3 Cut Method to a Dead-on Crosscut Sled with Tom McLaughlin 

Wow, thank you so much for the high praise and kind words. We love doing it, and feel like we are just getting started with much room for improving 😎 See you on the livestream! Tom

@@EpicWoodworking you guys are the best

That’s awesome John. I’m so glad to hear you are getting the same accurate results!

Thanks Tom, I truly appreciate your kind words and experienced perspective, especially the point about the effectiveness of one voice, valuable insight. We will be producing more edited content, in addition to still having some livestream interactive events. The “other voice” you may be referring to is my wife Kris, also affectionately known as “the camera lady.” She fields the questions during the livestreams and reminds me of things from time to time I may have overlooked…something most married guys can relate to 😎 Whatever I’m doing, I’m always trying to get better in order to be most effective, so your comments mean more than you know. Thanks for taking the time and for watching! 👍😎

Oh thanks for saying that John, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And it’s an honor to have you watching from the great down Under! 😎👍

That’s awesome to hear Michael! Thank you fir the nice feedback, and I’m happy to hear you are enjoying a true square sled! If I were selling courses on making a square sled, which I’m not, your comment would make the perfect testimonial! 😎👍

Thanks Gerald, I’m so glad to hear it worked well for you! And I am feeling great again!👍😎

Oh I’m so pleased to hear that Allan! It’s nice to know it worked so well for you. I love being able to count on and trust my sled for squareness. Thanks for letting me know and for watching! 👍😎

Thank you Simon, I’m so glad you enjoyed it and had a successful experience! 😎👍

That’s great to hear, so glad you enjoyed it!! Hope your project goes well! 👍👍

Haha, yeah, I agree, thank you!! 👍😎

Thank you, I’m happy to hear that! 👍😎

Glad it helped! Thanks for watching! 👍

Awesome, my pleasure, glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching! 👍😎

That’s great, thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it and it worked well for you 👍😎

@@EpicWoodworking It worked amazing and frustration free. I was not even trying but I was surprised when I achieved all the donuts .0000

Thank you Alan!! We’ll keep making them! 😎👍

Awesome Steve, glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching! 👍😎

PhD math? Subtraction of one number from a second. I'd say fourth grade. Then divide by 4 , maybe Fifth grade. That's the state of American education. But thank God we know our pronouns.

Hey “Slim” (I’m assuming that’s your nickname :). I’m glad you finally found me. Thanks for watching and for the great feedback. Its nice to hear you enjoyed it. It looks like you have a lot of interests. I checked out your channel, since I have an interest in boxing as well. I grew up in Lowell, Mass outside of Boston, boxing was big there hosting the New England Golden Gloves each year. And I remember delivering morning newspapers when I was a kid, reading the headline of Frazier beats Ali after their first fight. Those were the golden days of the heavyweight division…before the belts became so meaningless, as you described on your podcast. You sound like you have a gift for commentary like that, especially given it was your first one! I hope you plan to stick with it and do more. It turned out you were spot on in your pre-fight predictions and analysis as well! But back to woodworking, it’s my pleasure to make the videos and I plan to keep at it. If you would like to check out a bit more you can get better connected through our website epicwoodworking.com. “Our” is me and “the camera lady”, my long-suffering wife Kris. Also great to hear your Irish accent, I also grew up in an Irish Catholic neighborhood in Lowell, although no one had an accent like yours! See you on the stream 👍😎

Oh that’s great, I’m so glad it worked out for you! Thanks for letting me know and thank you for watching! 😎👍

😂 What does that say about my life that such things can be so satisfying? Thanks for watching! 👍

That’s great, so glad you enjoyed it and found it helpful! If you’re interested, we livestream from my shop every Thursday night, which you can connect to at our website epicwoodworking.com. Thanks again! 👍😎

I have met Sam a couple times, great guy, but had not seen him do this on a slider. I love the simplicity of it too, thanks! 👍

Thank you! 👍

Thanks Peter! Yes, was good to see you there too 👍

Awesome, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Happy sledding! 😎👍

@@EpicWoodworking Today when I set up my sled I went off to the memory of watching your video only once and I thought I had pretty good results but I reviewed the video again and followed it exactly I was actually off by almost 2 mm and following your suggestions I dialed it all the way in so my saw sled is perfect now.

