Shop jigs and fixtures provide solutions to a wide range of challenges woodworkers face. They deliver safety, ease of execution and accurate results.
Some of these challenges include making difficult cuts and repeating a process. Fortunately, jig building is often the easiest and most cost-effective way to solve these problems.
Dovetail Jigs
Dovetail jigs are an excellent way to create dovetail joints, which are a popular woodworking joint that’s often used for furniture and cabinets. They can be challenging to make without a jig, but using one can reduce the amount of time you spend on a project and help you create a more accurate and attractive finished product.
Jigs typically use a fixed template to cut a pattern of pins and tails that are evenly spaced. Some optional templates allow you to expand the range of joints that can be cut with a jig, including patterns that have larger tails, irregular spacing between the pins and tails or box joint styles.
Choosing the right jig is essential for getting the best results, and some key specifications to look for include stock width capacity and stability. It’s also important to read the jig’s user manual.
Mortise Jigs
Mortise jigs are an essential tool for woodworkers. They make it easy to cut perfect mortise and tenon joints, which are a great way to add stability and strength to cabinets, furniture and doors.
Most mortise jigs use a router bit to cut the joint. This is a good way to cut these joints because it keeps the sides of the joint straight, which is an important feature in building a strong and stable joint.
The routing is done incrementally, rather than on one pass. This makes the cut more accurate because the bit is cutting through the whole thickness of the stock, not just one side.
This jig uses an auxiliary baseplate and adjustable guides to guide the router as it cuts the mortise. The guides sandwich the workpiece snugly, keeping your router in place and providing steady control.
Router Jigs
A router jig is a tool that helps you cut precise and repeatable cuts on workpieces. Jigs can range from simple flat templates used to make stencil patterns, to sophisticated 3-D-design jigs designed for specific jobs.
Router jigs allow you to accurately rout a wide range of shapes, including circles and right-angle mouldings. They also help you create box joints, shelf pins, right-angle grooves and patterned inlays with ease.
They can be constructed to fit your router base and are an excellent way to get perfect alignment with no guesswork involved. A small piece holder is a great addition for holding the short rail ends of narrow doors and other small parts.
A router with a surfacing bit can be difficult to flatten without the use of a simple flattening jig. These are typically made of wood for one off projects, or of aluminum for a more durable solution.
Planer Jigs
Planer jigs make accurate handwork easier. They are designed to fit the ends, edges, and faces of boards, and can also work with small, narrow, or oddly shaped pieces.
Some jigs are available to purchase and others can be made from materials found at home improvement stores or hardware stores. They ensure that cuts are straight, holes are plumb and parts are square–among other things.
This is especially true when you have to use rough lumber. It’s easier to get a good first flat surface with a jointer, but you’ll need the planer to make the second face and edge smooth and straight.
Plywood Jigs
Woodworking jigs are tools that help you layout, setup and align your projects. Whether you are a beginner or a professional they will make your woodworking easier, safer and more productive.
Jigs are available commercially or can be made from a variety of materials including MDF, hardwoods and particleboard. However, plywood is the most versatile material to use for jigs because it is dimensionally stable, comes in larger sheets and does not warp.
Plywood is also strong and can take a lot of abuse. This is especially important for a jig that may be used in a busy shop and exposed to glues, finishes and other chemicals.
