7th grade project

Still just using bricks on my end :grin:

I have seen those round weights on other people’s designs and they seem to work well

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ok got it. i just saw it in the video update about the ring kit so i assumed it was yours.

Hi, this is my project and I am waiting for the ring kit. If I build the permanent sled will I be able to use the Maslow before the ring kit? Is plywood the best material for the sled? What is the range of the diameter of the sled?

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just found this aluminum disk. would this work? probably too thin but could be mounted to plywood.

I just put in the link, sometimes it grabs a picture of the thing at the link, sometimes it doesn’t

the goal was to avoid needing the plywood

there hasn’t been a lot of experimentation with sled size

it needs to be large enough to hold the router, weights and chain attachments
(mounts/linkages/rings, whatever)

it needs to be large enough to span any cuts that you make without falling in

it needs to not have too much friction (i.e. not too large)

it needs to not have too much pressure (i.e. not too small)

the slipperyer it is the better, but it needs to be strong enough to not get
gouged when it hits something.

it needs to be something you can mount stuff too.

A lot of us are thinking that UHMW plastic would make a good sled, but there
hasn’t been a lot of experimention. With anything but the top mount or ring
mount kits, there is a lot of force that gets transferred through the sled, so
that is a problem.

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To add to @dlang’s response, the typical sled is 18" in diameter. Plywood works pretty well for the structural part of the sled, but it can create a lot of friction. I upgraded my most recent sled to have a HDPE plastic skid pad and it has helped immensely. With a good 1/4" round-over, the sled will even slip right over bumps where it would have caught before. It will even slide over my fence better, so I can now use the bottom 10" of my bed. :smiley:

You should be able to retrofit a round sled with the ring kit. See this discussion for more details and a template for mounting the ring kit. Personally, I would just make a new sled with the holes predrilled from your dialed in Maslow. The plywood is cheap enough and it makes assembly just soo much easier. :wink:

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Looking good! Has our hardware arrived yet?

looks good 123456789

yes, thanks!
got it i think a few days ago.

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@lilimade

Would you mind if at some point we used your pictures here in a news letter?

Thank you

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not at all. it’s been so amazing to see this group in action.

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I don’t have my Maslow yet and my son is only 3.5 years old, but I just wanted you to know that watching your boy do this, at his age, is very touching and gives me hope for the future. The payoff when he sets this up and blows everybody’s minds is going to be very cool and a memory that will last both of your lifetimes. Oops, was that a judgement? :sunglasses:

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@onifli called our local plastics shop and they recommended VHMW which might be cheaper but was still $28/sf for 3/4". although they did say they could cut a circle for him.

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You don’t necessarily need to make the entire sled from plastic. If you’re looking for cost savings, you could get a 1/4" skin that you attach to the bottom of a plywood sled. I was originally thinking of making the entire sled from HDPE as well, but quickly found it to be cost-prohibitive.

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There are also UHMW tapes that could be applied.

I bought some to use for chain guides, but ended up decided that the chain guides weren’t necessary in my setup.

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This is a great suggestion! That would be even cheaper than a 1/4" sheet of HDPE. I’d go for a wider tape than that for the bottom of the sled to help speed up the process. I think I saw some 1" wide stuff in the related items section. I tried using 1/2" tape on my 3D printer bed at one point and man that was tedious. And that bed is only 7" x 7" :wink:

The only reason I’d go for the plastic sheet over the tape is that you can round-over the edges of the plastic skin so they ride smooth. But it is more spendy, so it’s a trade-off.

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thanks. i’ll let @Onifli look into and decide how he wants to go. i think the plywood with 1/4” skin seems to make sense.

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