Thanks for making this and providing all of your materials and instructions for free. The router sled market has become an absurd over marketed money grab for guys with CNC machines. And RUclips has become another money grab with patreon and paid plans. Old school RUclips open source information sharing is sadly dying
Yeah, but people’s time isn’t free. People try different ways to make a living. The time it takes to record a video, learn how to talk naturally in videos, and edit videos is very long. No real short cuts there. Good thing is, you have choices if you don’t like someone’s paid channel. :)
Every creator is entitled to market his/her creations--like musicians, artists, florists, auto makers, wood workers (furniture), etc. Whatever they charge is between them and the purchaser. If nobody buys the product, the creator evaluates his/her marketing techniques, including price. I don't go around looking for something free, because I too make money from my own efforts and talents.
I would use sbr type rails to mount the router, this allows for maximum use of the processing area, and allows the router to get as close as possible to the side rails
Finally... somebody telling all the things that went wrong. I found three mistakes that I as about to make so you saved me that frustration. Thanx for an awesome vid !
The rest of my rails show up tomorrow. Thanks for the walkthrough, and the explanation of errors. It’s nice to see someone explain the missteps instead of me yelling at my tools. 😁
@@jkmwoodworkinghey bud you still got 1 mistake left you haven't realized... I have the exact same router and made a router sled like yours... well I was doing 1/8" passes over walnut with a 2" spoilboard bit, and I was going nice and slow... really smooth didn't wanna work my router too hard, 2 1/4 hp dewalt... well only 20 minutes and she was smoking. 3+ hp router should be the standard on a router sled. I'm currently looking into a few... Triton has a 3 1/2? I think like $300 vevor makes a 3 1/4 ,for real cheap like $90 but will it last long? Idk and can't find any good reviews, just unboxing reviews. Nobody does any real reviews anymore, just day 1 crap and it's annoying
I came across these rails marketed on Amazon for a CNC and immediately imagined them for a sled. Excellent video and info for us new to the sled game. 👍👍👍 FWIW I realize in the grand scheme, $20 doesn’t amount to much. But for future reference stop by any countertop shop that does solid surface (Corian) and you likely will find a nearly unlimited supply of 1/2” acrylic in their dumpster. I did solid surface for decades and shudder to think of all the valuable stuff that we threw away that could have been repurposed for things other than cutting boards.
Fantastic video! I've been wanting to build a nice setup for ages but was not able to decide on rails. Being on a budget means I can't experiment and your video helped immensely.
Thank you so much for this DIY video. Finished the sled yesterday and avoided many mistakes because of you. Sled looks and works great....Thank you! Marc
Thank you on creating this video depicting your build along with the issues you had building it. It is very well thought out and I believe that just about anyone can duplicate your build. The part on the acrylic square vs rectangle was awesome as well as the part about what type drill bits to use. I am sure this helped me save some money. I was able to create this and I love it and appreciate you for bringing this to anyone interested in building a router sled. I believe that router sleds are more universal or convenient vs having to plane everything. This is relatively cheap to make vs purchasing a small planer let alone a large planer, and can be made rather large to do larger pieces of wood. I know that there are kits out there as you mentioned in your video but this is the way to go. Thanks again - much appreciated! :)
Thanks ! Super interesting video. Always good to hear what went wrong and why. Also hearing clear and logical explanations about your choices. Thumbs up !!!
Good Video. I wish I'd had used #16 rail through out. The sled needs to hold my router, not my as. In my version 2, I changed my 1/4 poly plate out for 1/4 Alum. You can't see much thru the clear plate anyway. Hardest part was cutting the large hole (wood hole saw with a lot of patience). Height is also adjusted by adding 1/4 poly "shims" made from my old plate to raise or lower the x or y as needed. Like u, I also choose to run my plate below my Y bearing. These can also be flipped to top mount for height control. I generally cut very old and hard oak from 1/4 to 1 1/4. The router cuts and levels what my planer could not handle. On the X bearing plates, also on 1/4 Alum, The X bearing were relocated INSIDE of the Y bearings to extend my range. Good Luck to U!
I built this exact sled over the weekend and it went together great. I have my surfacing bit on order to attach to my Festool 1400 router so when that gets in I’ll be able to test it. But even now it’s very solid and smooth so I expect it to work just fine. Thanks for the great video, parts list and tips! Kudos to your design!
Been thinking of building one of these for a bit now. I’ll be sure to save this video to save me some money and frustration when I decide to start ordering parts.
Can I say Beautiful ? I love this. I just checked amazon for the cost of this build. This won't break the bank. This just might be in my future, in the spring.
@@jkmwoodworking I did go and buy the parts for this, yes it can be done under $200 (IF) you have a router already. (I have 2 routers) After watching this I did it. 1000MM x 1000MM, I didn't need anything bigger. The only change was the acrylic, I did 13mm thickness.
I read the warning on the DeWalt speed differently: it says at low and medium speeds it will act to keep the speed the same, but you might overheat if you push too hard. Because the motor won't slow, you won't know that you are pushing it too hard. They don't say how to know if you are pushing too hard, but probably at the depths of cut for surfacing, it isn't likely. And if you are moving by hand, you will feel when the cut rate bogs down.
This would be the correct interpretation. I was thrown off by his explanation also. What the router does is increase amperage into the motor to maintain RPMs, this will add extra heat into the motor and if done too much, can cause it to fail. So lower speeds require slower feed rates.
Thanks for the clarification, I guess I just misunderstood. Yeah I guess if you are just careful to not put too much load on the router, it would work fine. Thanks!
@@jkmwoodworking I love the simplicity of this design. So I've spent a bit of time pricing out this design and trying to figure out how to make it work in my workshop. I was trying to decide if I needed the full length, and if I even had a place to put the full 2m length.
Inspired me to make my own. I ordered from the links shown, but for longevity I used 1/4” aluminum plate for the router are and adapter plates, rather than the plexiglass.
