Where do I get some taper sleds? Could I build my own by attaching some purchased laminations to the bottom of a board and running it through my drum sander or is there a better way.
Also, how do you keep the lamination from sliding on your sled?
Please ignore. Sorry for duplicate. Can't hit the back button in my phone when I use it to post.
Just do it like that. If you start out with perfect tapers your sled will be perfect. Run through the saw first. Then through the drum sander.
I simply glue a stop on the end of the sled. Make it about 1/8th high.
That's how I do it. I have an oak board, 3 x 1/2 x 36 which I ran through the drum sander to get it perfectly flat. Then Kenny M made me an assortment of tapered lams. I lay one of the tapered lams on the oak board then lay a 1/4" board which I want to taper on top of that. I make 2 or 3 passes then raise the belt up one turn of the adjustment handle and keep going till I have the board tapered to what I want. I scribe a squiggly line down the center of the board before I start, that way I can see where the taper ends. As I start the lam into the sander, I hold it tight on the feed end, then when there is enough sticking out the output end, I grab that end and hold it tight.
I made one the way everyone else said. But I believe Big Jim sells them. And Kirk at Bigfoots Bows did last time I looked.
You can keep your lams from sliding around by gluing 100 grit sand paper to your sled with contact cement. I have some on my sleds that are at least 10years old and they are just getting to the point where they need to be replaced.
This is one I made. It has a .003 taper that at a certain point goes into a .004 opposite taper, so I make a integrated tip wedge. This is achieved by butting the thin ends of preground tapers together. The tapers are contact cemented on a accurate planed Jatoba board.
(http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b506/timian46/image_zpsivikcgbh.jpeg) (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/timian46/media/image_zpsivikcgbh.jpeg.html)
Thin end of tapers butted together, a strip of 120 grit sandpaper is glued on top. To apply the contact cement I use a small short haired roller to make an even spread.
(http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b506/timian46/image_zpso7zsewvt.jpeg) (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/timian46/media/image_zpso7zsewvt.jpeg.html)
Kirk at bigfoot bows sells some.
Buemaker... I like how you are thinking... I am working on getting away from wedges for performance myself...
I have a Howatt static tip with that type of grind. Not sure my grinder will do the job. Bue has the king of lam grinders. :)