This makes sense to me. I did check the distance between centers with one of the verticals when I was setting the sled up. However, I could see this being a combination of 2 and 3. I could see there being an opportunity for the bolts to have flexed. I didn’t want to torque down the center nylocks to the point where there would be no motion in the assembly because then it could make the linkages “stick”.
I’m glad to hear you found a new manufacturer for the parts. Were they able to do common line cutting to save on cut time?
Yes, I think that center piece would solve the issue of the bolts flexing asymmetrically. I can add the center link into the existing linkage assembly to see how much that will help with the linkage folding. I was actually more than a little tempted to machine my own center support. I have some 1/4" aluminum sheet that would have worked well enough for testing. If I still am having trouble because there’s enough slop in the holes, the new kit should show significant improvement, both in terms of the folding and in terms of the distortion I was seeing.
This is part of development. Personally, I still like the top mount as a design. It has a smaller footprint on the sled than the 45 degree one, which means larger routers fit better. However, if the 45 degree still outperforms it, than I think that it stands to reason that it makes a better contender for the stock setup. A larger version, which uses 8" instead of 4" could allow people to use it with larger routers.
The linkage fold was exactly the sort of thing I was worried about when I said:
back in the Can we switch to a linkage arrangement with the next shipment of maslows? - #14 by MeticulousMaynard thread. It’s not to say that the top mount won’t be a good option. I’m really curious to see what the results are from the improved version.