6' sled advice

[fujimo]

i want to build a double taper sled 6' long.
what is the best way to do this?

i guess i need to start  with making a second taper sled- and then tape the two sleds ( butt end to butt end ) to the underside of the 6'  piece. Then grind the sled to suit.
However, if i make the 6' sled nice and stiff, it wont be able to flex  in the center to allow the deeper grind.
And I really need to make the sled stiff, considering the recent problems I had with sleds warping and flexing.

Or, should i just make 2 thin taper sleds- and glue them to the 6' sled permanently? ( thin end to thin end).

or is there a better, more obvious way that i am missing.

thanks!

[bamboo]

i would rather make them side by side on the same sled @ 36" then splice them--

when i bought from binghams--they offered 72"
lams --and they were nice --but i now cut and grind 95% of my own stuff and find that cutting 36"stock is easier and renders more usable [straighter] stock

--good luck with your project!

[kennym]

I do most of em like Mike said, but on bows with a radical dip at riser, full length is nice just of hoping they don't break.

I have a couple full length 2" wide sleds . I would tack a couple tapers on a board with butts to center and grind a sled on that. Kind of a sled for a sled.

[fujimo]

Yup, I need these lames to be full length.
Going to give it a bash today.

[BMorv]

What taper are you considering?  
I dreamed about making a full length sled for 0.006" taper, but I don't think the wood will like to be bent that much.

[fujimo]

.002

[Buemaker]

I have one that is 2 meters long that I use for tri lam wood longbows. I jointed and planed a dry hardwood board to exact measurements, it should be thin enough so the pressure rollers can press it onto the bed of the sander. I then took two already made .015 taper lams(or whatever taper you want) and sealed all parts with a thinned varnish so it do not draw moisture. Since my sled is longer than 72 inches I put a short piece of parallel lam the same thickness as the thin ends of the lams between the lams in the middle of the sled. Then used a short haired roller and with water based contact cement glued the lams to the board with thin ends in the middle. Then glued a strip of sandpaper to the lams and just use the sled like that. If you want a fast taper the parallel piece in the middle will even the center out somehow.

[fujimo]

Water based contact cement!!
That sounds awesome, never seen that before

[Buemaker]

Many brands of this stuff.
 http://www.dap.com/dap-products-ph/weldwood-nonflammable-contact-cement/

[fujimo]

thats awesome Bue.
i also build saddles commercially, and i have never come across that stuff.
that will be awesome for sizing and prepping damp leather for glue up.
currently its quite a process, where we have to size the piece first, then wet and form, then re glue and adhere.
this is going to be a huge help!!
many thanks      

[JamesV]

my sled is 42" long. I taper one end then switch ends and taper the other end. I NEVER join lambs in the middle. The only advantage to 36" lams I see is to save on shipping. I have no problem with splicing veneers.

James

[fujimo]

thanks james - thats a great idea

[kennym]

I've done the one end at a time on a shorter sled, but it takes twice as long......