold the 45 pc later as shown at the 6:20 mark? thx
You can remove the wedge fences altogether and use this sled to joint the edge of a crooked board. So the T-track is there to use with clamps to hold said board in place. It’s also used while making the wedge fences themselves, as I showed.
Great video as usual, Jeremy, I love how you explain things. Now, about that bowl at the beginning... Are we going to see a video on that? I like the design.
+Johnny West
Thanks!
I made that bowl quite a while ago, and I posted about it on my Instagram at the time. So you can go dig through my Instagram archives and see a little more about it.
Genius. I wouldn't be surprised if you could sell these... I'm not a turner, but even the 45° segment wedge might be worth some coin to me!
+Jeremy McMahan
Well, I showed you how to make it! ;-)
Yes, yes you did. And a very good description too. :-)
There is at least one huge disadvantage. With the wedgie sled you can scew the prices to the blade, so they aren't 90°. Doing that will give you almost the same pieces but when they glue up you'll see they spiral away from the center. You can make awesome patterns.
You can still do that with your sled if you remove one pivot point.
Jeremy, I’ve missed your videos. I hope you’re well and prosperous. I look forward to seeing more of your work soon. Thank you.
Another great video Jer!
I was wondering if this angle piece could be cut on CNC without that many trials.
On the other hand I love that you made it very user friendly as no one sane will buy a CNC just for that :)
Cheers!
+Andrea Arzensek
Thanks!
My CNC isn't quite precise enough to make them right the first time, so I just used the sled to take care of that slight error with the table saw.
Brilliant as always. A heads-up, you may be asked to change the name/title (you know...because of the copyright/trademark cops and all). Cheers! Chris.
+CrossWood
Haven't got in trouble for my GRR-Rippers yet! :)
Thanks!
Oh yeah! I forgot about that. Either way, you're super smart and I love watching your videos. Keep them coming. Cheers! Chris.
great video. One question, With the cnc router, couldn't you cut the "wedgie" using that to a precise angle?
+Keith's Woodwork
That's what I did on the second one, but my CNC isn't very good. Not precise enough.
I noticed your lathe. Very nice. I picked one up at a school auction for $75. Had the tail vise but was missing the banjo which I could never find. Ended up selling a few parts then scrapping the bed. Curious as to where you found yours.
+Robert
Local Craigslist!
Very nice. I love reinventing the wheel to be simpler.
Hi Jermy I like all your works very accurate and super professional there any more clips of yours doing furnitures and other wood work ?
Great Sled, Jeremy. I also liked that CNC touch you threw in.:)
+CrazyRussianWoodShop
Thanks!
Seems like a very good solution for making segmented clock faces. Thanks for the insight.
I always enjoy your videos--very well thought out, filmed and explained.
+The Warped Board
Thank you!
Hey! I just downloaded the SketchUp model for this. Any chance you'd share the files you have for your CNC and save me the trouble? haha!
+Dustin Penner
Ok, I've uploaded them to the website, just below where you found the Sketchup model! You're not the first to ask for this :)
Jeremy Schmidt gracias amigo!
Thank you very much for the clear explanation. Now I do not need to buy wedgies and can make them myself . You have always excellent ideas . You are always honest and are not aiming to sell any thing🌹
Dude you've got some really rock solid designs and I like the your thoughts on stuff like push blocks on the table saw. Keep up the good work!
+SasquaPlatypus
Thanks!
Thanks Jer.
That is an awesome sled.
I love the way you figure it out, and then can explain it in a way I can understand that makes perfect sense.
Excellent! You should sell these.
This is how I built mine.
Waiting for the day I would find out “the hard way” why it isn’t done like this. The day never came!
Thanks for the affirmation!
I'm not even interested in turning yet, but this is totally going to be my jointing/miter sled! I love how simple it is. What kind of T-track did you use?
+Alex W.
I got the T-track from Peachtree Woodworking.
Love your work. Thanks for sharing. Especially the SVG and the SKP files. And for explaining how ridiculously accurate the wedges must be. The sketchup file has some odd shaped wedgie degrees. Just wondering what they are for. Also, did you find your CNC machine was accurate enough for the 22.5° or did you have to trial and error it as well? I'm having the wedges priced from my local CNC people. Many thanks.
Thanks! If you take 360 divided by the degrees in the wedge fence you'll get how many segments that one makes. Or take 360 divided by the desired number of segments to find what angle it should be. So the fence for a 7-segment ring will be 51.42857142 degrees. My CNC is not good enough to make the fences, however I think most CNC's would be. Mine is a particularly bad design. I did still cut them out with CNC, since it gets them very close, then do the final truing on the table saw.
