Woodworking Jigs

Woodworking Jigs - Necessary Tools For Any Wood Shop

2013-07-10T10:01:00.003-07:00

English: Diagram of a Dovetail Joint (wood). Created by --Etune End-grain is shown in darker colors. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Those who are not familiar with what woodworking jigs are, allow me to clarify. Jigs are templates capable of guiding tools to create a certain shape time after time. They can either hold a piece of machine work and guide the tool operating on it, they can be a shop made tool, which eliminates the necessity of measuring individual pieces or a shop made jig used to form a laminated curve. In other words, jigs are tools that simplify woodworking operations.

Imagine if you will, drawing a shape on a piece of paper such as a circle freehand vs drawing the same shape by tracing a pattern. Which process will achieve a better result? Of course, tracing a pattern. This same principal is used when incorporating jigs into the woodworking process.

Shop jigs are great for repetitive tasks with any wood working project. They make production of complex projects easier to manage. Woodwork jigs are available commercially or you can build your own. Although many woodworking jigs are inexpensive, making your own from scrap wood is even cheaper. Depending on the type of projects you like to do, you will need a variety of different jigs.

A jig can be as simple as a straight edge, which guides a circular saw or router for making straight cuts with ease. Or a jig can be more complicated such as a Leigh dovetail jig. Each time I use the Leigh dovetail jig, I have the instruction manual nearby for technical support.

Some woodworking jigs you simply can not buy, you'll have to make them in your wood shop. However, you'll be surprised at how simple many of these jigs are to build yourself.

Types of Woodworking Jigs

Dovetail jigs are great for making dovetail joints accurately and fast. There are a few types that are relatively inexpensive, the Woodstock D2796 12" dovetail jig for example.

However, the Leigh dovetail jig is not. I suppose that you could make your own dovetail jig but I wouldn't suggest doing so, because in my experience the accuracy and durability provided by the factory made jig can not be matched in the woodworking shop.

There are plenty of other shop made jigs you can build to increase production and accuracy. "You can never have enough of them", as the saying goes.

"Jigs & Fixtures" is a good read if you're looking for a comprehensive guide that covers shop built woodworking jigs .

Circle cutting jigs are easy to make for use with a band saw. Another simple jig, which I use quite often, is a box joint or finger joint jig. This jig is used with a router and a spiral cutting router bit. I make this jig on the table saw using dado blades. It’s very simple, I’ll talk about how to make that jig is another post.

Consider the cut off sled, this is a jig used on a table saw to accurately cross cut wood pieces at a 90 degree angle or in other words to square an end. Used with a stop block, one can cut several cabinet sides (for example) to the exact same length without having to measure each individual piece. A simple stop block can also be used in conjunction with the power miter box (A.K.A.), the chop saw to cut numerous pieces of stock (example), cabinet stiles and rails.

A favorite of mine is the Kreg pocket hole jig, which is used to assemble face frames on cabinets.

A dowel jig is used for drilling accurate dowel holes. That is to say, the holes are perpendicular (right angle) to the wood's surface. Personally, I don't use dowels much. The mortise and tenon, dovetail joint, biscuit cutter or pocket holes are my preferred methods of fastening and alignment of wood parts.

Use a box joint jig to make beautiful boxes

Making Woodworking Jigs Yourself

There are benefits to making your own woodworking jigs. The number one benefit is increased accuracy and speed of building projects. When used properly, the task of marking exact measurements for each individual piece is eliminated. Building jigs also makes good use of scrap material. There are hundreds of jigs one can make and implement into their woodworking projects.

You can find instructions for making your own jigs in woodworking books or magazines. Instructions are also available on the Internet. You can print these instructions out for future reference. Consider getting a binder to keep your jig making instructions organized in your workshop. The ability to build and use jigs in the shop separates the novice from the highly skilled woodworker.

