How to Build a Router Sled - The Easiest Way to Flatten your slab
In today's video, I show you how I built a router sled or you may call it a slab flattening sled/jig out of 80/20 aluminum extrusion. I love work with 80/20 extrusion because it goes together so easily. In my opinion, this is much better than a sled built out of wood due to wood movement. The cost to build this was less than $400. $84 of that was for the shipping. It may be cheaper for you depending on where you live. You may also be able to find the parts somewhere else for less money. I found that tnutz.com (not sponsored) was the cheapest for me.
I hope you enjoy this video. Please let me know if there is a project you'd like to see me make and I will do my best to do it. Thank you for all the support you have shown me and the channel!
If you're interested in purchasing products I've made, check out my website:
www.wolfridgewoodworking.com/...
Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Ack's Abrasive & Polishing Paste
ackswoodpaste.com/
Use WOLF15 at checkout to get 15% off your order
Starbond
www.starbond.com/?rfsn=357188...
Use WOLF15 at checkout to get 15% off your order
Taytools
lddy.no/191nm
MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT (affiliate):
EX-1020 - 1" x 2" Smooth T-Slotted Aluminum Extrusion: tinyurl.com/3vsc4k48
2 @ 60"
2 @ 34"
2 @ 32"
2 @ 12"
EX-1010 - 1" x 1" Smooth T-Slotted Aluminum Extrusion: tinyurl.com/253bru7v
2 @ 38"
(4) (CB-010-L) 10 Series 8 Hole Inside Corner Gusset: tinyurl.com/24etjfaj
(4) (CBS-010-E) 4 Hole Slotted Inside Corner Bracket: tinyurl.com/39hpu29b
(4) (CB-010-C) 10 Series 3 Hole Inside Corner Bracket: tinyurl.com/4bfcst9m
(4) (4014) 10 Series 12 Hole - Tall Inside Corner Bracket: tinyurl.com/382txy9k
(8) (LM-010-A) 10 Series Roller Wheel: tinyurl.com/2nuk6as5
(50) (COMBO-010-A) 10 Series 1/4-20 Economy T-Nut & 1/2″ lg screw: tinyurl.com/3pwxhsdm
(4) Socket Head Screw (5/16"-18 Thread Size, 2-3/4" Long, Partially Threaded): tinyurl.com/2p97axu5
(4) Nylon-Insert Locknut (5/16"-18 Thread Size): tinyurl.com/a37fae3y
(12) Plastic Spacer (5/16" ID, 1/8" Long): amzn.to/3WbGocL (For this kit, use the 3mm ones. I could not find the ones I used online, but check out Ace Hardware to get the 12 you need)
2" Surfacing Router Bit 1/2" Shank: Surfacing Router Bit 1/2" Shank
Tools I use (affiliate):
Jet 1221VS Lathe: amzn.to/2OdLhCB
Ridgid Table Saw: amzn.to/3jnEJhj
Rikon 14" Bandsaw: bit.ly/3naOamE
Ridgid Oscillating Sander: amzn.to/37kfOqe
Jet 1836 Drum Sander: bit.ly/2KZRMcI
Jet Air Filter: amzn.to/33mCYLz
Shop Fox Dust Collector: amzn.to/33m1Raf
Shop Fox Drill Press: amzn.to/3FtPV7C
Shop Fox 12" Disc Sander: amzn.to/3Akvea9
Shop Fox Jointer: amzn.to/2YwALxM
Dewalt Planer: amzn.to/3c5iJWc
Dewalt Random Orbit Sander: amzn.to/3ENLGlT
Ryobi Handheld Router: amzn.to/3C49RuL
WEN Plunge Cut Track Saw: amzn.to/2ZqkPNO
WEN Tracks: amzn.to/3xqEh9P
Nova 48202 G3 Wood Turning Chuck: amzn.to/2yGRoGC
Easy Wood Tools Hollowing Combo Set: amzn.to/2UM67vT
Easy Wood Tools Carbide Tools:amzn.to/2N0FTy5
Easy Wood Tools Ci2-R2 Square Radius Negative Rake Carbide Cutter: amzn.to/374GutW
Easy Wood Tools Ci3-NR Round Negative Rake Carbide Cutter: amzn.to/3drcz3b
1/2" Bowl Gouge: amzn.to/2XV8jQc
3/8" Bowl Gouge: amzn.to/37Lz5is
3/8" Spindle Gouge: amzn.to/3lP87hd
1" Standard Skew Chisel: amzn.to/2XoYbz0
1" Round Nose Scraper: amzn.to/2FwLPBh
1/8" HSS Parting Tool: bit.ly/2GAEBey
1/2" Square Scraper: amzn.to/2pjpL53
3/4" Round Nose Negative Rake Scraper: bit.ly/2TLxthu
60 Degree Live Center: amzn.to/2DRGRLd
DMT Folding Diamond Fine File: amzn.to/3jEEZsT
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Please leave a comment if there are any questions you have.