Thank you! Awesome video. I have wanted to make a router sled for a few years. I ordered the parts last night. I'm looking forward to flattening a couple of large slabs I've had for a few years.
I started building a router sled using a similar design to yours, except I used some 3/4" plywood for the carriage for the router. I ran into a few issues very similar to the ones you had in getting the holes for the slides lined up correctly. Your idea of laser cutting a template is really good, so I'm going to re-do mine using a laser-cut template as well. My rails are the first kind you tried also, where the mounting holes on the slides are on top, and using those made my carriage way too high. I need to fix that problem, so I'm going to look into the type of rails you used where the mounting holes are on the bottom. Like you said, it should simplify the carriage quite a bit. My shop is really small, so I don't have nearly enough room to have a router sled inside, so I mounted my long rails to some 2x4's that I can drop into the slots of two Bora sawhorses, then drop a piece of plywood between them to support the workpiece that I want to flatten. That way I can quickly set it up outside my shop, then tear it down and store everything away, including folding up the sawhorses. Since I'm doing the flattening outside, I don't have to deal with all the chips inside my shop, either. Anyway, thanks for this great video; it's given me some inspiration and idea for my flattening sled so I can get it working well.
Awesome video! This was almost exactly what I had started to design in my head. Just used your links and ordered the parts. I hope you get some kickback. Only change I’m going to make is to add a dust collection port and some dust shoe brush for chip/dust collection.
I love your design but you need to adjust the size of router base tray and where the handles on your router base sit so that you can attach your dust port/collector right to the router base. I am doing that on my version by using a router base without the handle and changing the orientation you have by 90 degrees. The other option I have seen is to attach a dust port to a larger piece of acrylic but like you stated, it starts to widen the base/reduce the area where you router can work. I think the dust port attached to the router base will be the answer.
I recommend putting a dowel or something on the linier bearings when storing. They are notorious for the bearings to fall out. If it happens to get dropped it may cause a problem. Nice build though. I need to do the same thing.
Be interesting to mount a dial indicator on the sled cross rails and see how much deflection (sag) you get in the center of the rails. Good looking design.
I would imagine with the weight of the router not counting for any down force applied by you,across that span would probably result in at lest .010" in the middle. Steel is way more flexible than most folks would think. Of course .010" would not be at all noticeable across a large cutting board or table top. @@jkmwoodworking
I was wondering the same thing. That style of rail makes for simple construction, but I would think it would have some deflection, a lot more than the other type of rail.
really well done video. The pacing, narration, and shots were all just... nice. with this quality, I was surprised to see this channel only has a few thousand subscribers. I could see it growing a lot
I really liked your video. Thanks for putting it together. If you wanted to put a dust collection port on your plexiglass mount, would you just cut a wider piece, but mount it as you did? This would allow you to cutout a hole to mount a dust collector fitting to the plate outside the cross rail.
I've watched your video numerous times, I wish other YT's would watch and use the voice over as you do. It's just so superior. Excellent work ! One question, how or did you level the side rails and cross rails ? I've built a jig using plywood and galvanized pipe to route the top of logs and make them flat. I had to make sure the side rails were level both ways with one another so the sled would be level. Then it didn't matter if the log was level, I just routed it till it was. Maybe I missed it but I didn't see if or how you leveled. If you could explain it's greatly appreciated. I've checked all the links and everything is available. This is just such great work on your part !
Thanks so much for your kind words! The plywood bed/base of the sled sits on top of my workbench, and essentially conforms to however level the workbench top is. I leveled my workbench using adjustable feet that it has. I was very meticulous in leveling the work bench to get it exactly right. I really should have included that in the video, because it is important to get a good result in leveling anything of significant size with the router sled. Great question, thanks!
mounting brackets can be out of plywood or steel (plywood is more than enough...you can build cnc out of plywood easily) for X axis you could use supported rails like for Y axis ...but mount them to steel profile for stiffness then it should be rock solid and even allow you to use it like an CNC with some belts / screws, detachable nut (so you can still use it like router sled) and maybe Z axis like an accessory part to make it literally CNC router
Hi thanks for the video! I was planning on building this exact sled, but I'm worried that these cross rails might not be perfectly straight, or might have some give in them with a 2.3hp router on them. I'm considering using the same rails as the sides, with the rigid aluminum, as my cross rails. Price is about the same and there would be extra rigidity. Any thoughts on this? Am I worried about a non-issue? My sled would be more than 41" wide....
I actually think that the cross rails on my sled are straighter and more rigid than the side rails. The cross rails that I used are a larger diameter than the side rails. What you say will also work fine.
Just ordered the stuff using your links. The only part I’m worried about is cutting and drilling the acrylic. Not sure my brain will be much use for that part 😂
Thank you for making this video as well as doing the research for people like me. Because I would of probably made the same ones not knowing any better. I do have a question about the router carriage/sled itself you used a 3/8" piece of plexiglass I like the Idea of the extra support by using a 3/8" piece. but now that you have used it for awhile have you run across any problems due to the extra thickness of the plexiglass? most people would use a 1/4" piece of plexiglass. I've ordered the parts to make my own linear bed for the router, if you had any problems let me know please cause I also am planning a 3/8 piece of Plexi. Again thanks for the video I also subscribed
i haven't put together my sled yet. But i got the same 20mm cross rails, and weight of my 3.25hp bosch is too unstable. Just lightly touching it will easily twist the whole sled which would cause the bit to gouge sideways. So before i even try use it, i'll get the sbr 20 rail which i assume is much more rigid
I will be making one of these down the road. One question, How critical is it to have a dead flat surface to mount it onto? (like torsion box dead flat or assembly table flat) Thanks again for a fantastic video! Your work, effort, and time are much appreciated!
