Wedgie VS Lloyd's sled

[mcjayjay]

A little background
Our shop has 900 members
1/3 are turners
1/3 of those do segmented bowls
I taught most all of them how to 'make' segmented bowls using Woodturner Pro & 3D Design Pro
We are 9500 sf and have 12 lathes, 5 tables saws, and most every woodworking tool one can imagine
All are Senior citizens

I started using chop saw
Then went to Incra
Then in-house made single fence sleds
Then wedgie style sled using pre-made Wedgies
All methods yield decent but not perfect results

I took what I learned and built a new generation of sleds that are 100% dead nuts on 100% of the time.

I built 2 Segment sleds that are identical but tweaked for and paired with each table saw, we all know that the table saw top guide slots aren’t ever the same.
The angle guides are universal and are interchangeable between the sleds.
The table saw insert was made to be zero clearance with the sled bed to minimize segment cleanup.
The table saw insert is also angled using low friction material to allow the segments to fall away from the blade. (I've been able to safely accumulate more than 60 segments before clearing).
The angle guides were produced on a CNC and are the key to accuracy.
To swap angles just unscrew the knobs pop off the guide and pop on another.
The sleds are equipped with blade guards.
The guides have finger slots to help hold material while cutting and positioned to minimize blade hazards as well as having a blade guard.
The sled has a limit stop so it can’t be pulled or pushed too far in either direction.
The measurement length limit device is simply a block with 2 very strong rare earth magnets and rests against the saw rip fence.

 

[mfisher]

A little background
Our shop has 900 members
1/3 are turners
1/3 of those do segmented bowls
I taught most all of them how to 'make' segmented bowls using Woodturner Pro & 3D Design Pro
We are 9500 sf and have 12 lathes, 5 tables saws, and most every woodworking tool one can imagine
All are Senior citizens

I started using chop saw
Then went to Incra
Then in-house made single fence sleds
Then wedgie style sled using pre-made Wedgies
All methods yield decent but not perfect results

I took what I learned and built a new generation of sleds that are 100% dead nuts on 100% of the time.

I built 2 Segment sleds that are identical but tweaked for and paired with each table saw, we all know that the table saw top guide slots aren’t ever the same.
The angle guides are universal and are interchangeable between the sleds.
The table saw insert was made to be zero clearance with the sled bed to minimize segment cleanup.
The table saw insert is also angled using low friction material to allow the segments to fall away from the blade. (I've been able to safely accumulate more than 60 segments before clearing).
The angle guides were produced on a CNC and are the key to accuracy.
To swap angles just unscrew the knobs pop off the guide and pop on another.
The sleds are equipped with blade guards.
The guides have finger slots to help hold material while cutting and positioned to minimize blade hazards as well as having a blade guard.
The sled has a limit stop so it can’t be pulled or pushed too far in either direction.
The measurement length limit device is simply a block with 2 very strong rare earth magnets and rests against the saw rip fence.

View attachment 4522
View attachment 4523
View attachment 4524

- Nice idea.
- I can see the strip being supported by the wedge at the top of the sled.
- I take it the strip is pushed up against the wedge at the bottom of the sled.
my concern is the stock not being supported as it is being pushed into the blade for the cut.

Would you have any photos of your hand position when cutting the stock when cutting from the bottom edge of the wedge. If so could you post one.

I am a member of the Sun City West Woodclub in Arizona. Great shop also.

 

[pete marken]

This is my setup for cutting extremely accurate segments, it works with indexing pins and is very repeatable. The ring shown is 72 segments right off the saw with no sanding.
www.petemarkenwoodturning.com/

 

[mcjayjay]

A little background
Our shop has 900 members
1/3 are turners
1/3 of those do segmented bowls
I taught most all of them how to 'make' segmented bowls using Woodturner Pro & 3D Design Pro
We are 9500 sf and have 12 lathes, 5 tables saws, and most every woodworking tool one can imagine
All are Senior citizens

I started using chop saw
Then went to Incra
Then in-house made single fence sleds
Then wedgie style sled using pre-made Wedgies
All methods yield decent but not perfect results

I took what I learned and built a new generation of sleds that are 100% dead nuts on 100% of the time.

I built 2 Segment sleds that are identical but tweaked for and paired with each table saw, we all know that the table saw top guide slots aren’t ever the same.
The angle guides are universal and are interchangeable between the sleds.
The table saw insert was made to be zero clearance with the sled bed to minimize segment cleanup.
The table saw insert is also angled using low friction material to allow the segments to fall away from the blade. (I've been able to safely accumulate more than 60 segments before clearing).
The angle guides were produced on a CNC and are the key to accuracy.
To swap angles just unscrew the knobs pop off the guide and pop on another.
The sleds are equipped with blade guards.
The guides have finger slots to help hold material while cutting and positioned to minimize blade hazards as well as having a blade guard.
The sled has a limit stop so it can’t be pulled or pushed too far in either direction.
The measurement length limit device is simply a block with 2 very strong rare earth magnets and rests against the saw rip fence.

View attachment 4522
View attachment 4523
View attachment 4524

- Nice idea.
- I can see the strip being supported by the wedge at the top of the sled.
- I take it the strip is pushed up against the wedge at the bottom of the sled.
my concern is the stock not being supported as it is being pushed into the blade for the cut.

Would you have any photos of your hand position when cutting the stock when cutting from the bottom edge of the wedge. If so could you post one.

I am a member of the Sun City West Woodclub in Arizona. Great shop also.

Please see attached pics.

Before putting any jig or sled into service it gets reviewed by our Shop Administrator, Maintenance Administrator & Safety Administrator. It's now been used to successfully produce several hundred bowls.

 

[mcjayjay]

This is my setup for cutting extremely accurate segments, it works with indexing pins and is very repeatable. The ring shown is 72 segments right off the saw with no sanding.
www.petemarkenwoodturning.com/

Very nice sled. For a single person shop it would be a nice addition.

Our shop has a few unique issues that make the use of this type of sled less than desirable. We teach and build to the least common denominator of fool-proof.
1 - we have hundreds of members using the same equipment
2 - all are seniors, some have vision & memory issues
3 - many have little or no respect for tools and equipment and therefore "less than delicate" with equipment & its use
4 - most all, over 98% have ZERO woodworking experience before entering our training program

 

[pete marken]

Hope you have very good liability insurance.