This sled is easier to build, more effective, and more versatile than the one I’ve been using for the past few years. I am absolutely thrilled with it after flattening two cutting boards this afternoon! If I hadn’t found this video, I’d have nearly lost an entire day of work when I discovered my old sled was no longer flat. Love this!!
Dude, Ive seen some dozen router sled videos before trying to make one...and this is far and away the easiest, most down to Earth approach for a novice. Much appreciated!
Awesome!! I've seen so many vids for router sleds, most of them are extremely long and confusing. I saw this video and when I saw that this video was only just over 4 minutes, I thought "yeah Right'. But this was the best one yet and I know I'll be able to finally build this. Thank you so much!
I am about 5 years late, but I recently discovered your podcast on building a Router Sled out of MDF. I loved the idea! I ordered your instructions for it a few weeks ago. Just now getting around to it. You made it so simple. I am excited to put it to use. The 1st one I made was so crappy. I have also subscribed to your channel. Look forward to more from you!
I have to say that this is the exact thing I have been looking for and never thought 8tnto be a router sled! Going to make my life so much easier!!! Thank you!
Here's a tip, don't use deck screws in MDF. Use particle board or drywall screws instead and you will be less likely to have splitting like you saw. You should also think about countersinking the holes, so that you're not trying to force the screw heads through the board itself, which also causes splitting.
Or use kreg pocket hole. Since i started using mine i won't go back to old way. Love it. Does it slide easy? If not u can put small furniture sliders on bottom of sled to help. Kinda smoothes it out
great stuff. I'm going to have to build one of these. I don't think I've used my router yet without having a disaster! This looks like it will keep everything straight!
Excellent video! Clear directions backed up by the video. Nicely edited and presented. A great example of an instructional video. I’m building a flattening jig and your presentation is the best I’ve viewed.
I’m gonna build this probably this week with a few modifications. I need it to be 6’ long and 34” wide, so I’ll have to adjust everything to meet the base. Awesome design.
This project has a SketchUp design file below you can purchase for $3 incase you're interested in building this exact one or a modified version for yourself! Link: workshopedits.com/design-files/router-sled-sketchup-design
Nice and simple build man, I need to get around to making one of these sleds! Saw your barn door video over on Johnny's channel, really nice work! You got a new Sub.
Thanks! The sled has proved beneficial to me many many times- it only takes about an hour and costs next to nothing and can easily hang up in your garage when not in use. Def get on it!
I like the concept but my concern would be warping/bending either due to moisture or from the sled moving on the rails. You could mitigate the latter by having a thin strip of plastic or metal on the rail/sled that would take the abrasion. Are you at all concerned with it coming out of square over time?
I considered it - but as long as I don't put the sled in a place of high moisture or get it wet it should hold up just fine - I'm never working with any wet materials, etc or working in a moist environment so it should hold up. The side railings help keep the flexing / warping to a minimum as well - and using half inch or wider material also helps prevent flexing. So, to your question, I'll monitor it overtime, but in the next year or so I have very little concern of it warping but can always mitigate the issue if needed. Thanks for watching.
Thanks! It held up great and I stand by the design - I'm sure there are ways to make it more intricate and smooth, but for woodworking on a budget, I couldn't beat it or pass up the opportunity to make a project out of it for people to see and learn.
I need to flush off a tabletop, about 2.5m by 800mm. I came here to check out making the rounter jig, I'll probably end up making it out of metal as the router doesn't seem to slide as easy on the wood, but you earned a sub anyway cos I like your low cost style! (ps where I work has plenty of spare steel, so I'm still playing the game!)
Naw man - whatever works for your idea is the right solution - I'm glad you saw it as more of a conceptual approach to the solution. BTW paste wax goes a long way in sliding over MDF/wood. Cheers!
@@workshop_edits I got it made! Out of metal. It seems I underestimated how easy it would be to get a router bit to do this though. Not a single hardware store local (and I live near a city) has one, and online I can only find cheap chinese tat. So now I have the jig and the table made, but no bit to plain it off! This is a great definition of sods law. lmao
Thanks for this video! I REEEEEEALLY need this in my life. I make make this and record it for my vlog. If i do I'm definitely going to shout you out bruh! You just gained a subscriber lol
I would consider getting a really nice router - like a Dewalt, Porter Cable, or Bosch Plunge router so it holds up strong over time. I have the Ryobi plunge and it's ok but I wish i had gone a little more powerful. I use a 1" dado blade from Infinity but wish I had splurged for the 1.5 or 2" one. Good luck!
