Using crosscut sled to cut small case parts


What is the best and most safe way to square up case parts on a table saw?

What is the easiest way to make case parts square for parts that won't fit between the miter gauge and the blade on the table saw? As one solution, I'm considering building an infeed table. Is it safe to make an infeed table for the table saw? Am I missing another method or something very obvious?

While adding an infeed table to your saw seems plausible, I don't advise it for a couple of reasons. First, adding a table in front of the saw could block your access to the saw's front controls, particularly the Off switch. That would not only be inconvenient but also potentially dangerous when you need to shut things down quickly. Second, placing your body farther away from the front of the saw also compromises your ability to control workpieces against the rip fence when you switch from crosscutting to ripping tasks. You want to make sure you can always keep workpieces held tightly against the fence and guided carefully. Instead of an infeed table, I suggest you make a crosscut sled outfitted with runners that fit in the miter gauge slots. A sled will add more usable space in front of the blade for those wider crosscuts, plus you can use it for cutting small parts, mitering and even dadoing. It's a safe and proven accessory, and plans are widely available for building them.