@@EpicWoodworking I made my first cabinet today using my sled. What a pleasure. I took a bunch of leftover three-quarter inch MDF to make a sawblade storage cabinet. Most of the time I did a cross cut and then use that cut against the fence and I cut the parts I needed. With my woodpeckers 12 in I didn’t have daylight anywhere. I always thought the sled was going to be a midway step two final cabinet parts that I was gonna true up on my MFT but it’s not necessary.

Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it! 👍😎

Thanks Mike, I felt the same way when I first heard of this method. Simple, direct and effective…a nice combination. Glad you enjoyed it 👍😎

Oh that’s great to hear, I happy you found it helpful, hope it goes well for you! 👍😎

Thanks Alan! 👍

Awesome, glad it worked for you!

My pleasure, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching! 👍😎

Hey John, In most cases the alignment of the mitre slot with the blade is parallel and a non-issue. If it’s off for some reason, the trunion assembly that the blade mounts to can be “tweaked” and realigned. However, doing this is exacting business and you need to have precision measuring tools. A bent blade, producing “runout” is often the cause of a lack of a clean cut. Im sure there are videos and articles that get into the nuances and approaches to making these sorts of adjustments. Glad you enjoyed the video, and hope your project goes well! Tom

@@EpicWoodworking I have a method using a dowel in the Delta/Powermatic mitre gauge which is cut off having the blade fully raised. Then with the power off and rotating the blade, listening carefully to hear the sqeak of the proud tooth against the dowel, mark the proud tooth with a Sharpie. The squeak of the proud tooth on the dowel should be the same on the entrance of the cut and by rotating the blade, on the exit. If not, the mitre slot is not parallel to the cut of the blade. On both my Unisaws and Powermatic 66, this can be corrected by slightly rotating the top. Having to partially disassemble a Unisaw and Powermatic 66 during a recent move made me come up with this fast and accurate way to realign these saws.

Thank you! Yes I agree on both points. I made a related video showing the making of the crosscut sled which goes into the making and trying of a straight reference fence. Here’s the link if you’re interested ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-p3xeFfyVGAY.html Thanks for watching! 👍😎

Awesome Phil, so glad it worked for you! 👍

I don’t know what those parts are, but I’ll take your word for it, thanks!! 👍😎

Glad you enjoyed, Thanks! 👍

Haha, thanks! 👍😎

Thank you Cristofano! I’m so glad it worked well for you. I also prefer simple and direct methods like this, less room for error. We hope to keep growing the audience, but mostly we love the deep engagement as community spirit we currently have. And you are a perfect example! Thanks again, Tom

That’s awesome, so glad it worked well for you! 👍👍 Thanks for watching!

That’s great, I like knowing where to make the adjustment as well, it’s definitely an important part of getting it accurately adjusted. So glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for watching!👍😎

Thanks Mark, I never would have considered PVC for runners! I will have to check that out. 👍😎

@@EpicWoodworking nm

Thank you, our pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it 👍

Thanks! And yes, I used the term on a livestream recently and asked if anyone knew the source of the term...turns out it is a legit phrase having to do with the locking nuts which reference to “zero” or “square” on older and current machinery. But I just like saying it! 😎

Thank you, I really appreciate the kind words. I know what you mean, I’m a math guy too (actually majored in math). And after thirty years designing and making furniture for a living, I’ve become a fan of the more simplified direct ways of doing things. That’s why I wanted to share the 3-cut method. So thanks again, glad you enjoyed it! 👍😎

Thanks, I like it simple, and the more direct (without in between measuring), the better 😎

Thank you Roy!! 👍😎

Thank you! 👍

Nice, glad you found me and enjoyed the video! Thanks! BTW, you might be interested we also livestream from the shop every Thursday night, which you can connect to through our website epicwoodworking.com Thanks again!

@@EpicWoodworking Watching stream can be difficut because of the time difference. I live in Norway. But i'll check it whenever i have a chance.

Thanks so much for watching Bob!

Thanks Peter. I’m often trying to show different methods so that I don’t assume everyone has the more precision tool or measuring device…you tend to hear complaints when you do that 😎. So the tape method was simply to offer another way to measure the gap if you don’t have the other means. You don’t actually have to know the thickness of the tape, I just mentioned it because I had measured it. Any combination of layers of thin material to make up the gap will do, then you simply use half those layers to adjust the fence. Hope that makes sense, thanks for watching! 👍

My pleasure, thanks!

Great, so glad you enjoyed it, thanks!!

