During a recent project, I needed to cut the ends of some small workpieces. I built a small crosscut sled, however I didn’t have a safe way to hold the workpieces down as I made the cuts. That’s when I came up with the idea that you see here.
Simple Machine. My solution involves taking advantage of a lever to apply pressure to my workpiece as I make a cut. The lever is made from plywood and pivots on a screw that attaches it to my sled back.
The foot of the lever is rounded and has adhesive-backed sandpaper attached to give a little bit of extra grip on the surface of the workpiece.
To make a cut, I just slide my workpiece in place. Pulling up on the lever causes the rounded foot to push down on the workpiece. Then, I can hold it in place as I push the sled and make the cut. I like the fact that I can quickly and easily swap out parts without having to fiddle with a threaded knob type of hold-down.
An adjustable stop block is easy to position for making repeatable cuts.
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