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website: www.wolfridgewoodworking.com/
Instagram: / wolfridgewoodworking
Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/WolfRidgeWo...
Email: eparker@wolfridgewoodworking.com
Ed Parker
P.O Box 1893
Queen Creek, AZ 85142
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
The cost to build this was less than $400. $84 of that was for the shipping. It may be cheaper for you depending on where you live. You may also be able to find the parts somewhere else for less money. I found that tnutz.com was the cheapest for me.
This is great man. Thanks for showing us how you put it all together, i appreciate it.
Cool build, Ed!
Great video and work! Looks like one of the better ones I've seen made. Take care and GOD BLESS 🙏!
Great router sled.
❤❤❤ good job
That came out great Ed, looks like it really glides over the work piece!
Thank you Bruce! It glides a little too easy. ha ha. I really want to add some leveling feet as I think that would make it easier to adjust to different thicknesses of wood. - Ed
Really nice job. I've been thinking of building one and you gave me some really good ideas. Thanks.
Thank you! - Ed
Looks like a nice design and definitely budget friendly compared to the commercially available ones.
Thank you! - Ed
Good job Ed I think I need to upgrade mine. 👍🇺🇸
Thank you! - Ed
This came out awesome! I have been wanting to make a similar one for tabletop use and I will probably do something similar to this with extrusion. I will probably add some sort of handle to the gantry so you can move that with one hand and the carriage with the other pretty easily.
Thank you! That's a good idea. I would like to add some sort of leveling feet that would also act as a lift for different thickness of wood. - Ed
TOT sled has a feature to lock the travel - no idea how they did that but it seemed to me to be a must have feature. I've always (from the comfort of my chair) been biased to the linear bearing style sleds, but Woodpeckers and yours seem to have some serious advantages. I do wonder how those little wheels are working out. I have some concerns about dust getting in the groove and cause some roughness. Has that been a problem? Going the route of Woodpeckers and using high density plastic (tape or blocks) and have it bear on the top and sides would cure that. Woodpeckers also modified their sled so that you can insert the router mount at different heights to accommodate different thicknesses. You could "easily" do the same with this set up. Gotta say, this is the best shop made slab flattener I've seen to date. Many great ideas worth stealing. :^D Thanks for sharing!
What i like most about the comments on some of these projects is their lack of negative comments no matter how much of a pain in the ass they are
Thank you for watching! I'm not sure what you are saying. - Ed
Welp, I can’t say that I’m happy you gave me another reason to buy some more t-slots, but I’ll live. 😂
Thank you for watching! I know what you mean. - Ed
Would love to get an update on how this is working out - my biggest issue with ball bearing shaft units is dust fouling in the bearings. How is this holding up to the sawdust getting in the tracks/wheels?
Like your sled
:O Great find on that aluminum extrusion from tnutz. That is less expensive per inch than what I am currently paying for just regular old t-track from powertec. I might have to buy a bunch of lengths of this stuff for some upcoming jig projects instead of t-track. It's also less expensive than the aluminum "angle iron" that I just picked up from HD to make my own router sled. And the extrusion rails are much prettier.