Thanks Jim, yes, that is the nice part of this method. By using the length of the test piece along the sawn edge, to mark the error correction point distance from the pivot screw on the fence, it actually is the exact place you need to make the adjustment. And since the error in the test piece is doubled after making cuts two and three, you simply need to make half that correction at the adjustment point. Hope that makes sense. If not, it might further explain is you see how I answered a similar question in even more depth in one of the recent previous comments. Thanks for watching! 👍

Thanks, I’m glad you found a method that you like and works for you. I also like the William Ng 5-cut method as I said, but offer this as a “simpler” option in terms of no math (or digital calipers), 3 cuts vs 5, and simply using the length of your test piece to locate the adjustment point. Thanks for watching and your honest feedback 👍

Just watched William Ng's video here. I found his technique good, but mentally exhausting to learn. What ever happened to just using a steel square against the blade on the tablesaw, and making it zero clearance? Lol. The 3 cut method is the exact same method as the 5 cut method, both are using the distance from the pivot point. Both require a feeler gauge and locked wooden block at the end to make the adjustment. Here is William Ng's video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UbG-n--LFgQ.html

Some people like more math and more steps because they think its more legit and accurate. But using a story stick is just as accurate, and has been used for thousands of years before these mathematical steps were developed. KISS

Sure Willem, you can use 1/2” Baltic. I prefer the MDF for its tendency to remain flat which can sometimes be a challenge with Baltic birch. I think I mentioned the advantages of each in the longer form video where I made the crosscut sled. Thanks! 👍

My pleasure Matt, thanks!

Hi Adam, The scrap piece does not have to be perfectly parallel. It could actually be called the two cut method, if you start with one true edge and make that the edge that is against the sled fence for the two cuts. The first cut is simply to establish this true edge. One you make the two test cuts, those cuts will tell you by how much your fence may be off and need correction. So it’s fine if it doesn’t start out parallel or square, since you are removing the original edges with your test cuts. Hope that makes sense and is helpful! 👍😎

@@EpicWoodworking yep, makes total sense!

@@EpicWoodworking actually, I did have one more random question if you happen to see this. When you were talking about the amount of error, you said that the error is over a distance of 4 feet, but I'm confused about where you got 4 feet from, because I thought the rest piece was 24 inches?

Hmm, I’m trying to visualize precisely what you are asking and not quite sure how I would adapt it to something other than a 90 degree sled without having to get into more math...for instance, if I can take a stab at how I think I understand your question: if you can begin by cutting a miter on one end of your test board, then flip end for end with the same side against the fence, cut a miter on the other end. Now, testing the 45 degree accuracy of your fence, it will be exactly 45 degrees when the wide end of your test board is exactly equal in length to the narrow end after adding two times the width of your test board. I don’t know if that makes sense but, good puzzle! Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it! 👍😎

@@EpicWoodworking Hi Tom! Thank you for the reply. Yeah I'm with you on not making it complicated with math, lol. I built the sled I talk about here: www.lumberjocks.com/topics/312548 but I don't know how to calibrate it. It's just a sled that I wanted to be exclusively used for 45-degree miter to make some boxes. If I calibrated this sled with the blade at 90 using this method, then I'd have to glue back the piece of the sled/fence that gets cut off and make another cut (when calibrated) to get a zero clearance at 45 degrees. Too many steps. Kings Fine Woodworking has a plan for a sled with an interchangeable middle insert. So I think I'll scrap this one-sided sled and build a sled with an interchangeable insert that rides in both miter slots. Calibrate at 90 then switch inserts and start cutting at 45. Thanks for your help cementing which route I should go!

That’s awesome to hear, I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for being a part of us 👍😎

I’m not precisely sure what you mean but I know it works well with a piece roughly sized as shown in the video. Thanks for watching! 👍😎

The length of the cut is marked at the fence to use as the point to adjust, not the width that was against the fence. That means when the fence rotates the end of the board will move the exact same amount as the marked point on the fence. If you had a rectangular piece and did the same thing it would work. I had to watch a few times to notice this important detail. I originally thought you had not rotated the square and were just using the side against the fence who's width will change as you cut thin strips off of it. If you started with a piece 1 foot by 2 feet, it would have been clearer to me and would have worked the same. Once I understood, it was simple geometry used in a genius way. Thank you for making the video.