Hey Mike, great question! It is pretty important to have it flat, but I'm not sure torsion box is needed. I used it with a piece of plywood just laying on top of my assembly table / workbench. At first, i discovered that my workbench wasn't flat, that one corner was a little high, and caused a twist when initially using the router sled. But I quickly figured it out and using the leveling legs on my workbench, I was able to get it pretty flat, and then got great results. I've got another video in works for the build of the live edge/walnut/epoxy table that I showed in this video. My plan was to address the leveling of the workbench in that video, but great point that it is a subject that I shouldn't have left unaddressed in this video. You always have great & relevant comments and question, thanks so much!
You can always add shims to fix dips in your table. You could even use globs of hot glue if your table is laminated, Formica, or melamine. Just remember your sled is going to translate the surface the piece is mounted on, like a planer would.
@@joeglynn2185 I think it would work ok for relatively small workpieces, say less than 2-3 ft in length. I would think the melamine would be stiff enough to keep it level for a short distance. However, for longer workpieces, it wouldn't take much to introduce even a small twist in the melamine or mdf. Even just a 1/16" or 1/8" over a 5 ft workpiece could be problematic. My experience was that after I first built the router sled, and used it several times on smaller projects and never notices the twist in my workbench. But when I did a 5 ft long table top, then it became noticeable and then I had to fix the workbench to be completely level to get good results.
The laser used is the Atomstack P9 M40. I just checked and seems that model has been discontinued, so I just removed the link from the video description. Thanks!
I got mine put all together finally except for the router being attached. Did you end up purchasing longer screws to attach to the bottom of your router? Or did you countersink and use the shorter screws that come with your router? I have a Bosch and the screws are pretty small. I would have to countersink to a super thin thickness to get them to attach.
I have the Bosch 1617 router and built this sled using the parts list in the description. I countersunk the screws on the bottom side of the plate and then also bought screws that are longer than the provided Bosch screws. It worked, but incredibly cumbersome to attach the base this way. I believe there is also a hole pattern on the Bosch plate that you can attach the screws from above. If I were to do over that's what I would do.
Hey , very nice video and explanation. I wish I watched the whole thing more carefully before committing the same mistakes you did 😹😹😹 , but overall great and very smart design. The thing is rock solid. Went with 20mm on both side and cross rails since my table is not perfectly flat... You saved me a lot of time figuring it out myself , as most of the other videos router slabs look terrible and would potentially lead to inconsistent performance. You have a new subscriber :) Cheers
@@jkmwoodworking Yeah , the only thing I would add to be helpful to someone attempting this is , when you drill the acrylic max the rpm at the end so it doesn't shatter. The acrylic likes to shatter if the drilling bit bites it , but with high rpm, it instead melts and doesn't shatter. I broke 2 pieces like that even with regular (for metal) drill bits.
Buy yourself a set of centering punches, they are fantastic marking holes when using a threaded plate as your guide since drilling ruins the threads. (Not in this video) I can appreciate your process since I just finished a plasma cutter sled of similar construction.
Hey man, I just finished my sled following your video. Thanks for helping with the learning curve! Pretty brilliant! On my workbench / out feed table I have multiple T tracks so I can use the Powertec clamps to hold my workpiece as well as the long rails.
Entertaining and yet you didn’t waste my time Got to the point Just said why and why not and moved on By far the simplest and sturdiest design … Period! All I had to do is cut plexi larger and add a vacuum port off to one side and skirt it Keep up the good work And Thanks Uncle Steve
Awesome video. I wish I had seen this before I bought the more complex and more expensive rod+mount mechanism from Amazon instead of the straight rod mechanism that this video recommends. Now I have to decide whether to return and get the simpler mechanism or not. Also I chose a square router tray for my first attempt and will likely decide to go with the wider option for the reasons described here. I'm curious if plywood is a suitable option for the tray instead of acrylic.
Thanks! I just updated the link in the description of the video to the stop collars. For some reason the link I had before was pointing to something else, so I just fixed it.
Great video! I am looking to build a router sled to flatten a cutting board without having to buy a planer. I saw at the end of the video that your slab had lines that showed each pass on the router sled. Did you end up reducing those repassing over with your sled or sanding?
Thanks! The router lines came out easy with a sander. They are not as deep as the look in the video, and were really quick to sand out. I did another video on the walnut slab desk where I show the sanding out of the router lines, here is the link to that video... ruclips.net/video/qQFuAd5rJGE/видео.html
Great design. Have you ever checked whether the shafts on which the router runs are sagging and therefore the workpiece is thinner in the middle than on the sides
Thanks! I placed a straight edge across the table in all directions after using the router sled, and didn't notice any depression in the center, it was complexly flat. The cross-rails feel really solid, and no sense that they have any sag at all.
Fantastic video! I learned quite a bit and it was a huge help. In part of the video(7:57), it shows you added some sort of lever-based stop to the side rail runner. Would you mind sharing what part you used?
I love what you’ve done, warts and all. Thanks. I’m considering making one myself that’s wide enough (≈1.2m) for table tops and doors using the large Triton router. Do you think I would need to go to larger diameter cross rails (i.e. 25mm) to avoid deflection across such a broad span with a heavy router? Much appreciated
Thanks for the kind words! I also have the 1.2m cross rails, 20 mm diameter. They feel rock solid, and I believe that they could handle any size router without any deflection.
Do you find the stops useful? I was thinking just to keep the carriage from going off the rails would be good. Edit- subbed. Great information. I decided to use your design almost entirely, but I am going to add stop collars because my floor isn’t level, and I don’t want my router on the floor by my compressor because I forgot to put a clamp on
Thanks so much! I've always put the stop collars on, but don't think the it's ever hit the stops. But just in case someday it does, it makes me feel more comfortable to have them there just in case.
