Very nice tool and well thought out! Left and right options plus the phenolic base are great features. Other commenters mentioned a sacrificial fence, but for a 2.0 version may I suggest adding indexing holes at every 5 degrees? Maybe would require smaller indexing holes or a second arc of holes and indexing pin so they don’t interfere with the common angles already on the sled, but would add some quick and easy locked in versatility which would then leave only the in between oddball settings for manual alignment.
Awesome! Well thought out! I can see many benefits such as the fence staying put when changing the angle. I know I've triggered my cartridge brake in my saw stop a few times because the fence movement. If you add cartridge brake plus blade you can be around $200. Make that mistake twice and you’ll be about the price point of this tool. Not too bad but I do understand it’s a high upfront cost and even more when adding the additional cut off support with the stealth stop. Will you offer a Metric/combo scale option? I've been switching all of my woodpeckers tools to metric so I'd really like for this to offer a metric option or combo scale option!
A Great viewing Jeff. If I had not bought (yrs ago); the "In-Line" Double Dubby Auto-scale Miter Sleds; I would buy Woodpeckers yesterday. For yours is even more accurate. It's a winner for sure! Thanks for sharing this with us, kind Sirs.
So close! You have addressed so many issues and came up with a great sled... but no apparent way to attach a sub fence. That's an absolute necessity for me (and another ten inches of extension on the fence would be really nice!). Maybe you will release a 2.0 someday.
I wold think that adding the sacrificial gence would throw off the stop scale being accurate at different angles as is advertised. I'll add that I have the Exact 90. When adding the sacrigicial fence the stop scale is difficult to read as the stop is moved to the front grove location on the fence. AND unfortunately if you flip the stop up so that it is over the easier to read larger markings, in the middle of the fence, the stop moves away/farther from the blade when you flip the stop back down to make the cut. If they add the ability to add a sacrificial fence to this tool the stop would likely suffer the same issue. This is a nice set up but falls short in a couple of areas.
@@11211lcb I could see how moving the point out would change the reference. Unfortunately for me, eliminating tear out on the back side of the cut with a sub fence is a much more important factor.
@@joshuatate6106 I would email them and tell them why it’s crucial. I’ve seen them listen to customer feed back and change things. Like on the exact-90 miter gauge. They added the flop stop. And on the drill guide, after customer feedback they added the extra stuff. They are really good at listening and adding stuff to make their products that much better.
I must agree that the missing scrificial fence is a big thing. I was very excited when I saw this new tool from Woodpeckers but couldn't convince myself to "add to cart" because of the missing sacrifial fence. Can Woodpeckers folks tells us if this is being looked at right now? Much appreciated.
I placed my order but I must admit I'm having hesitations about it. I'm hoping they do a quick design change that would allow for a sacrificial fence, but honestly with the fence extrusion made the way it is I doubt there is room to accommodate a sacrificial fence much less getting said fence centered with the the angle scale. I believe with this design you either have to have a sacrificial fence on full time or none at all so as not to change the angle settings. I think most of us would prefer to have the sacrificial fence as long as it was a standard thickness like 1/2" MDF and not some proprietary thickness that you could only get from buying from Woodpeckers. IE MDF coated with melamine. Ill watch this one closely to see if any improvements are made to the design before launch. If I see none, Ill be cancelling my order with out a doubt and waiting on version 2.0.
I ended up canceling my order. being told that I need a new blade if I'm getting tear out on a cross is BS.. you will always get tear out on any blade no matter how expensive it is on cross cut.
@@pctatc66 If you are getting grain tear out across the face of the board on a cross cut you most definitely have blade problems. If the tear out is just on the end you can put a piece of masking tape on it to support the grain during the cut. I don’t see the need for a sacrificial wooden fence to support the end grain against tear out if you either tape the board or scribe the cut line with a sharp razor blade.
One of the main selling points is that the blade end of the fence maintains the same distance from the blade through all of the angle settings. Adding a sacrificial fence would defeat that design.
Excellent! Yet another Woodpecker product that is sold out! Is anyone actually making these products? And who exactly is buying a $1100 miter sled? How many woodworking projects would you need to sell to make this a good investment? Or is this for some rich hedge fund manager who makes picture frames for his rich friends in his penthouse in Manhattan? Inquiring minds and all that...
Except that there doesn't seem a possibility of adding a sacrificial fence which means you can't support the back of the work piece which means you'll have tear out :/
@@1S4Per Over several decades I’ve never had the need for a sacrificial fence, the key to this is a sharp blade, blade height, and the right feed rate; tear out is an issue with shapers (nature of the beast). This with both a panel saw with the fence on the leading edge, 30+ year old unisaw with a aftermarket sliding table (fence on the trailing edge), and multiple miter/slide saws.
@@michaelpayne8102 Thanks, Michael. We may have different definitions or tolerances here, because while the things you point out help, they are no substitute for having a fully supported work piece in my experience. I exclusively use an array of Forrest blades, keep them clean, resharpen when necessary, on a very nice SawStop ICS. For me, tear out can happen when you don't have a zero clearance insert on a TS or miter saw, can happen on a router and shaper as you point out, on a drill press when you don't have a sacrificial table insert and on a miter gauge as we're discussing here. All the best, Per.
