One thing I struggle with given the small base plate hole is tracking whether I have any issues with the current cut since the opening around the bit is so small. I’m considering cutting a larger hole in the base plate to give me more visibility to the workpiece where the bit is currently cutting.
Does anyone see any issues with cutting out the area marked in red? @bar, in particular had you originally considered a wider opening and reduced it for engineering reasons?
I did originally have it larger but I had issues with parts that I cut which had broken free wedging themselves in there. I think that there is an optimal ratio between the width of the hole and the thickness of the sled so to make the hole larger and still have enough of a rounded edge that it wouldn’t catch on things the sled would need to be thicker 
What if it (this section of the sled) were replaced with something transparent?
That is an interesting idea. I though about making the entire sled transparent, but I couldn’t find a clear plastic that was stiff enough. Making just one part clear would be an option for sure.
I also have been thinking about adding a camera which shows the router bit, but I haven’t had a chance to actually try that yet