Seeing this much later on but I will take this design and combine it with another one I found on youtube. Sadly it will cost $50 just for materials in 2023.
This video is great, thank you. Question - how thick if your slab? I’m having issues getting this router (same one) to plunge far enough down to make any impact on the piece. Thinking I need to lower the height of my side fences. Thanks!
On the picture of the cut list you show 2 sled sides with no dimensions. I know it’s 5.75 in wide but how long did you cut. I know it’s probably not critical but just wondering. Great video by the way gonna start building this sled tomorrow
EDIT - I just reread your comment and realize what you're asking - I think they are 2.5" x 5.75" - they were just enough to give the sled a track so it could slide along the sides property. The measurement isn't critical - to your point - but it is helpful to have overall in the design.
Great vid for a functional sled. My only question is why ryobi gear? I mean, don't get me wrong, it works. I just see a lot of ryobi products on these wood working projects.
Awesome video! I've been wanting to build a router sled for a while. This one looks pretty simple! One question for when you use it. How do you clamp your product down? On your walnut tables build, it looks like you just have some weights holding it in place. SUBSCRIBED!
Thanks for the tips. That's one of the most efficient yet simple and aesthetically pleasing router sleds. I I'm now building one using your tips. Maybe you can suggest what bit would be the best to use with the router in the sled? I've seen a Whiteside 6210 CNC Spoilboard Surfacing Router bit on Amazon that seems to fit the needs. However I'm still a newbie in woodworking and I have concerns about using that bit with a handheld router. What do you think, is it safe to use CNC surfacing bits with a hand router?
Great video! Well produced, nicely edited, and great communication. Your design seems very effective as well. Now ditch that table saw. Better off buying an old used Delta off craigslist. Ryobi makes some really decent tools at a reasonable price but their table saws are trash. Inaccurate, unsafe, and the fence is the worst. Trust this! Harbor freight clamps also suck but i'm sure they'll fail on you soon enough. Im serious about the quality of the video though. It was very impressive. Keep building and producing!
Just curious, how are you securing the piece of material you are planing? And how would you handle a piece that is thick enough that the sled won't rest on the rails? I just built this and have a project in mind (hopefully!)
@@workshop_edits How do you deal with a piece that is taller than the side rails? Can the sled ride along the top of piece - or - just cut another set of taller rails?
I just made the sled and tried it and love it. I do have two questions how do I make the sled move easily from side to side? With a single speed router how wide of a bit can I use? Thanks
Nice! I use a 1” dado bit with a half inch shank and it works well. You could add paste wax to the sled and the router can move more freely side to side
I just made a router sled out of mdf and I was really surprised/disappointed with how much it warped. The base obtained a pretty large bow over night out in my shed. My only guess is that the humidity took a toll on it. Anyone got any tips?
I’ve had the same sled in this video since I built it and it hasn’t shifted or warped at all. It’s an engineered composite material so warping would be very strange.
Yea! The whole top part is magnetized so you can keep any of your screws held in place! No more needing to hold them while you try to drill! By the way it took me far too long to do that - I think it happened on accident! You definitely need to do it - it took me an hour (and that is with filming) and I seriously cannot believe how well it works. 8 minutes and both sides of my pieces were as clean as could be and it cost 1/10th the price of a 15 inch planer (including the Router and Dado bit)!
No way, thats so cool! I knew that you could put a drill bit in the front, but never knew about screws on top! I don't have any pieces of wood big enough to need something like this, but if I ever do i'll be sure to come back and make this jig - out of interest, how much was the walnut board you used in the side table build?
Yea - I didn't either, but I have three future projects in mind where I'll need the sled for size and safety so I wanted to get a jump on it! The Walnut was $123 for entire piece which in my opinion seems high (11.89/board foot, then mark up). It's 5/4 stock, and I paid $15 to have it surfaced on three sides (S3S) to make my own project easier. I don't have a good gauging for wood pricing, so maybe it is reasonable actually. Do you know your local prices?
Great vid and thanks for the plans! Quick question - any reason (structural coz it’s mdf) not to convert this into a 4 foot wide base and respective sled since you already have the materials? I think it’ll be better as you’ll be utilizing the same base (change railing to go on the 2ft and not 4ft) and materials to get more possible width, no? That way you can work up to 47” width of material
Honestly no reason other than I didn't want to worry about finding a way to store a sled that large and because that would have doubled the budget basically.
The Cutting Bored I meant stay with the same materials and go with the wide side (almost 4 ft wide sled and respective base) instead of going on the narrow side. That way you move less the sled, use same materials, and can now plane 48” wide material I hope I’m explaining myself right :) Just simple think of rotating 90deg - moving the rails of the base to the other ends of the rectangle and build a wider sled for that base.