Thanks for confirming how you're calculating your wedges. The 75°, 67.5°, 54° and 64.3° is what I was referring to. Just curious what I might be missing. My CNC people are telling me the angles would be spot on. We'll see.
You said thanks a lot for watching, I say thanks a lot for making the video. Enjoy all your vids. Would the cnc router be a better tool to make setup block? And do away with the trial and err. Assuming one has a cnc.
+willie Makit
My CNC isn't quite precise enough to do away with all trial and error, but yes it does make it easier and almost perfect.
instead of moving from the front to the back edge of your sled between cuts, couldn't you just flip your piece over and make all cuts from the front side of your sled that way every cut is supported by the sled? then you really only have to worry about setting the angle of your template piece on 1 side. the back side would not matter. might also give you more room fir larger work pieces on your sled.
+Kent Cogan
You've missed the point altogether. If I were to do that, it would be no different than a miter gauge. You would still have to set the angle very precisely. With this sled you don't have to set or calibrate anything, you just drop the fence on and go. It doesn't matter if the fence is crooked, the joint will still fit perfectly providing your wedge fence was made correctly.
Jeremy, could you use your laser cutter to get a more precise template? Now, I don't have a laser cutter--so i appreciate your explanation! But, for you (Mr. Laser Owner), is a laser-cut template accurate from the very start?
I don't have a laser cutter.
I think you have nailed on this one, possibly the best one I've seen than any other.
+Kreative Blog
Thanks!
+Jeremy Schmidt - Of course, when you have a CNC Router, you can just cut the fences on it and save all of the trial and error. I assume you didn't just cut the text on the other ones you made. :)
Maybe you want to provide a CNC service to the rest of us for a set of common fence angles? ;) I'd buy a set!
+Bobber W
My CNC is not accurate enough to eliminate all the trial and error. I was actually considering selling sets on Etsy, 7 angles ranging from 4-12 segments, but after seeing that my machine just isn't good enough for that I dropped the idea. Maybe after I build my new CNC machine :)
You have a bright future ahead. Great thinking.
Excellent description and explanation! I also like the improvement you mentioned. Kudos!
+Sean Flanagan
Thanks!
An obvious flaw would be that you will get tear out with solid lumber because the second cut is not supported by a fence behind the piece of wood.
+Dan Letkeman
True, but that isn't really any better with a traditionally wedgie sled. Since their fences are moveable neither of them are zero clearance.
Dan Letkeman that's easily overcome with a sacrificial piece. just butt it up against the piece and cut through both of them.
Hardly an issue after you put on a lathe.
Very very kewl, J. I love when someone simplifies something that is already good. "If it works, make it better." But on the 45, can't you mount the wedge favoring one side of the sled, and just flip your piece over to cut opposite angles? ie., always use the same side of the isosceles triangle? Or am I missing something too obvious to see?
+Ken Kloeber
Thanks!
You probably are missing something too obvious to see. The point of the wedge shaped fences is that an error is completely impossible. You cannot mount the fence wrong or knock anything out of adjustment. And the only way that this can work this way is if you use opposite fence sides as the reference. I hope that makes sense.
Buf if the 45 deg fence is positioned to favor one side of the sled, the bolt holes would be unique (and you have the 'top side' routed, ) so you can't screw up where it goes on the sled. And the user HAS to be aware of which side of the fence to use (cutting a left or right hand 45.) so flipping the board upside down to cut the opposite direction 45 is no different than knowing which side of the triangle to use. Let's say the 45 deg fence is positioned to favor the left of the sled (so you are always cutting on the right hand fence) you just flip your board bad side up rather than cutting good side up. If they can't figure that out, they better stay away from a power saw! LOL
+Ken Kloeber
The bolt holes are not that precise, and they also wear out with use. So they can't be used as a reference. With my design the bolts don't do anything but hold the fence down, and all of the accuracy is in the fence itself. Since the fence is one piece and has no moving parts, it can never be wrong. While your idea should work in theory, you wouldn't have the same degree of accuracy. And in my opinion, the peace of mind in knowing the sled IS correct and CANNOT be incorrect is worth a lot.
J, If the holes wear as you say what keeps the triangle "true" to the blade?
+Ken Kloeber
It doesn't need to be true to the blade! That's what I've been trying to tell you!
