POWERTEC 71403 Table Saw Crosscut Sled, Woodworking Jig and Hardware Kit for Precise Cuts

This is ideal for a single side, variable angle TS sled. It is very comparable to Rockler's, but the Powertec has T-slots on the front and top of the fence, with room to add a measuring tape if desired. Assembly is easy and registering the 0 degree angle is too, with an easily read, micro-adjustable vernier. The instructions tell you to apply 3 non-stick strips underneath, but 4 came with it so I added it next to the blade cut edge. The hold-down and fence stop are Powertec's standard ones, and they work well. The angle markings are inlaid, so not likely to get marred. This is only for the left side of the blade, best used with a right-tilt blade with up to about 6" between the left miter slot and the blade.One complaint has been the soft plastic miter bar fine tuning inserts, which are a little flimsy but should work. I didn't even need them because the bar precisely fit my 3/4"x3/8" miter slot on my old Powermatic Artisan contractor saw. I had to very slightly file out the edges of the slot underneath the sled to fit the miter bar. No big deal. Another common complaint is the material of the sled base. 1/2" MDF, even melamine surfaced, is a little fragile compared to quality birch plywood. But it glides very smoothly, and if it matters you can add melamine edging. It will get nicked in use anyway, so this doesn't bother me. I see the 1/2" thickness as an asset since it is thinner than the more common 3/4" sleds, but still plenty stiff and lighter. One can easily add a equivalent panel for the right of the blade to hold the cut-off level. Finally, damaged items are sometimes noted. Mine arrived on time, very well boxed without any sign of damage. And I bought a "Like New" sample, for barely over $100.Altogether, I am extremely pleased, and hope more purchasers have the same experience. It will do anything any other sled can do (apart from one in which the blade is centered) and is a great value. I've found Powertec products generally to be of high quality and reasonably priced.

Just received. Outer box a little small and beat up. Inner box from mfg good. Upon opening the inner box I notice it is designed well. Removing all items look in great shape. I noticed 2 of the preinstalled expansion disc screws had worked there way lose and were floating around the box. Not a problem. All separate parts and Allen wrenches were in separate sealed bags. Nice. The product came with not 1 but 2 instruction sheets. 1 for the miter gauge and 1 for the fence. Normal clearly written English. Each prominently displaying there tech support phone number. Also nice. Haven't tested the support nor do I want to have too. Inspected all remaining parts , all very nice. No scratches or damage. Assembly was straight forward and easy. I did add a nylon washer between the miter handle support washer and surface of the gauge. I just thought it would protect the gauge area from scratching. Anal no. Take care of and improve the things I buy. Yes! The product has that feel and look of a good sound product. Very sturdy feeling. The blue anodized surface of the fence is very nice. How thick / deep the anodized surface is i have not tested yet. Not conducive to it working well. The miter gauge checked squared. They do provide instructions to square it if needed. I gave this product 5 stars (rare for me) because it deserves it in all ways except the outer shipping box. That has nothing to do with the bottom line here. Right? I will be using on my 5' long custom computer controlled precision router table. Let's see if this miter gauge can live up to what this table offers. I hope this honest review will cut thru the dishonest (many) reviews products get. I will update this review after I test it. I will adjust the stars if needed. Hope this helps.

Really nice sled and works well. Able to cut perfect miters. My only complaint is the tape for the angle scale was not glued properly and fell off. Easy fix, but should have been glued better from the manufacturer.

Great product but it just didn't work on my table saw

I bought this to replace the mediocre miter gauge that came with my new tablesaw. I am a learning woodpecker and have been frustrated with the accuracy of cuts from my old saw, and decided to fix the known issues. This device is solid. Adjusting it to the slot of my Dewalt saw was a breeze. I like that the parts locking a preset angle are all metal with no wiggle. The included fence is impressive, with multiple T-slots and the included flip stop. Only two "dings" to report. One part on the slot shaft fell off out of the box, and could have been lost if I wasn't careful. And the initial 90 degree was off by about a degree. It was easy to fix, though, with a good-quality square. I expect to see my cutting accuracy and ease of assembly go way up!

I got this to use with my Dewalt DWE7485, the compact table saw.Pros:- love the super-accurate gauge- love the sturdy feel of the fence, locking stop, and gauge- was able to adjust the slide tolerance very easilyCons:- the bottom of the plate is plastic, and the bottom of it is not flush with the metal slide strip- both the gauge is also not flush with the metal slide strip- as a result the gauge and plastic parts both separately hit the table when the slide strip is in the track, so they have to be "bumped up" to clear the front corner of the table. Frustrating.- the fence is so heavy / long that it is prone to tipping the gauge off the side of the compact table (not the fault of the fence, the table just may not be a good size for this particular tool).All in all I'll keep playing with it, but I'm disappointed the tool isn't fully bottom-flush right out of the box.I did try various washers in various places to try to make the bottom more flush, but it makes the overall slide unstable / tipsy. Not yet found a good solution.Maybe good for another table saw / tool with a sliding track.