Oh yes I see your point. Um - honestly not sure and that is a good suggestion. I think when I built it I was just thinking I’d rather be able to have the length and not the width but worth a redesign to be able to do as you suggested
Hi, great filming, I got the same gear. the only thing is the time filming limit. how did you solve that? B.T.W. your voice recording link is wrong. what is the right one?
Do you mean the 12 min filming max length? I've never filmed something longer than that. My takes are usually 3-4 minutes tops! Unfortunately, I'm not sure if there is a solution to that as I'm not overly knowledgeable on my camera's limits. I updated the link - it is the H4n Zoom Mic - thanks for watching!
I absolutely hated it when I had it. No dust collection, shitty fence, light weight - felt like it was going to tip over everytime I used it. I ditched it a year ago for a Sawstop and it was like going from a pair of rollerblades to a Bugatti. If you're looking for something Portable, I'd go with a Sawstop Jobsite saw or a Dewalt jobsite. Cheers
How do you get more depth beyond the sled? My bit barely sticks out below it and doesn’t reach the material very well? Do I raise the material inside the base or what?
@@workshop_edits I looked into collet extenders and the one company I found said it isn't recommended but wouldn't say anything beyond that. I'll probably just put something under what I'm working on. Thank you.
I used mine yesterday actually with a half inch sheet of plywood. Something I haven’t figured out still is how to clamp down the work piece. Hot glue has worked best for me so far.
Forgetting the piece I'm working on to stay still especially if it's a smaller piece that doesn't weigh much I found that using some sacrificial plywood beneath the peace and a putting some screws in to keep pressure on it so that it doesn't move works great you know like a box of screws around the border of the peace years trying to level
I'm new to wood working, I have a fixed speed, not variable speed, 2 HP 25000 rpm Kobalt fixed Router, will this router be sufficient for the router sled. I also have a uxcell 1/2-Inch Shank 2-Inch Cutting Dia, Double Flute Carbide Tipped Cleaning Bottom Router Bit; Will this combination of bit and router work on the router sled?
I usually have it on bench cookies that have grip - you can also hot glue it down which I’ve also done or if it’s a piece that will get cut down you can recess some screws in the corners.
My thoughts were if you're already plunge routing the main channel out in the sled, just plunge a few 3"x4" elliptical holes through the bed, at the edges of where your most frequent projects will lie. Why trust the bench cookie's thickness tolerances to be consistent when your goal is to get completely flat and straight, know what I mean?
Did you have issues drilling into the mdf aside from the split you showed? Went to the hardware store to get the materials for this sled and the clerk advised against this, stating you won’t get a secure hold with screws in mdf. He suggested glue and dowels.
Nope - didn't have any issues on my end - it has held up well. I'm guessing it could depend on density of the MDF - the denser the better, but you would then also need to be precise with pre-drilling to avoid bulging in the material. If you are afraid of it not holding, I'd go with a few other options. Use a bit of epoxy with each screw to help bond everything better, go with a high quality plywood then (mostly to ensure everything is square and flat, or try his glue and dowel method (but I can't speak to that holding up well or working any better as the dowel could act as a wedge and split/bulge the material). Hope this helps.
very good guide. but those security stuff you have behind the blade(0:57) looks really awkward and seem very problematic. the plastic cover i undestand and its a good feature, but those halfdiscs with claws seem to be doin it harder to work the cutting table.
Those are anti-kickback devices - they come with the table saw and are designed to prevent injuries. I don't particularly like them and believe they do make it incrementally more difficult to make cuts, but they are a preventative measure for safety actually. Also - this table saw isn't a good table saw - I had those same kickbacks on my Sawstop that i've since removed, but they were a lot less invasive on a more powerful professional table saw. Edit - also - thank you for the initial praise!
It’s a dado bit from Infinty. I’m sure a bunch of companies make them - I linked mine in the description. Get a good plunge router and at least a 1” bit and it will work as well as you see it in this vid. Good luck!
It's 1/2" MDF - you could do 3/4" for sure - my initial concern was how much my router could plunge, but it was totally fine and you could up the thickness to increase rigidity.
I have that same router and cant seem to get the bit to plunge past 3/8" and you seem to plunging well past half an inch. Do i have to short of a bit??? or does my router need to adjust my router? Im using the $60 bit kit from home depot. www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-Shank-Carbide-Router-Bit-Set-15-Piece-A25R151/205626187