Learn more about shop jigs that benefit the woodworker

How to Use Kreg Pocket Hole Jig

2012-05-18T15:22:00.007-07:00

Pocket-hole joinery being used in a simple butt joint. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)The primary design of the pocket hole jig is to place a pocket hole so that when the screw is driven, it emerges at or near the center of the material thickness being fastened together, drawing the two pieces tight and their surface flush. This woodworking jig makes stile and rail joinery fast and easy, eliminating the need to use mortise and tenon joints. Please review the following information to become familiar with this jig, I think you'll see the benefit of using a pocket hole jig.

I have used a kreg pocket hole jig for the last 5 years, it is used to join stiles to rails on cabinet face frames, wainscot raised panel frames and more. The one I use is an older model of the Kreg R3 jr. pocket hole jig, which comes with a clamp pad adapter, stepped drill bit, #6 driver bit, depth collar, allen wrench, starter screw set, and durable carrying case. This jig is simple to use but there are 3 guidelines that one needs to follow to get the most out of this pocket screw jig.

Jig set-up position relating to material thickness
Drilling depth and control
Screw length and thread pitch

There are three standard material thicknesses used in woodworking today. The thickness of the material will determine how the kreg jig jr is set-up and it's recommended drilling depth.

3/4" material used in cabinetry
1/2" material used in drawer and box construction
1-1/2" material used in frame construction (i.e. decks, patio furniture)

For each jig position you must select the correct screw length. Use a fine threaded screw for use in hardwoods and a coarse threaded screw for use in softwoods such as pine, plywood, particle board and MDF.

3/4" material- use 1-1/4" screws
1/2" material- use 1" screws
1-1/2 material- use 2-1/2" screws

I use this jig with 3/4" material 99.9% of the time, so the depth collar is set to 3-1/2" from the step of the drill bit (the step is where the drill bit steps down in size at the pilot). The depth collar is set at 3-5/16” for 1/2” material and 4-1/4” for 1-1/2” material.

Drilling the holes

First, clamp the jig to the workpiece using the face clamp placing the stop against the end grain of the square end in order to drill holes running with the grain of the wood piece.

Second, use a clamp to secure the material with the jig attached to your workbench. Insert the tip of the drill bit about half way down into the drill guide. Start the drill to full speed and plunge the drill into the guide until the depth collar contacts the rim of the drill guide. Back the drill out and let the bit stop turning. Never attempt to hold the jig in your hand when drilling!

Assembly/ Driving the pocket hole screws

Remove the face clamp from the guide body. Position the adjoining piece (I use a bit of carpenter's wood glue in the joint) and place the large pad of the clamp on the face side of the joint. Be sure the clamp pad is equally balanced over each workpiece at the joint line. Adjust the closure pressure until the two parts are firmly secured. the face clamp will keep the face surface of the two pieces flush with each other during assembly. I recommend using a cordless impact drill, because it has an adjustable clutch. Drive the screws (two holes) home drawing the joint tight. That's it you're done, now sand the joint to finish.

That is how to use a Kreg pocket hole jig, it is a two step process and creates a tight, long lasting joint. There are also wood plugs you can use to fill the pocket screw holes, if you choose to do so. The kreg jig jr will cost about $40, but even if you just make a few cabinet face frames a year, this jig will pay for itself by saving you time in face frame assembly. Not to mention that the face frame will last a very long time. Don't forget to use a bit of glue during assembly.

The video below shows several ways one can use the Kreg r3 jr. pochet hole jig...

Router Jigs for Cutting Perfect Circles and Ovals

2012-03-09T14:16:00.004-08:00

There are literally hundreds of router jigs, from the simple straight edge guide to jigs for letter carving. Two of these jigs that you may or may not be familiar with is the circle cutting jig and the oval or ellipse cutting jig.

Circle Cutting Jig

A router circle cutting jig is a multipurpose device, it can be used with a router to make circles, round corners, even oval cuts. I'm

sure that there are many woodwork projects where router cut circles, arcs and ovals can be used but the best use, where I'm concerned is in cutting patterns that are themselves woodworking jigs.

Any router can make radius circle cuts but a small sized router, such as a little plastic laminate trim router is better suited for pattern making, because one can use the one-handed technique. One hand on the router and one hand the plastic jig arm to help stabilize it as you make shallow cuts.

