A cutting sled is used for safe, accurate and repeatable cuts using a low-cost, portable table saw. The saw's cutting top is improved using metal angles that are c-clamped to the table's sides. The saw table itself is secured to an immobile workbench.
The cutting sled is constructed using half-size MDF. Such a large size is required to support the wood panels used for the cabinets. (The desk's table top is too large and was final cut using a different technique.)
The cutting sled has rails that fit into the table saw's miter slots and allow back-and-forth motion parallel to the blade. The saw blade is raised into the newly-built sled to cut the slot through which the blade slides. After this slot is cut, a right-angle fence was built into the sled. Double-stacked two-by-two wood strips on each side of the sled provide rigidity and handle grip. A top strip of wood directly over the cutting slot functions like a safety fence.
The cutting pieces are secured on the front, back and cut-side using wood blocks that squeeze the piece in place.
C-clams on each side of the metal angles and a two-by-two strip beneath the sled act as stops to limit sliding range. The clamps near the operator prevent the sled from being pulled back too far. Clamps on the opposite end of the metal angles along with a wood strip beneath the sled prevent the saw blade from reaching beyond the sled's fence. At no time during the cut is the table saw blade exposed to the operator.