Jigs for woodworking

This page list the different jigs that were built for the woodshop. You will find explanation on how to use them properly.

Making these jigs required a considerable amount of time and some money. They were built with extreme care and precision. Please respect that and take care of them.

Always ensure that the blade is perfectly vertical before using any of these jigs.

Crosscut sled

A sled is a movable contraption that slides in the table saw's gauge slots. The workpiece then rests against a wooden fence at the front of the sled, a setup that keeps the work from slipping and ensures a clean, perfectly square cut every time.

Basic crosscuts and safety

With the saw off, set the blade height to cut no higher than 1/8 in. above the wood. Pull the sled back, lay your workpiece against the fence and line up the blade with your cutting mark. Turn the saw on, hold the wood against the fence and slowly push the workpiece through the saw. After the cut is completed, slightly separate the two halves from the blade and shut off the saw. Let the blade coast to a complete stop before you remove the wood.

Ensure that the blade is at 90° with the table before using the sled.

Angle cuts

To perform any angle cut from 89° to 45°, you need to move the sled to the left side of the blade. It is recommended to use a sacrificial fence to avoid tear out.

Repetitive cuts

Woodworking projects often requires multiple identical pieces, measuring and cutting each parts separately will be inaccurate.

Instead use a stop block (fixed to the fence with a clamp), or use the dedicated stop mechanism (under construction). Push each board against the block, make a pass through the wood, then set it aside and grab the next piece of stock.

For some longer parts, you may use the table saw fence as a reference. Always use a piece of wood between that part that you cut and the fence. Set your part against the piece of wood on the fence, secure your part firmly, remove the small piece of wood and do the cut. Never perform a cut using a non-moving stop block, as you risk squeezing the piece and have it launched into your face.

Thin Strip jig

The thin strip jig allow you to cut repetitive thin strips of wood, without having the reposition the fence ever time, or without the risk of cutting small pieces between the blade and the fence (and having trouble holding the cut piece.

It is mandatory to perfectly square the blade and switch to the zero-clearance insert before using this jig.

Spline jig

Splines are thin pieces of wood that are inserted into a cut that is perpendicular to a miter joint in order to add additional support. Whether you’re making jewelry boxes, picture frames, or basically anything with miter joints, you can reinforce those corners with splines.

This jig sits on top of a sled and has a large cradle with an adjustable fence. The fence can easily move side to side to give you a square clamping surface while you cut.

Tapering jig

Currently under construction

Fingers box joint jig

Box joints, also called finger joints, are a neat joinery technique that adds a lot of character to your project. A typical glued 45-degree miter joint lacks in strength because it’s end-grain to end-grain. With that in mind, a benefit of using box joints is the stability and rigidness that it offers since it’s essentially a combination of glued face-grain to face-grain and edge-grain to end-grain surfaces.

With this jig, all you need is an indexing key that is the same width as your blade. A large variety of templates can be created. The current one is 6*6mm.