What did you do about the rails being straight? I think I got the same linear rails as you, from Vevor, 20mm. So far one is pretty much dead on, but the other one is raised a little in the center. But overall, good. I got some 16mm Vevor rails but they weren't straight enough for me to even keep. I couldn't get the bow out by pushing on them with about 40-50lbs, so they were returned.
Oh no, that doesn't sound good. The rails that I got were pretty straight. To help them get perfect flat, I also screwed them down to the plywood worksurface, which rests on my flat workbench top, and the whole assembly seems to sit flat and true.
Watching this for a 2nd time, great video!! I just had one question... It looks like you have a stop handle on the sled, did you have to tap a hole for that or did the rails come with the handle?
This one of the best demos I’ve seen. I hope you have the parts list readily available. What do you recommend if a person doesn’t have a laser to cut out a template?
Thanks so much! maybe try using one of the linear rail blocks as a guide to create the template, just being careful not the mess up the threads? Or could just measure super carefully, start the holes with a really small drill bit to get them exactly in the right spot, and drill the template from that?
Interstate, this is a good design. However, you might consider using uninstall. Add your side rails a piece of 3/4. Inch plywood and quarter inch hardboard will snuggly fit inside the slot of a uni. Then you can make the box. End So you can make your flattening diggers. Long as you want up to the length of your unistrut, you can use warships and screws to attach it to a flat surface on your end pieces Holden an 8 inch. Above the bottom of the you destroyed and then. When you get it set up, you can piece of put a piece of quarter inch. Why would on the inside? What's a run along the top of the interstate? This works out very well and it pretty unexpensive give me a try
Love this! I plan to learn from your experience and basically duplicate your setup. Quick question on the router speed. What speed setting would you recommend for a 2" bit?
That exact set up is sold by a Canadian company...."Crafted Elements" for $423. The acrylic plate is predrilled for a number of routers. They have an hour long video on set up and usage.
Thanks for making this and providing all of your materials and instructions for free. The router sled market has become an absurd over marketed money grab for guys with CNC machines. And RUclips has become another money grab with patreon and paid plans. Old school RUclips open source information sharing is sadly dying
Thanks!
you just knew there was going to be a problem when they went after and shuttered Napster.
You'll take this for free, but then you'll charge for whatever you produce using it
Yeah, but people’s time isn’t free. People try different ways to make a living. The time it takes to record a video, learn how to talk naturally in videos, and edit videos is very long. No real short cuts there. Good thing is, you have choices if you don’t like someone’s paid channel. :)
Every creator is entitled to market his/her creations--like musicians, artists, florists, auto makers, wood workers (furniture), etc. Whatever they charge is between them and the purchaser. If nobody buys the product, the creator evaluates his/her marketing techniques, including price. I don't go around looking for something free, because I too make money from my own efforts and talents.
I would use sbr type rails to mount the router, this allows for maximum use of the processing area, and allows the router to get as close as possible to the side rails
Finally... somebody telling all the things that went wrong. I found three mistakes that I as about to make so you saved me that frustration. Thanx for an awesome vid !
Thanks! Glad I could help!
Every youtuber has a video like that, and there's always a commenter saying "you're the only one that shows mistakes"
@@Bobtheslob-bi9ng If this one person found this video helpful, who are you to bash it? Just shut-up and move on. Keep your negativity to yourself.
Well done! Saving me a lot of trouble and answering all my questions, thank you again for your video.
Thanks so much for the kind words1 Glad it was helpful!
The rest of my rails show up tomorrow. Thanks for the walkthrough, and the explanation of errors. It’s nice to see someone explain the missteps instead of me yelling at my tools. 😁
Glad to hear it was helpful!
@@jkmwoodworkinghey bud you still got 1 mistake left you haven't realized... I have the exact same router and made a router sled like yours... well I was doing 1/8" passes over walnut with a 2" spoilboard bit, and I was going nice and slow... really smooth didn't wanna work my router too hard, 2 1/4 hp dewalt... well only 20 minutes and she was smoking. 3+ hp router should be the standard on a router sled. I'm currently looking into a few... Triton has a 3 1/2? I think like $300 vevor makes a 3 1/4 ,for real cheap like $90 but will it last long? Idk and can't find any good reviews, just unboxing reviews. Nobody does any real reviews anymore, just day 1 crap and it's annoying
You are my hero. You saved me time ,money and headaches trying to figure this out on my own
Thanks! I'm happy to hear the video was helpful!
I love this system. There ar so many others on YT that just don't seem to measure up to the simplicity of your system. Thank you!
Thanks so much!
Your idea of putting an acrylic sheet instead a metal sheet is genius!!!
Thanks!
I came across these rails marketed on Amazon for a CNC and immediately imagined them for a sled. Excellent video and info for us new to the sled game. 👍👍👍
FWIW I realize in the grand scheme, $20 doesn’t amount to much. But for future reference stop by any countertop shop that does solid surface (Corian) and you likely will find a nearly unlimited supply of 1/2” acrylic in their dumpster. I did solid surface for decades and shudder to think of all the valuable stuff that we threw away that could have been repurposed for things other than cutting boards.
Great info, thanks!
Saw this on Reddit and got here as fast as possible. AMAZING!
Wow! Thanks!
Fantastic video! I've been wanting to build a nice setup for ages but was not able to decide on rails. Being on a budget means I can't experiment and your video helped immensely.
Thanks! Glad it was helpful!
Very generous! Esp pointing out your own mistakes and how to avoid them. Many thanks!
Thanks! Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for this video & the PARTS LIST!
Nice build.
Saving for later.
👍
Great, thanks!
Thank you so much for this DIY video. Finished the sled yesterday and avoided many mistakes because of you. Sled looks and works great....Thank you! Marc
Awesome! I'm happy to hear the video was helpful!
I’m not a woodworker, will probably never build this, LOVED the video! Very interesting - great way to start my day! Thanks!
Thanks so much!
