Using a sled, with sides higher than thickness of wood, to eliminate sawdust issues

[TurtleCove]

It seems like most of the sawdust issues are caused by the sawdust building up, which may cause problems with the friction rollers as they move the wood.

If I use a sled, and have the sides of the sled (or rails) 1" tall, and my wood being carved is only 3/4" thick....then the friction rollers will roll along those rails, and the sawdust will stay down on my wood. Shouldn't that eliminate a lot of the problems sawdust buildup can cause?

My rails are only 1/4" wide...so sawdust really isn't building up on them.

U can see my sled here:
http://forum.carvewright.com/showthread.php?t=13578

[Frederick_P]

Sawdust get EVERYWHERE. It is also one of the main causes of problems with the machine. Add a dust collector. There are a couple for sale here and also some free plans if you would like to build one yourself. Do it now and you will be happy that you did.

[RMarkey]

I strongly suggest against that. We index the bit to the surface of the board. After that, most movements of the bit are only 1/8" above the surface during carving. This will hit your rails and cause skipping or damage.

[TurtleCove]

Understood. Thank you.