Bandsaw sled for cutting pen blanks

[DonHo]

I want to give credit to sah6139 for the basic idea behind this jig. After reading his post about his tablesaw sled I adapted his idea to use with a bandsaw. The jig uses the pen tube to measure the cut on the blank and is adjusted so it cuts the blank 1/16" longer than the tube.

Thanks for looking
DonHo

 

[Buzz]

Great looking sled Don. I was impressed with the design in the original post too. You've adapted it well for the bandsaw.

 

[markgum]

AWESOME. I need to build me one of these.

 

[wm460]

Excellent I will have to make on to, thanks for posting the pic's.
Cheers,
Bob.

 

[1JaredSchmidt]

Could you put the dimensions of the sled on here please?[?][?] Thanks in advance!!!

 

[DonHo]

" Could you put the dimensions of the sled on here please?"

Most of the measurements are not critical. My sled happens to be 13 1/2" long but that's mostly because I had a piece of scrap 3/4" ply that long. The width isn't real critical either, I just wanted a solid base with the fence wide enough that the blade could cut into it a little way and still be solid. My base is 4" wide and the fence is 2" wide. Both are made of 3/4" ply. The first critical concern is getting the runner aligned so that the fence is square to the blade. After you've made a cut thru the front base of the sled and a slight cut into the fence, decide how long of a blank you want to be able to cut and place the fixed block on the base so that it will give you room to cut that length. Since I used 3/4" material for the block on the adjustable fence(for lack of better word) I measured from the outside of the fixed block to the inside of the kerf, added 3/4" for the width of the block on the adj. fence then subtracted 1/16" so that the blank would be 1/16" longer than the tube. I then glued a block even with the other end of the adj. fence. It's really a lot more simple than my directions sound.

Good luck,
DonHo

 

[1JaredSchmidt]

I made one and works perfectly. Thanks Don!

 

[shadrach1944]

I really like this and will certainly make one of these. Thanks for sharing!

Raymond @ Big Woods in Morehead, KY

 

[Ron in Illinois]

I do not have bandsaw. Where can I find the post for the table saw sled?
Thanks
Ron

 

[bradh]

I do not have bandsaw. Where can I find the post for the table saw sled?
Thanks
Ron

I think this is the thread referred to by DonHo, that shows the table saw sled:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showpost.php?p=3039&postcount=1

 

[Jim in Oakville]

I have a sled I made 10 years ago and love it, yours is outstanding, either way, its safe and simple, and that is the most important part of using any machine. I consider the bandsaw the best way to cut a blank, all the cutting force is directly down into the platen, thin kerf and efficient use of space in the shop.

Again an excellent sled, well done!!

 

[BSea]

That is a great idea. I love how you use the tube to get just the right length on the blank. I know what I'm doing tomorrow morning.

 

[Gary Beasley]

I built one yesterday and made the stop bar with two different width blocks on the ends so I can swap ends to get different oversizing. One end gets me the 1/16 over for acrylics and hard dense wood, the other gets 1/8th over for soft or uneven blanks and to deal with known potential tearout problems from the end mill.