Thank you on creating this video depicting your build along with the issues you had building it. It is very well thought out and I believe that just about anyone can duplicate your build. The part on the acrylic square vs rectangle was awesome as well as the part about what type drill bits to use. I am sure this helped me save some money. I was able to create this and I love it and appreciate you for bringing this to anyone interested in building a router sled. I believe that router sleds are more universal or convenient vs having to plane everything. This is relatively cheap to make vs purchasing a small planer let alone a large planer, and can be made rather large to do larger pieces of wood. I know that there are kits out there as you mentioned in your video but this is the way to go. Thanks again - much appreciated! :)
That's awesome, happy to hear that it worked for you! Thanks for your kind words!
I did the very same thing. all done in a half day.
A great example of common sense DIY! Thank you...I will bookmark this video and use it as a reminder 👍
Thanks for the kind words!
Thanks ! Super interesting video. Always good to hear what went wrong and why. Also hearing clear and logical explanations about your choices. Thumbs up !!!
Thank you so much!
Simple, easy, works. What’s not to like! Thanks for sharing 👌
Thanks!
Good Video. I wish I'd had used #16 rail through out. The sled needs to hold my router, not my as. In my version 2, I changed my 1/4 poly plate out for 1/4 Alum. You can't see much thru the clear plate anyway. Hardest part was cutting the large hole (wood hole saw with a lot of patience). Height is also adjusted by adding 1/4 poly "shims" made from my old plate to raise or lower the x or y as needed. Like u, I also choose to run my plate below my Y bearing. These can also be flipped to top mount for height control. I generally cut very old and hard oak from 1/4 to 1 1/4. The router cuts and levels what my planer could not handle. On the X bearing plates, also on 1/4 Alum, The X bearing were relocated INSIDE of the Y bearings to extend my range.
Good Luck to U!
Wow, that sounds like an awesome router sled!! Thanks for the kind words!
Great build. The list of projects to make so I can make other projects is never ending :)
Thanks!
beautiful work. love that you includeda parts list and your mistakes, it really makes the project feel more approachable.bravo!
Thank you! Cheers!
I built this exact sled over the weekend and it went together great. I have my surfacing bit on order to attach to my Festool 1400 router so when that gets in I’ll be able to test it. But even now it’s very solid and smooth so I expect it to work just fine. Thanks for the great video, parts list and tips! Kudos to your design!
Great, I'm glad it worked well for you! Thanks so much for the kind words!
hi Bob how r u
Been thinking of building one of these for a bit now. I’ll be sure to save this video to save me some money and frustration when I decide to start ordering parts.
Great, thanks!
Love it! I made a VERY CHEAP version (way before watching any videos or examples) and it didn't work to good. This is very awesome. Thank you.
Thanks so much for the kind words!
Simple comment and extremely useful documentary.
Many thanks!
Fantastic video! I just ordered the full list. Thank You for the R and D and making mistakes, that leaves room for my own mistakes.
Thanks so much!
Super honest tutorial much appreciated well worth a sub
Much appreciated!
Precisely!
@@kevineyesix2257 Thanks!
Can I say Beautiful ? I love this. I just checked amazon for the cost of this build. This won't break the bank.
This just might be in my future, in the spring.
Thanks! Yes, it's very affordable for a really good router sled!
@@jkmwoodworking I did go and buy the parts for this, yes it can be done under $200 (IF) you have a router already. (I have 2 routers)
After watching this I did it. 1000MM x 1000MM, I didn't need anything bigger. The only change was the acrylic, I did 13mm thickness.
@@davidhabener5767 Awesome! I'm glad to hear it worked out!
I read the warning on the DeWalt speed differently: it says at low and medium speeds it will act to keep the speed the same, but you might overheat if you push too hard. Because the motor won't slow, you won't know that you are pushing it too hard. They don't say how to know if you are pushing too hard, but probably at the depths of cut for surfacing, it isn't likely. And if you are moving by hand, you will feel when the cut rate bogs down.
This would be the correct interpretation. I was thrown off by his explanation also. What the router does is increase amperage into the motor to maintain RPMs, this will add extra heat into the motor and if done too much, can cause it to fail. So lower speeds require slower feed rates.
Thanks for the clarification, I guess I just misunderstood. Yeah I guess if you are just careful to not put too much load on the router, it would work fine. Thanks!
@@jkmwoodworking I love the simplicity of this design. So I've spent a bit of time pricing out this design and trying to figure out how to make it work in my workshop. I was trying to decide if I needed the full length, and if I even had a place to put the full 2m length.
Agreed. It will keep the speed more or less constant but it will drain your battery like very quickly. Took very thin cuts and that is better.
Inspired me to make my own. I ordered from the links shown, but for longevity I used 1/4” aluminum plate for the router are and adapter plates, rather than the plexiglass.
Great to hear the video was helpful. The aluminum plate idea sounds good, I'm sure it will work great!
I thank you for you frankness. I made the same mistakes too but I used steel plates.
Thanks!
Picking nits...flat bottom is counter BORE, conical bottom is counter SINK. Great project & video, thank you!
Thanks! Appreciate the terminology clarification
Thank you so much. Followed you to a T. Fantastic design. Definitely earned a follower.
Awesome, thank you!
Thank you! Awesome video. I have wanted to make a router sled for a few years. I ordered the parts last night. I'm looking forward to flattening a couple of large slabs I've had for a few years.
Thanks so much! Glad it was helpful!
Some belts, stepper motors and a laptop and u got urself a cnc. Well done
Thanks!
Great video, thanks! The links to the rails are much appreciated - cheaper than I was expecting!
Thanks! I'm happy to hear it was helpful!
Thanks for this terrific video and sharing your lessons. I basically followed your guidance with just a few deviations. It's working great. Thank you.
Thanks! Glad it helped!