If the triangle is mounted at a 5° angle, it will still make perfect segments just like always. ALL that matters is that the front and back are at the correct angle to each other. That's it. As long as the angles of the front and back fences add up to a total of 30° (in the case of the 12 segment fence), the segments will be dead on. It's fine if the front fence is at 21.3° and the back fence is at 8.7°, because that still adds up the 30°.
What you mentioned about the stock needing to be parallel is a significant issue, with a regular wegie sled all you need is one flat face to work from and it will turn out a perfect ring.
I'm curious about the rate of wear on the holes that are in your fence inserts. Something tells me pushing threaded rods through them would create some slop over time. Perhaps metal sleeves are in order?
+cryptology
It doesn't matter. Those aren't doing any precision alignment, they are only to hold the fences in place. The relationship between the front & back faces is what matters when it comes to precision.
Good point. I guess if the front face is flush with the edge of the sled, the angles are always going to be correct. Thanks for the response!
I would use the small end towards the blade..... otherwise you need to set up two stop blocks to cut the segments....
just recently discovered you on youtube. I was wondering since you have a CNC router anyway, wouldn't those precise angle blocks have been more accurately cut using the CNC router?
Another great video, thanks
+Roger Fries
Yes, that's how I cut them all except for the one I cut on the table saw for demonstration.
GREAT jig Jeremy. Very well thought out and multi purpose, which is ALWAYS a good thing.
+Sebastopolmark
Thanks!
I just ordered a wedgie from the originator. And I was thinking of just attaching it to my sled. I thought I was on to something so I came to TH-cam to see if someone beat me to it. Yup. Good job
Nice vid Jeremy.. a point if I may...
I would imagine ANY play in the bolt holes would introduce error & as u have rightly said ... even a MINUTE error will show up, so I definitely would not change to insert nuts & knobs with screws...
A sled with a permanantly fixed angled piece is probably the most accurate but you then need a bunch of sleds... 😅😅😅😅
+Peter Fitzpatrick
The angle of the fence on the sled makes no difference. You could mount it on a ten degree angle and still get perfect segments. All the matters is that the two sides of the wedge fence are on the correct angle relative to each other, and that the position of the fence doesn't change during a cut.
Very nice video. when you are recutting your wedges are you trimming both sides?
+Matt Taylor
I used my protractor to see which side was farther off, and removed material from that side. The sides don't need to be exactly the same, just close enough that the error isn't visible.
Thank you
I thought at one point you were going to say "if you have a cnc, just cut the wedge with it". Wouldn't that work?
+onjoFilms
That's what I said at 5:39. I guess I didn't word it clearly enough...
Oh. I thought that was for the inset text. thanks.
only drawback I can think of (versus the other design) would be maybe the holes wearing out some after a very long time, enough to throw off the precision of the angle
ah but wait, that wouldn't matter would it, it would just make the wedges alternately different
+Tom Cummings
Yeah it doesn't matter, the only thing that matters is that the front & back of the wedge are right relative to each other.
Tom Cummings you can harden the wood fibers in the holes with a few drops of cyanoacrylate (superglue). Bolts/studs with non threaded shank portions would further reduce wear.
The inserts would solve the problem, I think.
May have been said but the original sled allows one to skew the wedge allowing more creativity. This is however, an awesome design for standard wedges.
+Doug Harder
True. I could build a dedicated skewed fence if I have a lot of skewed segments to do, but in this case the original sled would be the better option.
Great jig. Do you sell CNC wedgies?
Always incredible to watch your genius mind at work.....so fascinating and inspirational!
+Jon B
Thank you!
If you don't have such a jig, or the pattern for the desired number of segments, there is a trick you can use to get perfect glue joints with only sorta-kinda-close angles....but it only works with even numbers of segments:
Glue up two pieces using half the segments in each. Then plane, belt sand, jointer these two sub assemblies flat on their mating faces. now glue them together and marvel t the fact that you got zero gap joints with no precision angle measurement. Of course the angles/ segments will not all be equal, but in many cases that matters somewhere between barely and not at all.
I learned this from a man that made foundry patterns. It is important to avoid exposed end-grain as water/oil from the casting sand will soak in and swell the wood and or catch as the pattern is withdrawn spoiling the sand mold.
How to get really, really close:
Rather than measuring angles with a protractor, the classic method is to step off the segments using dividers (hence the name) essentially you are doing a trial-an-error fit each time you walk the dividers around the circumference. If you then use the above trick, you will be close enough that the segments will appear equal to the naked eye unless you are doing a checkerboard bowl or some such.