@@1S4Per Let’s attempt to agree, tear out from not using a zero clearance insert is completely separate from a sacrificial fence in this case. IMO/experience it’s likely hood is higher as well (this is due the the physics of the blade/system). Tear out is not guaranteed if you aren’t using a sacrificial fence it can occur. In this case one of the main design goals appears to be maintaining the scale readout along the arc, based on this design goal if the typical system were employed (add a piece of wood to the front) it would become a critical component to the system to maintain functionality (variations of thickness would through the scale system off); hence my suggestion if this a true need for the individual to add the typical block style on to the fence (could be done multiple ways). For clarity I’m bringing this up as IMO a lot of things are simply repeated on the internet (especially by woodworking influencers on RU-vid). If a joint is so critical in regards to tear out there are better ways to it then by using a table saw. :)
@@michaelpayne8102 Thanks, Michael. I get your point, but I think the concept is the same: if there is no support on the back/bottom end of a cut, it can lead to tear out, by and large regardless of tool. And when I look at miter gauges, or fence systems for chop saws, ones that have measuring tapes / systems included, the vast majority are adjustable, so that you can ensure 100% precision for your particular setup. That could also be used to adjust for what you bring up above....were it adjustable. Finally, also agree there are other ways to do critical joints, but a crosscut sled has never let me down for precise and clean cuts. And yes - just sharing my experience here like you...your mileage may vary ;)
Please explain more about the right-side vs the left side. Why would the right side be used for more compound angles? Please provide examples and/or examples. Sorry I am new to woodworking. If price is a constraint, which side is best to invest in? Thanks. 😄
If you only have one side, you're fine as long as you can turn your material upside down. If your moulding has a profile that doesn't sit flat on its face, you need to cut on both sides of the saw. The same is true for compound angles. You have to cut from both sides. If you're only buying one, most people do most of their crosscutting on the left side.
Not being able to use a sacrificial fence is an absolute deal breaker. They provide zero clearance, better accuracy, no tear out and the ability to move the timber past the blade making it safer. Incra's Miter express and 5000 not only provide that but the micro adjustable stop block doesn't loose its functionality when using a sub fence and they are MUCH cheaper. I also remember on the exact 90 gauge they only used inches on their scale not metric to match the rest of the world. Another deal breaker. I don't mind paying a high price for a "fully" functional device but in my view these are huge omissions.
The Drop Zone doesn't have a miter bar. It has two expandable slugs. With a slight turn on the adjuster, the table is locked in place and won't slide out of position.
I thought I was getting ready to see a dubby sled copy cat at a much higher price point. I've had one, and I've had the Incra 5000 HD and didn't like how heavy it was, or how the MDF warped on me not long after getting it. This thing looks pretty amazing. The phenolic base really caught my attention, and I absolutely love the leaf spring miter bar from my experience with the Exact 90. The positive stops at common angles is a smart addition. I'm a little confused by one thing - does the fence extension come with the unit, or is it always an add on? I'm assuming the latter since it's listed separately on the website.
Sorry for the confusion, Jeffrey. There is a standard extension that takes the stop out to 50". That one is included all the time. The optional extension is longer and extends the stop out to 68". One note, though, the extra long extension does not fully retract into the main fence like the standard one does.
im just curious, any idea if theres anyway to fit this onto a sawstop sliding table or the harvey st1500? not a fan of the sawstop mitre gauge and its flip stops that leave much to be desired. and this seems like a sharper product than the mg36 thats included with the st1500.
@@jirehwong6140 if you mean replacing just the fence with this one, I’d say no. This fence mounts to the sled with a dovetail shaped piece of UHMW. That piece is the pivot point for the fence, which somehow allows the fence and stop to remain the same distance from the blade even when pivoted. I think you’d have to find a way to use that piece with your sliding table, too. Probabaly possible, probably not very easy.
Great looking tool, and I expect to pay a premium for quality tools, as someone who has a shop full of Woodpecker and Festool tools let me say that this seems excessive. The Incra 5000 is almost as good for quite a bit less.
You already knew when you came to this channel that this tool wasn’t going to be cheap… if you want woodpeckers, then you want quality, and if you want quality, be prepared to pay for it.
@@AaronGeller yes woodpeckers make excellent tools. I have a number of their products. My comment was simply that for this specific tool I cannot justify the cost. IMO there are other solutions at a better value for my needs.
Why must you continuously make products that make me poor 😭 you need to start making terrible products all jokes aside beautiful design best one on the market. Looks like I’ll be replacing my Incra
Pretty much a copy of the old Jointech Smart Miter design. Since Jointech is long defunct, it's time to steal the design. As for price, I have no idea what my Smart Miter cost back in the day (early 2000s ?) but adjusted for inflation it was probably comparable. Luckily my Smart Miter is still going strong so I don't need to shell out for this one.
You already knew when you came to this channel that this tool wasn’t going to be cheap… if you want woodpeckers, then you want quality, and if you want quality, be prepared to pay for it.
I just saw the postage cost to Australia is over $400 USD for the left side and drop zone. That's $500 + $130 + $430 = $1060 USD plus any duties etc Yikes!!! I think I'll stick to Incra's equivalent
@@griffinlangford8726 did you actually think they made the screw from gold and the board from indestructible secret material from the moon? Obviously you have never seen many intelligent woodworkers making extraordinary sled that cost a tiny portion of this overpriced shit! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
You already knew when you came to this channel that this tool wasn’t going to be cheap… if you want woodpeckers, then you want quality, and if you want quality, be prepared to pay for it.