I started building a router sled using a similar design to yours, except I used some 3/4" plywood for the carriage for the router. I ran into a few issues very similar to the ones you had in getting the holes for the slides lined up correctly. Your idea of laser cutting a template is really good, so I'm going to re-do mine using a laser-cut template as well. My rails are the first kind you tried also, where the mounting holes on the slides are on top, and using those made my carriage way too high. I need to fix that problem, so I'm going to look into the type of rails you used where the mounting holes are on the bottom. Like you said, it should simplify the carriage quite a bit. My shop is really small, so I don't have nearly enough room to have a router sled inside, so I mounted my long rails to some 2x4's that I can drop into the slots of two Bora sawhorses, then drop a piece of plywood between them to support the workpiece that I want to flatten. That way I can quickly set it up outside my shop, then tear it down and store everything away, including folding up the sawhorses. Since I'm doing the flattening outside, I don't have to deal with all the chips inside my shop, either. Anyway, thanks for this great video; it's given me some inspiration and idea for my flattening sled so I can get it working well.
Great info, thanks for sharing! Sounds like a similar experience as mine. Great idea with the 2x4's!
Wow! Thanks for sharing such a solid build design and doing so via a well-crafted video presentation.
Thank you! Much appreciated!
Awesome video! This was almost exactly what I had started to design in my head. Just used your links and ordered the parts. I hope you get some kickback.
Only change I’m going to make is to add a dust collection port and some dust shoe brush for chip/dust collection.
Awesome, thanks so much! I agree that having the dust collection would be better.
You definitely saved me time and money, because I have no doubt I would’ve made the same mistakes with the acrylic. 👍🏼
@@keastland I'm happy to hear it was helpful!
I love your design but you need to adjust the size of router base tray and where the handles on your router base sit so that you can attach your dust port/collector right to the router base. I am doing that on my version by using a router base without the handle and changing the orientation you have by 90 degrees. The other option I have seen is to attach a dust port to a larger piece of acrylic but like you stated, it starts to widen the base/reduce the area where you router can work. I think the dust port attached to the router base will be the answer.
I recommend putting a dowel or something on the linier bearings when storing. They are notorious for the bearings to fall out. If it happens to get dropped it may cause a problem. Nice build though. I need to do the same thing.
Great suggestion, thanks! I'm going to try it.
Be interesting to mount a dial indicator on the sled cross rails and see how much deflection (sag) you get in the center of the rails. Good looking design.
Interesting idea, I might try it! Thanks!
I would imagine with the weight of the router not counting for any down force applied by you,across that span would probably result in at lest .010" in the middle. Steel is way more flexible than most folks would think. Of course .010" would not be at all noticeable across a large cutting board or table top. @@jkmwoodworking
I was wondering the same thing. That style of rail makes for simple construction, but I would think it would have some deflection, a lot more than the other type of rail.
really well done video. The pacing, narration, and shots were all just... nice. with this quality, I was surprised to see this channel only has a few thousand subscribers. I could see it growing a lot
Thanks so much! My channel is less than a year old, and still growing. I appreciate your optimistic forecast for the future of the channel!
You video was very helpful, did it in one attempt because I was looking out for all the problems you mentioned. :) thank you
Thanks! Glad it was helpful!
Beautiful design I had to visit amazon just now. Thanks
Thanks!
I really liked your video. Thanks for putting it together. If you wanted to put a dust collection port on your plexiglass mount, would you just cut a wider piece, but mount it as you did? This would allow you to cutout a hole to mount a dust collector fitting to the plate outside the cross rail.
Thanks! That's a great idea!
I've been considering making one of these thanks for the detailed video with mistakes!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks! Great instructional video! You've given me the information and confidence to attempt this project
Great to hear! Thanks!
Very nice! Thank you so much for the detailed build plans 👍 Now just to figure out how to make the needed templates w/o a laser... :D
Thanks! yeah, having the laser is nice for templates!
Make your own sled. Simple and easy as long as its level and slides easy.
easy, simple and effective ! thanks for putting this video out. It has helped me a lot!
Thanks! Glad it was helpful!
This great . Thanks for explaining the process , and including mistakes is helpful to understand the process further . Good stuff
Thanks so much!
I've watched your video numerous times, I wish other YT's would watch and use the voice over as you do. It's just so superior. Excellent work ! One question, how or did you level the side rails and cross rails ? I've built a jig using plywood and galvanized pipe to route the top of logs and make them flat. I had to make sure the side rails were level both ways with one another so the sled would be level. Then it didn't matter if the log was level, I just routed it till it was. Maybe I missed it but I didn't see if or how you leveled. If you could explain it's greatly appreciated. I've checked all the links and everything is available. This is just such great work on your part !
Thanks so much for your kind words! The plywood bed/base of the sled sits on top of my workbench, and essentially conforms to however level the workbench top is. I leveled my workbench using adjustable feet that it has. I was very meticulous in leveling the work bench to get it exactly right. I really should have included that in the video, because it is important to get a good result in leveling anything of significant size with the router sled. Great question, thanks!
That was a really good explanation of whty you used those parts. Cheers!
Thanks! Much appreciated!
mounting brackets can be out of plywood or steel (plywood is more than enough...you can build cnc out of plywood easily)
for X axis you could use supported rails like for Y axis ...but mount them to steel profile for stiffness
then it should be rock solid and even allow you to use it like an CNC with some belts / screws, detachable nut (so you can still use it like router sled) and maybe Z axis like an accessory part to make it literally CNC router
This is fantastic! Thank you for your guidance.
Thanks! Glad it was helpful!
This was so good! Will use this video as a template to build my own. Thanks brother!
Thanks so much!
Great setup. Do the 20mm bars sag at all over that distance .
Thanks! The bars don't sag at all, they are very stiff and solid.
New subscriber from across the pond. Great video, thanks for sharing.
Awesome, thank you!
GREAT video, I'll be watching more and thinking, based on quality of video and content, your channel will grow. Good luck, keep up the great work!