The test panel starts out being close to square so any slight difference is so negligible as to not be an issue. I think after going through the process you will see that to be true. Hope that helps, thanks for watching! 👍😎

Thanks I’m glad you liked it. I didn’t get you wrong, I thought about your evaluation. And I think you got me wrong. After making cut 1 establishing a straight true edge, when I’m making the second cut, any error in the fence is represented proportionally along the length of this second cut…regardless how long side one is. The test piece is flipped for cut 3 and the error of the fence is again reflected proportionally over the length of side 3. The delta measure is taken at the full extent of the test piece to maximize the feeler gauge accuracy, half this error indicating how much the fence needs to be adjusted, from the pivot point to the adjustment point. The distance from the pivot point to the adjustment point is simply determined by the length of the test piece along cut 2 or 3. So the test piece is just rotated so side 2 or 3 is against the fence with one end aligned with the pivot point and the other end shows exactly where you need to make the adjustment. So side 1 only needs to be straight and true and it doesn’t matter if the test panel is somewhat rectangular. Hope that makes sense. Thanks again and thanks for watching! 👍

That’s another idea, but I think it’s better for accuracy of the true read off the saw to stay with all the cuts being on the same side of the blade, in case there is any difference in the cut on the left side due to run out or the fence not being dead straight. So you end up with this method knowing for certain it is dead accurate cutting from the right side, and probably the same on the left, and you don’t need to have digital calipers. I like the direct accuracy of the feeler gauge testing the difference front to back after the three cuts and using half this measurement to adjust the fence. But another way just might work better for you. Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching! 👍😎

I tired to say how it is simpler in the sense that there is “no math” equation needed, and it is a more direct and intuitive approach. But I do understand, some people prefer the math and do not find it more complicated (myself included, having a math degree in my earlier days 😎). If you have time, check out some of the other comments and you will see what I mean about how different we all are. Thanks for watching! 👍

Wait, I can name that tune in one note! 😎

@@EpicWoodworking , hahahaha. I'm glad you got it.

Thank you for this exceptional video on simplifying making a cross cut sled. I have watched numerous videos on the subject but yours really brings it into perspective. Many others out there can have one confused with all the math and complicated ways of making the sled.

Thanks Richard! Yes, the first cut is simply to establish a straight edge. You certainly can create this first straight edge in other way, I have used the jointer as well. But I preferred to keep it simple and make all the cuts at the tablesaw, using the sled. (Similar to the 5 cut method, which is actually only 4 cuts if you begin with a straight edge) That’s and interesting reference to the “parallax method”, and nice of you to help your nephew. I must have learned that myself back in my school days (would you believe I majored in math in college?) But I have no conscious awareness of learning the method or even that term. Maybe it was floating around back there in my brain :). I always leaned toward the spatial aspects of math, enjoying Geometry the most, which may explain the path I ended up on. Thanks for letting me know, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the method! Tom

Thanks Ed! You know I appreciate you, your feedback and enthusiastic involvement. Glad you enjoyed it, and the “camera lady” says hi too!

@@EpicWoodworking Late reply, I'm not a big fan of all things google and don't check gmail often. But it's interesting that we have similar academic backgrounds (EE for me) with lots of math, and have gravitated to making things, where a certain level of precision is so important. Parallax as I recall, is from astronomy, but certainly implicates geometry. Engineering was my dad's idea of a degree; had I followed my heart, I'd have been an astronomer. So it goes. Rich

Thank you!

You may want to go back and watch it again. I assure you this method works very well. You can also read the comments to see other similar questions and answers that may be helpful. Thanks for watching! 👍😎

You are so right! The link in the description is corrected now, but here it is for your convenience: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-p3xeFfyVGAY.html

Thanks.. great vid @@EpicWoodworking

Yeah, it’s nice to be able to trust your sled, but I agree, it’s not rocket science precision. 👍😎

Thanks Jerry! 👍

Thank you Jim, I really appreciate your kind words and taking the time to let me know. I’m so glad you found it helpful and enjoyed the process and results! Hope you’ll stay connected with us at epicwoodworking.com. Thanks again! 👍 Tom

That's awesome Jim! Thanks so much for the kind words and I'm so glad it worked well for you!