Thank you! They are a great source for aluminum extrusion. There are a couple of things they don't have that I either go directly to 80/20 or Amazon for. - Ed
Looks great, Ed. Definitely better than wood and still budget friendly. Where did all the chips and dust go? I didn't notice too much. Bill
Thank you Bill! With the end grain of that cookie, it ended up being super fine dust. Trust me, it is there. ha ha. I did vacuum it up between shots. Take care and have a blessed day! - Ed
Looks fantastic. Just emailed TNuts to see what the whole package costs and to make sure I order all the right stuff. What EXACTLY are the additional screws and nylon washers that you added? Again want to be sure I do this right. Super idea. Curious as to what you come up with for dust collection. The Woodpecker version looks like it does a good job at that. After I get mine built will see what I can come up with also. Thanks
Thank you! I've added the rest of the parts to the description and added a missing extrusion part that someone caught. Please let me know how your's turns out and if you make any improvements. - Ed
You need a wheel on top and bottom Or get a linear bearing to run the sled on
Nice build. I was just thinking that maybe a plexiglass base for the router, instead of wood might make it nice in order to see the work
Thank you! That is a great idea and I will be making that change. - Ed
@@WolfRidgeWoodworkingI was thinking that having a triangular bracket for both sides of your carriage (two wheels on top to support the carriage and one on the bottom to control lift) may be an option.
Está herramienta la vendes lista amigo?
Nice
Thank you! - Ed
Aluminum extrusion looks like crack. You can make so many things and uses out of the stuff and it can be connected in so many ways. I was actually looking into that about a year ago to make an XY track for my crossline laser level but didn't know about the kinds of connectors to buy. There are not many videos at all on the internet showing you how to build with alum-extrus so this was really good to find. How tight are the motion tolerances? For example if I had a crossline laser level and hooked it up to a carriage and then connected the carriage to the track, if I marked where the laser was hitting the floor at 2 different points, then I shifted the laser level and carriage down the track exactly 16 inches then marked again where the laser was intersecting the floor at 2 different points, would the laser lines locations be virtually perfect parallel or is there a little bit of deviation when you slide it along the track?
The extruded aluminum is pretty rigid. I would not call it precision, but think as long as the lengths are on the shorter side, it will work for what you are doing. - Ed
Sorry if you stated somewhere in video but are the tracks T-track or V-track?
I didn't mention it, but I should have. The tracks are t-tracks. - Ed
So how much did it end up costing to make?
Thank you for watching! The cost to build this was less than $400. $84 of that was for the shipping. It may be cheaper for you depending on where you live. You may also be able to find the parts somewhere else for less money. I found that tnutz.com (not sponsored) was the cheapest for me. - Ed
What is the approximate length and width of workpiece i can mill if i were to build this using your dimensions and part list? Have you had any issues with the router grabbing and jumping around? Thanks for the video. This is a really cool solution with off the shelf parts. And, without the possible deflection of linear rails.
Спасибо!
Thank you for watching! - Ed
Looking at your project I see 10 pieces of extruded aluminum but only 8 in your description. Any chance you have the measurements for the last two? I want to build the exact same as you. ( I have the same router so it should be perfect)
Right, I think he is missing a set of 1x2’s in the description. I keep rereading it to see if I’m missing something.
@@karenmitchell6814 I am wondering the same, it looks like he is missing the two longer 1x2's for the gantry. Not sure what length those need to be in order for the wheels to ride in the main large rails perfectly. I'm guessing they are 30" each since they are 1" wide
@@karenmitchell6814 what length? I want to order, and only want to do it once.. Thank.
@@evancohn7829 I don’t know what’s missing. I only know Ed is one length short in his description.
So the 34” lengths are either the sides of the router tray or the sides of the main base. That would mean that the two missing parts are either two inches longer (if the missing is the main base) or shorter then 34 (if the missing ones are the router tray) I’d say for a few cents order the 2 inches longer and cut it if needed like he did. I’ll be ordering this tomorrow I think since it’s all stuff “on sale”.
how much did it cost to build?
Thank you for watching! The cost to build this was less than $400. $84 of that was for the shipping. It may be cheaper for you depending on where you live. You may also be able to find the parts somewhere else for less money. I found that tnutz.com (not sponsored) was the cheapest for me. - Ed
These and them and those… wtf is he talking about?? 🤣 Pathetic