After making a smoothly cut circle or oval pattern using the jig, one can rough cut the finish piece (1/4" or so from the finish cut line), then use a flush trim bit in a router to run along this pattern and produce a perfectly smooth, 90 degree (square) finish cut edge. Then, if you want a profile on the square edge, (ie. roman ogee), just use a roman ogee router bit that has a guide bushing to form the profile. What's more, you can use these patterns again and again.

Making patterns is an important part of my shop's operation, because the finish cut piece is only as accurate as the pattern used to create it and you only have to make an accurate pattern once.

Circle cutting jigs are not a new concept, they're available commercially and are simple enough to make. I found a good circle cutting jig for $69.99. This jig is made by Rockler and can also be used to cut and ellipse. It comes pre-drilled for mounting to routers with 6" base footprints. There is a bit of modification required in order to mount to a laminate trimmer. The maximum difference between minor and major axes is 8"; maximum length for major axis is 52". This jig is simple yet very effective.

Oval cutting jigs

I can't leave without mentioning oval cutting jigs. These are pretty impressive router jigs. Have you ever tried to draw a perfect oval or ellipse on a piece of paper? If so, I'm sure that you can appreciate the performance of this type jig. The difficulty of laying out an ellipse, much less cutting one lies in the fact that there are two radius's involved (major and minor).

A regular router circle cutting jig is used in conjunction with two controlled sliding centers. The plastic arm is held on two moveable pivot points that slide in dovetail channels that run perpendicular to one another.

Routers and the jigs that accompany them have revolutionized woodworking, they have enabled novice and beginning woodworkers around the globe to achieve some impressive technical advances. The #1 resource that I have used for the past 25 years in learning how to use and build router jigs is titled "Router Jigs & Techniques" by Patrick Spielman. It's a step by step handbook with an array of ideas, products and trade secrets. Some might say that this book is out dated, I beg to differ. The router jigs that I've made using the illustrations in this book are as relevant today as they ever were.

The Box Joint Jig, a Shop Made Woodworking Jig

2011-11-02T14:53:00.013-07:00

Making a box joint jig, also known as a finger joint jig can turn an average router into a woodworking production machine and this woodworking jig is easy to make out of 3/4" birch veneer plywood. You only need a piece of scrap plywood about 12" wide and 24" long. This shop made jig is clamped to a workbench and perfect for making beautiful boxes such as a trinket box, shadow box, jewelry box, etc.

You could choose to make this woodworking jig out of 3/4" MDF (medium density fiberboard) but I would not recommend it, because MDF doesn't hold screws as well as plywood. This will effect the attachment of the router base.

However, one could attach the router base with a through bolt (when using MDF) that is counter sunk into the work surface of the jig.

Start by making dado cuts 1/4" deep by 3/4" wide and 2" in from the 24" edges. These two dado cuts will be tracks for the fence to slide over the router bit. It's best to use dado blades on a table saw but a router with a 3/4" straight bit and a straight edge will work.

Next, cut 8" off of the 12" by 24" plywood (making two pieces), one 8" and the other about 16". The 8" piece forms the top of the box joint jig and the other (16" piece) forms the base, on which the router will be attached.

Cut another 1/4" x 3/4" dado 4" in from the front edge of the upper portion of the jig (8" piece). Make this dado cut perpendicular (90 degrees) to and on the opposite face of the first two dadoes. The fence, which holds or backs up the stock, will go into this dado. Run a couple of screws from underneath to hold the fence in its position.

Next, glue and clamp 1/2" by 3/4" clear pine (parting stop) into the two dado groves of the base part of the woodworking jig. The upper part of the jig will glide along these tracks.

Cutting the dado slots as described in the first step assures perfect alignment between the tracks on the base of the jig and the groves in the upper part of the jig.

Note: You can choose to install the 1/2" by 3/4" clear pine pieces into the dadoes cut in the upper part of the jig, instead of the lower part, it makes no difference. On the other hand, less clear pine is required if you choose to put the tracks on the upper part of the finger joint jig.

