Show Your Weights!

I thought it would be fun to have a thread dedicated to showing off your sled!
I don’t know what it is, but I’m intrigued with the efforts (or even care free lack of effort) that make the sled what it becomes. Different weights, different mechanics, materials. They are all WORKS OF ART in my opinion!
I also feel that it could open up discussion for “whys” or create unspoken answers for others.
I will kick off the thread with my “nothing special but beloved by me, about to be refurbed, first sled”:

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Here’s mine attached to the Maslow cut delrin vacuum mounts:
Google Photos

Lead ingots covered in painter’s tape. The vacuum port has since been angled slightly away from the sled so that it is not likely to catch on anything on the work surface
Google Photos

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I want to replace the weights with something more compact and maybe a bit less weight. Other than that I rrally like the meticulous z setup

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I go with color. My weights are lead dive weights. I replaced the original bricks to get more space to the bottom and a little bit cleaner setup. Currently rebuilding the z-axis setup, so please excuse the incomplete sled picture.
IMG_4655

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Do I see extra rigidity with braces on ring supports?

Yeah, adding the met z required adjusting the ring further away from the work surface which created some movement in the ring. The supports made it very solid. One less variable!

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Um… Wow. What components are hosed in the acrylic “weight” boxes. My sled is not much to look at compared to yours but she gets the job done.

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Really like the ‘windows’ in the sled - nice design!. May have to go this route when I make mine. We bought the kit, now I have to get the router & wood.

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They include all the electronics that run maslow and more. box on the right includes arduino, tle shield , relays for auto on / off , fans for cooling .Box on the left includes 1 power supply for arduino, fans for cooling and 1- 12 volt power supply that runs to the center box were a 12 channel fusebox distributes power for lights , and such as well as the dust shoot that comes in the top and has a division that separates fuse box and dust shoot.

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They help to see how you are cutting after a long program has been running.

Got tired of not knowing the condition of my tooling while a long program is running when the sled covers most of the workpiece.

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Welcome @JMorton3 !
I really like the windows that @Mike_Thomas has too. In fact I hadn’t thought about it until now how timely this is… That I started this post right before I re-do my sled!
I may be able to implement some great improvements that others have done (if able and even understand about)! :bow_and_arrow:

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I’m paranoid the open areas will catch on the project wood or surrounding wood at some point during the cut and throw it off.

:grin:

Edit: Update


The magical moment art challenges chemistry, turning rust into patina :slight_smile:
Turns out the this was a spring from a truck. Not recommended. Hard as hell.

Edit2: Update

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Is that a Bosch?

Yes, the GOF2000CE was used on sled 1-3. Sled 4 has a spindle now, so the Bosch will go under a router-table.

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the windows work as long as you have enough material that you don’t fall into
areas you have already cut. If you are cutting lines, it’s not going to be a
problem, if you start cutting large pockets, keep this in mind.

David Lang

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I have a 45 degree bevel on the bottom of every cutout as well. I’ve noticed that the windows help with the drag /friction against the sled and workpiece and sometimes you can see a problem before it happens.

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Yes, it would appear that your sled has the same span as most anyone else. Less drag also prevents clear parts getting scratches unto fogginess. This is a perfect example of innovation.

I haven’t posted for quite awhile, but I’m intrigued by the different sleds. I built my sled about 6 months ago and have been happy with the performance with the exception of the vacuum pickup. The sled is quite large. It is 20" diameter to accommodate the 18" ring. The base of the sled has strips of UHMW tape to reduce the friction. I like the post of the delrin vacuum mounts. I will add something similar. The entire frame tilts to balance the sled so the weights are not so important.

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