Made a $20 Router Sled Jig from MDF - wanted to share here!

Nice job. Well done video.

Great video you made!

I take it you like Ryobi? :wink2: I have the same table saw.

DANGER DANGER! Those Ryobi table saws like to eat fingers as I found out the hard way..and they're not really setup for the use of jigs very well. Hopefully you'll get a much better saw someday and remain fingerful.. Nice video.

I have a Ryobi BT3000. It is decent for what I use it for. The drawback is it has no 3/4 inch miter slots to build sleds, aluminum top, etc. I got it cheap with about $200 worth of blades. In retrospect, I wish I had bought another brand.
I have had it for about five years and still have all my fingers. I just don't get close to the blade.

I made mine (which looks just like that one) for $0 using scraps I had collecting dust in my garage.

They're definitely quality tools for cheap - makes it easy to build up a collection!

looks like you got me beat on cost!

Pineknot_86 said:

I have a Ryobi BT3000. It is decent for what I use it for. The drawback is it has no 3/4 inch miter slots to build sleds, aluminum top, etc. I got it cheap with about $200 worth of blades. In retrospect, I wish I had bought another brand.
I have had it for about five years and still have all my fingers. I just don't get close to the blade.

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Agree - not having the right miter slots is just a pain in the ass (and seems just overall like a dick move on Ryobi's part...)

allpurpose said:

DANGER DANGER! Those Ryobi table saws like to eat fingers as I found out the hard way..and they're not really setup for the use of jigs very well. Hopefully you'll get a much better saw someday and remain fingerful.. Nice video.

Click to expand...

I think with a guard, splitter, anti kickback jig, and a push stick I am being as safe as one can be with a table saw. Definitely agree on the jig part - just dumb design (and disrespectful in my opinion to the maker looking to be safe)

Not only are the miter slots an absolute joke, but the fence ain't nothing to write home to mother about either.. I had the same model saw and the only good I can say about it is it'll cut things, but so will a claw hammer for that matter..keep checking craigslist for a decent used craftsman or comparable saw..
I could buy good used saws here all day for under $200.
Someone in Charleston SC has a TS3650 up for $250.. tempting, but it'd need some cleaning up. Top's rusted and the fence seems to be missing..not to mention the drive from Columbia..

Cool channel, sub'ed

allpurpose, not in the budget even for a used TS. Wife was "forced" into retirement last summer and our income has been cut drastically. Buying a few things for making pens so that doesn't hurt the budget but the outlay of a few hundred $$$ isn't in the future.

Went to the eye doctor yesterday and told that a new cataract procedure would cost $3400, out of pocket. Told him $34 would be more realistic. Will go for the regular surgery later when needed.

If I was starting again with buying tools like my router, I would skip all the consumer options from Home Depot and I would have gone straight to one of the cheap CNC spindles which are VFD controlled off eBay.

You can find some of the 1.5kw (or smaller) options for a similar price to basic consumer router but the difference in performance is very noticeable. They deliver more power and torque through their rpm range, they have brushless motors which are far quieter and, importantly for this topic, they have mounts available which make them far easier to attach to a set of linear rails.

CNC router mounts generally have screw holes at the back instead of at the bottom like on fixed base consumer routers. It makes them easier to use and more versatile when mounted vertically.