Thanks! I like your prediction of growth on the channel!
Great video, thanks for creating and sharing!
Thank you!
Great practical advice! Thanks for putting the video together.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi thanks for the video! I was planning on building this exact sled, but I'm worried that these cross rails might not be perfectly straight, or might have some give in them with a 2.3hp router on them. I'm considering using the same rails as the sides, with the rigid aluminum, as my cross rails. Price is about the same and there would be extra rigidity. Any thoughts on this? Am I worried about a non-issue? My sled would be more than 41" wide....
I actually think that the cross rails on my sled are straighter and more rigid than the side rails. The cross rails that I used are a larger diameter than the side rails. What you say will also work fine.
Great video. Very helpful and gets to the points!
Thank you!
Just ordered the stuff using your links. The only part I’m worried about is cutting and drilling the acrylic. Not sure my brain will be much use for that part 😂
Great, thanks! I'm sure you'll get it right!
Thank you for making this video as well as doing the research for people like me. Because I would of probably made the same ones not knowing any better. I do have a question about the router carriage/sled itself you used a 3/8" piece of plexiglass I like the Idea of the extra support by using a 3/8" piece. but now that you have used it for awhile have you run across any problems due to the extra thickness of the plexiglass? most people would use a 1/4" piece of plexiglass. I've ordered the parts to make my own linear bed for the router, if you had any problems let me know please cause I also am planning a 3/8 piece of Plexi. Again thanks for the video I also subscribed
Thanks, glad the video was helpful! I've not had any problems with the 3/8", and am very happy with it!
High quality video. Thank you very much.
Thank you so much!
i haven't put together my sled yet. But i got the same 20mm cross rails, and weight of my 3.25hp bosch is too unstable. Just lightly touching it will easily twist the whole sled which would cause the bit to gouge sideways. So before i even try use it, i'll get the sbr 20 rail which i assume is much more rigid
I will be making one of these down the road. One question, How critical is it to have a dead flat surface to mount it onto? (like torsion box dead flat or assembly table flat) Thanks again for a fantastic video! Your work, effort, and time are much appreciated!
Hey Mike, great question! It is pretty important to have it flat, but I'm not sure torsion box is needed. I used it with a piece of plywood just laying on top of my assembly table / workbench. At first, i discovered that my workbench wasn't flat, that one corner was a little high, and caused a twist when initially using the router sled. But I quickly figured it out and using the leveling legs on my workbench, I was able to get it pretty flat, and then got great results.
I've got another video in works for the build of the live edge/walnut/epoxy table that I showed in this video. My plan was to address the leveling of the workbench in that video, but great point that it is a subject that I shouldn't have left unaddressed in this video.
You always have great & relevant comments and question, thanks so much!
You can always add shims to fix dips in your table. You could even use globs of hot glue if your table is laminated, Formica, or melamine. Just remember your sled is going to translate the surface the piece is mounted on, like a planer would.
Great info, thanks!
If i use a 4x8 sheet of melamine or MDF on top of my assembly table won't it take the uneven assembly table top out of the equation?@@jkmwoodworking
@@joeglynn2185 I think it would work ok for relatively small workpieces, say less than 2-3 ft in length. I would think the melamine would be stiff enough to keep it level for a short distance. However, for longer workpieces, it wouldn't take much to introduce even a small twist in the melamine or mdf. Even just a 1/16" or 1/8" over a 5 ft workpiece could be problematic. My experience was that after I first built the router sled, and used it several times on smaller projects and never notices the twist in my workbench. But when I did a 5 ft long table top, then it became noticeable and then I had to fix the workbench to be completely level to get good results.
This is brilliant! I always wanted a router sled, but didn’t want some large wooden contraption that I don’t often use. I will use your links. Thanks!
Great, thank you!
Thank you for this video and all the links. It seems the link to your laser cutter is no longer working though. What model is it? Thank you
The laser used is the Atomstack P9 M40. I just checked and seems that model has been discontinued, so I just removed the link from the video description. Thanks!
I got mine put all together finally except for the router being attached. Did you end up purchasing longer screws to attach to the bottom of your router? Or did you countersink and use the shorter screws that come with your router? I have a Bosch and the screws are pretty small. I would have to countersink to a super thin thickness to get them to attach.
I have the Bosch 1617 router and built this sled using the parts list in the description. I countersunk the screws on the bottom side of the plate and then also bought screws that are longer than the provided Bosch screws. It worked, but incredibly cumbersome to attach the base this way. I believe there is also a hole pattern on the Bosch plate that you can attach the screws from above. If I were to do over that's what I would do.
I bought longer screws to attach my DeWalt router to the base. I didn't countersink them, but could have done that.
fantastic video. definitely going to add something like this as well
Awesome, thank you!
Excellent video. Liked and subscribed. The 20mm cross rails seem out of stock in the 1000mm length (what I need). Will be checking daily to get these.
Awesome, thank you!
Great video and commentary. By going over the mistakes, one can understand what works and why. Thank you.
Thanks!
I appreciate the insights.
Thanks!
+1
Hey , very nice video and explanation. I wish I watched the whole thing more carefully before committing the same mistakes you did 😹😹😹 , but overall great and very smart design. The thing is rock solid. Went with 20mm on both side and cross rails since my table is not perfectly flat... You saved me a lot of time figuring it out myself , as most of the other videos router slabs look terrible and would potentially lead to inconsistent performance. You have a new subscriber :) Cheers
Thank you so much! Glad it was helpful!
@@jkmwoodworking Yeah , the only thing I would add to be helpful to someone attempting this is , when you drill the acrylic max the rpm at the end so it doesn't shatter. The acrylic likes to shatter if the drilling bit bites it , but with high rpm, it instead melts and doesn't shatter. I broke 2 pieces like that even with regular (for metal) drill bits.
Great project! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks!