Drill a hole in the base part of the jig close to the center and large enough so that the collet of the router clears the hole (more or less 1 & 1/4" dia.).

Attach the router base to the underside of the lower unit of the box joint jig. Center the router base on the hole drilled previously. I use a course threaded drywall screw (1 & 1/4") but you should use whatever means you see fit to firmly attach the router base.

With the bit used to cut the box joints in the router (1/4" carbide spiral router bit in this example), put the upper part of the jig on the tracks and position it so that the spiral cutter (when raised), will cut into an area slightly ahead of the fence. Turn on the router and make the cuts in small increments. By that I mean raising the bit slightly as you slide the upper part of the jig back and forth until the bit cuts through the surface. This cut should stop just beyond the work face of the fence, about the distance equal to the diameter of the router bit.

Use a guide pin equal to the diameter of the cutting bit (1/4" dowel rod is used in this particular jig) is glued into a 1/4" hole, which is offset so that there is 1/4" between the cutter's edge and the guide pin's edge. I drill this hole about 3/8" above the bottom edge of the fence so as not to trap sawdust between the router bit and guide pin.

Configure the jig by cutting test pieces. Cut box joints into two test pieces, if the finger joints are too tight, than you'll have to loosen the screws attaching the fence to the upper portion of the jig. Nudge the fence slightly toward the cutter and install screws in a new location to hold the fence in position. Move the fence away from the router bit if the joints are loose.

Using the Shop Made Box Joint Jig to Cut Finger Joints

Now that your box joint jig is tweaked and if you haven't already done so, prepare your stock. The stock should be in width, a multiple of 1/4". This will make the top and bottom box joint somewhat equal. In this example, we'll index all the cuts from the bottom, start by cutting joints in the sides and then the front and back pieces of our box.

I start by setting the height of the spiral cutter to slightly more than the thickness of the material. In this way the fingers will protrude slightly past the outside face of the box and can then be sanded flush.

Put the bottom edge of the sidepiece against the guide pin, holding the work piece tight against the fence (this helps to prevent tear-out). Slide the platform slowly forward until the router bit has cut through the stock, let the router bit do the cutting. Don't force it.

After the bit has cut through, lift the work piece up and slide the platform back to its starting point. Then place the newly cut 1/4" notch over the guide pin to position the piece for the next cut. Repeat this process until the finger joints are cut for both sides and both ends of the sidepieces.

To cut corresponding finger joints on the front and back pieces, place the first notch of a side piece over the guide pin (bottom edge facing toward the router bit), this will place a 1/4" finger on the cutting side of the guide pin.

Next, place the bottom edge of the front piece against the bottom edge of a sidepiece and clamp the front piece to the fence. This will position the front piece correctly for cutting the bottom notch to correspond with the bottom finger on the sidepiece. Remove the sidepiece before cutting the first notch in the front piece, which is clamped in position. Then for the next cut, simply slide the front piece against the guide pin so as the notch is directly above the guide pin.

Once the first finger is cut on the front piece, the process is the same as was cutting the finger joints in the sidepieces. Repeat this process until all finger joints are cut for the front and back pieces of the box.

Now that you have a shop made box joint jig that cost you almost nothing except for an hour or so of your time, cutting perfect finger joints is practically an automated process. Use this technique and start building beautiful boxes fast and easy. Here is a great resource for box making projects, in case you're looking for more ideas.

Store Bought Jig for Box Joints

Incra-1 Box Jig

Although the shop made jig described above is simple enough to make, there is the option of purchasing a commercially made box joint jig such as the Incra-1 Box Jig, but that comes with a price of $149 (Amazon's price), Woodcraft sells them for $169.99.

My philosophy on buying tools for the shop has always been... "If it can pay for itself then the investment is worthwhile." You may have noticed that there are links to Amazon's site in this post, they're here for your benefit. I receive no compensation if or when you do decide to buy something from Amazon.

