Pro tip: I finally gave in and used a router sled on a big slab

For years I thought a router sled was just for people who didn't have a real planer. I had this huge, 8-foot walnut slab for a bar top that was just too twisted for my 13-inch lunchbox planer. A buddy in Charlotte kept telling me to build a sled, so last month I finally did, using some cheap MDF and aluminum extrusion. The result was crazy flat, way better than I expected, and I saved so much material thickness compared to trying to fight it through the planer. The whole setup took about two hours to make and it felt like a game changer for one-off pieces. Now I'm looking at all my old, cupped stock differently. Has anyone built a permanent sled into their workbench, or is it better to keep it as a separate jig you break down?

3 comments

3 Comments

sandragonzalez1mo ago

Ha, welcome to the club! Took you long enough to see the light.

casey_lane731mo ago

Respectfully gotta disagree with you there @sandragonzalez, I think the whole "club" mindset is kinda overrated and makes people feel bad for not knowing stuff sooner lol.

sandragonzalez1mo ago

So what finally made it click for you? I had to just pick one and stop overthinking it.