Awesome tutorial. You earned a subscriber sir.
Awesome, thank you!
Buy yourself a set of centering punches, they are fantastic marking holes when using a threaded plate as your guide since drilling ruins the threads. (Not in this video) I can appreciate your process since I just finished a plasma cutter sled of similar construction.
Hey man, I just finished my sled following your video. Thanks for helping with the learning curve! Pretty brilliant!
On my workbench / out feed table I have multiple T tracks so I can use the Powertec clamps to hold my workpiece as well as the long rails.
Thanks, glad it was helpful! Great idea using the t-track clamps!
Entertaining and yet you didn’t waste my time
Got to the point
Just said why and why not and moved on
By far the simplest and sturdiest design … Period!
All I had to do is cut plexi larger and add a vacuum port off to one side and skirt it
Keep up the good work
And Thanks
Uncle Steve
Thanks so much for the kind words! Happy to here it was helpful!
Awesome video. I wish I had seen this before I bought the more complex and more expensive rod+mount mechanism from Amazon instead of the straight rod mechanism that this video recommends. Now I have to decide whether to return and get the simpler mechanism or not. Also I chose a square router tray for my first attempt and will likely decide to go with the wider option for the reasons described here. I'm curious if plywood is a suitable option for the tray instead of acrylic.
Thanks for the kind words! I haven't tried plywood as an alternative to acrylic, but believe it would work just fine.
Great video 👍 where did you get that round end stop? Can’t seem to find it
Thanks! I just updated the link in the description of the video to the stop collars. For some reason the link I had before was pointing to something else, so I just fixed it.
Great video! I am looking to build a router sled to flatten a cutting board without having to buy a planer. I saw at the end of the video that your slab had lines that showed each pass on the router sled. Did you end up reducing those repassing over with your sled or sanding?
Thanks! The router lines came out easy with a sander. They are not as deep as the look in the video, and were really quick to sand out. I did another video on the walnut slab desk where I show the sanding out of the router lines, here is the link to that video... ruclips.net/video/qQFuAd5rJGE/видео.html
Great design. Have you ever checked whether the shafts on which the router runs are sagging and therefore the workpiece is thinner in the middle than on the sides
Thanks! I placed a straight edge across the table in all directions after using the router sled, and didn't notice any depression in the center, it was complexly flat. The cross-rails feel really solid, and no sense that they have any sag at all.
Fantastic video! I learned quite a bit and it was a huge help. In part of the video(7:57), it shows you added some sort of lever-based stop to the side rail runner. Would you mind sharing what part you used?
Awesome, thank you! The lever comes with the side rails that I bought, I put a link in the description to the specific ones that come with the lever.
I love what you’ve done, warts and all. Thanks. I’m considering making one myself that’s wide enough (≈1.2m) for table tops and doors using the large Triton router.
Do you think I would need to go to larger diameter cross rails (i.e. 25mm) to avoid deflection across such a broad span with a heavy router?
Much appreciated
Thanks for the kind words! I also have the 1.2m cross rails, 20 mm diameter. They feel rock solid, and I believe that they could handle any size router without any deflection.
Is it possible for you to export your lightburn files to SVG so non lightburn users can cut out the patterns on their machines? Thanks so much!
I have the same request! Thanks so much for the great video!
Do you find the stops useful? I was thinking just to keep the carriage from going off the rails would be good. Edit- subbed. Great information. I decided to use your design almost entirely, but I am going to add stop collars because my floor isn’t level, and I don’t want my router on the floor by my compressor because I forgot to put a clamp on
Thanks so much! I've always put the stop collars on, but don't think the it's ever hit the stops. But just in case someday it does, it makes me feel more comfortable to have them there just in case.
What did you do about the rails being straight? I think I got the same linear rails as you, from Vevor, 20mm. So far one is pretty much dead on, but the other one is raised a little in the center. But overall, good.
I got some 16mm Vevor rails but they weren't straight enough for me to even keep. I couldn't get the bow out by pushing on them with about 40-50lbs, so they were returned.
Oh no, that doesn't sound good. The rails that I got were pretty straight. To help them get perfect flat, I also screwed them down to the plywood worksurface, which rests on my flat workbench top, and the whole assembly seems to sit flat and true.
Watching this for a 2nd time, great video!! I just had one question...
It looks like you have a stop handle on the sled, did you have to tap a hole for that or did the rails come with the handle?
Thanks! The stop handle came with the side rails... definitely a really nice thing to have!
This one of the best demos I’ve seen. I hope you have the parts list readily available. What do you recommend if a person doesn’t have a laser to cut out a template?
Thanks so much! maybe try using one of the linear rail blocks as a guide to create the template, just being careful not the mess up the threads? Or could just measure super carefully, start the holes with a really small drill bit to get them exactly in the right spot, and drill the template from that?
What a great video. Thank You!!!
Thank you so much!
Interstate, this is a good design. However, you might consider using uninstall. Add your side rails a piece of 3/4. Inch plywood and quarter inch hardboard will snuggly fit inside the slot of a uni.
Then you can make the box. End So you can make your flattening diggers. Long as you want up to the length of your unistrut, you can use warships and screws to attach it to a flat surface on your end pieces Holden an 8 inch. Above the bottom of the you destroyed and then. When you get it set up, you can piece of put a piece of quarter inch. Why would on the inside? What's a run along the top of the interstate? This works out very well and it pretty unexpensive give me a try
Love this! I plan to learn from your experience and basically duplicate your setup. Quick question on the router speed. What speed setting would you recommend for a 2" bit?
Thanks, glad it was helpful. I set my router at the slowest speed, which I believe is 14,000 rpm for the 2" bit.
That exact set up is sold by a Canadian company...."Crafted Elements" for $423. The acrylic plate is predrilled for a number of routers. They have an hour long video on set up and usage.
Thanks great video.
Thanks!