This jig is a new product that allows the woodworker to use two different techniques when cutting finger joints. One being similar to the technique described above using a router and the other technique involves the table saw, cutting the joint with dado blades.
As mentioned earlier, this box jig is new, so there are not many reviews but the ones I have read are positive.

Relevant woodworking jig information:

The Hinge Mortise Jig - for Door Hinge Installation

2011-10-20T13:52:00.004-07:00

A fellow carpenter and former coworker of mine used to joke about hardware being aptly named, because "there is nothing easy about installing it." The fitting of hinges and lock sets happens near the end of a project and making a mistake at that stage is especially annoying.

However, there is a way that takes the Russian roulette out of hardware installations, particularly when it comes to replacing or hanging interior doors.

The hinge mortise jig (sometimes called a hinge mortise template), is one jig that every carpenter should consider having in their arsenal of woodworking jigs, because this jig increases the speed and accuracy of butt hinge installation on a door. And we all know that better efficiency equals better profit.

This particular hinge mortising jig is fastened to a door's edge with double headed nails. Once set-up, this jig guides the router (which has a guide bushing attached to its base), to accurately cut the hinge mortise into a door, then the corresponding doorjamb so that the hinge fits snug into the mortise. Cutting these mortises with a router is undoubtedly the best technique, especially when hanging many doors. Even if one is very proficient with a chisel.

The router is fitted with a guide bushing to prevent damaging the jig with the router bit. The jig determines the mortise cut boundaries.Use a hinge mortise jig when a new door has to be installed into an old door frame.

Pre-Hung Doors Are Not Always Practical

The thickness of plaster walls will not accommodate a standard pre-hung split-door jamb, because 2x4 walls normally are 4.5" thick when sheeted with 1/2" drywall, the same wall, finished with plaster will measure 5".

So a choice must be made. Do you modify the pre-hung door jamb, custom order one 5", build our own jamb or buy a door slab and hang it on the existing door jamb... Best answer in most cases is to hang a new door on an existing frame. Why, you ask? Because it is less time and money for one who has the tools and know-how to hang a door.

More over, the existing trim on your old door frame that matches the rest of the house could very well be difficult to find and expensive to replace.

As in the situation mentioned above, a Porter-Cable hinge mortise jig kit was used, because there were many doors to hang (7-8). The kit had everything needed (except the router itself), a template for each hinge, rods to connect the templates together, router bits, pins, etc. This mortising jig is built for everyday use.

Once the mortising jig was setup, there was no need to measure hinge locations, hinge back set or the offset required on hinge locations from the door top and the doorjamb top (1/8") to allow for door clearance. The hinge's back set and locations are automatically accounted for by the apparatus. The Porter Cable kit paid for itself in one day. It would have taken a couple of days to layout and mortise all the hinges with a chisel. Where as with this jig, cutting hinge mortises only took a couple hours. Retrofitting new doors in old jambs is a cakewalk as you can easily match the template to the old hinge cut-out for perfect mortises that fit the first time.

A pitfall that should be mentioned about installing the hinge screws is drilling the pilot holes off center. Using a Vix bit will prevent this from happening. Vix bits consist of a guide tube surrounding the drill bit, the end of the tube is chamfered to perfectly center in the countersunk screw holes in the hinge leaves.

Another hinge mortise jig for occasional use is the Hinge Mate HM-1100W Door Hinge Template II, this is a single hinge mortise jig, which works well but this jig is specifically meant for use in door replacement only. Where hinge mortises are cut on the door to match an existing door frame. Also, since there is only one template, the template has to be reset for each hinge cutout.

As you can see, manufactured jigs come in a variety of styles and prices, because of many different manufacturers. Your intended use should be considered before purchasing a hinge mortise jig, assuming you already have a router.

There are also handy door lock installation jigs available such as the Kwikset 138 INSTL KIT and the Irwin Carbon Door Lock Installation Kit. Any one of these jigs will have a beneficial use when you're faced with replacing or hanging door slabs.

Woodworking Jigs

Woodworking Jigs - Necessary Tools For Any Wood Shop

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