Thank you so much, very nice of you to say. I’m just doing what I love and trying to be useful by sharing it with great people like you. Thanks again! 👍😎

I think you are the first to note that in the comments so far. But yes, the side opposite side #1 should be parallel for the measurement process. I actually thought this could have easily been reduced to the “two cut” method by beginning with a test panel already cut with two parallel sides, #1 and its opposite side. Or, rather than using the sled to make the #1 cut, use the fence by referencing the edge opposite the #1 against the fence to rip a straight #1 edge to begin with. So then your concern for parallel edges would be satisfied. In all the actual applications of this technique, the panels were so close to square as to not having it even come up as a potential problem, but technically you are right. Thanks for your observation and for watching! 👍😎

@@EpicWoodworking thanks for taking the time to respond 🙏

Thanks Richard! You are right, this kind of setting up for a square accurate fence is about splitting hairs, so I appreciate your mentioning the chance of the fence slipping flexing a bit during setup, even if so slight. I haven’t noticed that being much of an issue when setting mine up, but I’m sure there is some potential there. The proof is always in the test cut for accuracy. Thanks for your helpful feedback and for watching! 👍😎

Actually I not only watched his video years ago, and enjoyed it, but also made a couple sleds using his five cut method. And I agree, is did an excellent job presenting and explaining it, better than me to be sure. So while I appreciate that method, in practice I have found this method to be more direct, intuitive and equally accurate. But you may not agree and that’s okay, the five cut may be better suited to your tastes for whatever reason. If you read some of the many comments who prefer this three cut method, you may appreciate how others can have a different experience from you. By the way, I have a bad habit of picking and the dry skin on the fingers (bad enough til they bleed) in the dry winter months, so that is the clue you were reading that told you I didn’t know what I was talking about. But thanks for adding the “nice video however” at the end, classy touch.

Awesome! 👍

Thank you! The good news is you don’t need to recalibrate the sled when changing blades to maintain a square cut off the sled. 👍

Yes, no reason to over complicate things! Thanks for watching and the feedback! 👍😎

I’ve been using them a long time and that has not been my experience. Mine have run smoothly with no noticeable play, a function in part by having dual runners guiding the sled. I like a good miter gauge as well and agree they can give great results, but they have a limiting factor in that they only are only guided by a single runner. That said I am interested in also having one of those aftermarket incra miter gauges. Thanks for your feedback and thanks for watching! 👍😎

Yes, I agree Bob, there is not perfect dead on…even the Hubble telescope had an error factor. But to be more precise with my description, I am thinking of it at “plenty close enough dead nuts”😎 if the fence is true on a crosscut, out to twice the width of the test piece, it’s considered “dead nuts” in woodworking terms. And I make both cuts from the side of the blade that I tend to make most of my crosscuts, assuming the fence itself had some small error in true straight. Thanks for watching and for the great comment! 👍

The error measured at the far end of the test board is actually showing the exact error over that distance, or the test board's width, from the beginning of the cut to the end of the cut...which in my case was 24", the width of the test board. So it also means the fence is out of square that same measurement (half the error of 20 mm, or 10 mm), so the fence needs to pivot from the pivot screw, and the feeler gauge set at the distance of the test piece width, to give you the exact correction needed. Hope that clears it up :) I tried to say that clearly when I rotated the test piece and marked to th location of the feeler gauge correction pint, but I agree, its hard to articulate clearly. Thank for watching and asking!

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! 👍

Thanks, nice tip, I’ll keep that in mind. And thanks for watching! 👍😎

Yes Mike, if making with quarter sawn material you can sneak up on making a custom fitting runner👍

That’s right, the test piece does not have to already be square. It’s the test cuts that you’re measuring to check for square. The first cut is simply to establish an initial straight edge, so technically this could be called the “two cut” method if you were already starting with a straight edge on the test piece. Thanks for watching! 😎👍

No it doesn’t matter, you just want to keep side one against the fence for cut two and cut three.

Yes, that would be nice but what I’m actually micro correcting for is the common small error in the squaring the fence when attaching to the sled. Thanks for watching! 👍😎

Thanks Derek. That’s definitely another way of doing it. I actually prefer using a feeler gauge instead of the tape method. And with each additional cut, there is more room for error being introduced. I also like the directness of the feeler gauge measuring the gap. I was also trying to show alternate direct methods that don’t require owning a digital caliper. Hope that makes some sense. Thanks for watching! 👍😎

Thanks Vasia! 👍😎

I’m doing awesome great morning

Thanks Terrell, I appreciate you too! 👍😎

Ahhh, thanks John, to each his own! 😎

Thanks Terell, I appreciate that! And thanks for watching! 👍😎