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Issue Keeping Cross Cut Fence Square After 5 Cut Method

1216 Views 25 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  DrRobert
Good Morning,

Newbie here to both this group and to woodworking. :)

Does anyone have any tips on keeping the fence square on a cross cut sled while putting in the remaining screws once you've confirmed it square using the 5 cut method?

I built my first cross cut sled and squared the fence using the 5 cut method. I'll get it to .001 or even a few times at .000 and as soon as I install a few more screws to secure the fence to the bottom, I lose my accuracy. I do predrill the holes.

Needless to say, I'm extremely frustrated...though my husband's ecstatic that he hasn't had to split kindling for the woodstove lately. lol

I've watched countless videos on woodworkers building a cross cut sled and using the 5 cut method and at the end, when they've finished squaring, they just flip the sled over and finish screwing it down. I'm curious if they do a retest after to confirm it's still accurate like I do...and if so...what's their secret?

Thanks

Pam
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Remove the fence and scrape off all the splinters around the screw holes on the bottom.
Your fence is not seating flat on the sled. Loosen all but one screw on the end and then square it.
Your other end screw hole needs to be slightly larger to allow for adjustment.
Once you have it 90 degrees to the blade, snug it down with a flat washer under the screw head.
You should pre drill all the through holes and only 1/8" in the sled to avoid expanding the wood.

Use a digital angle gauge to square the fence starting out:
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The thread title is:
Issue Keeping Cross Cut Fence Square After 5 Cut Method
The post above explains how to keep the fence in place once you squared it to the blade and what may be causing it to shift as it's screwed down to the base of the sled. The first pass makes a kerf in the base and that is the reference to which the fence must be squared to.
By placing the square next to the blade OR exactly on the kerf, the fence can be adjusted:
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The sled's fence must be square to the blade, nothing else. The table saw fence just adds another variable.
You'll need a "known" square that's square. You'll need a straight flat board for the fence and then follow this video:
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See post 11 just above, after I added the video, and edited it.
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Is that an iGaging digital square?
I like the use of the digital square. That looks like an iGaging protractor. I'm on their website checking them out.
It's an older Wixey probably made by IGaging?
I tried to find out why it wouldn't stay on and called TS but they said to bend the battery connectors up a little which worked.
I discovered the battery issue by pressing down hard on the battery cover and it then fired up.
Because I didn't want to be without one, I ordered an 7" I Gaging from Amazon:
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