Four great jigs for the table saw
Straight-edge jig: This jig enables the user to rip a straight edge on a board on which neither edge is straight. The workpiece is held on a 3/4"-thick baseplate with stop blocks and hold-downs. Make the stop blocks 1/16" less than the thickness of the workpiece so that when the hold-downs are screwed onto them, the workpiece is firmly held.
Pattern-sawing jig: To complete this jig, use a combination square (below, left) to position the first stop at 45° to the edge of the baseplate of the pattern-sawing jig. Next, use a square buttress blank to position the second stop. Screws are fine, but in this example, an air nailer makes fastening parts quick and easy.
45° bevel jig: Make the 3/4"-thick plywood buttress blanks with the pattern-sawing jig. Locate the end buttresses so the fence overhangs by 2" on each end to provide room to clamp the workpiece in place. Align the 45° buttresses on the baseplate, using the back edge as a register. Glue, clamp, and screw the buttresses in place. Position the jig fence on the angled edges of the buttresses. Glue and screw the fence in its final position.
Raised-panel jig: This jig enables you to saw the molding on the edges of a raised and fielded panel. The advantage of sawing rather than using a router bit is that you can make the cut at any angle and to any depth. To make the buttresses, mark the angle on the rectangular blanks and make a pattern-cutting jig to duplicate the angled cut on all three buttresses. Glue and screw the fence in its final position.

The jigs described in this lesson are used in one of three ways:

• To hold the workpiece while an uncommon cut is made.
• To make multiple identical parts, which can then be used to make a more complex jig (a pattern-sawing jig to cut 45° right triangle buttresses to make a 45° bevel jig).
• To hold a workpiece so that an angle cut can be made with the blade in its normal 90° position (a bevel jig that holds the workpiece at 45°).

Making jigs invites you to be creative. Because there’s no single best way to make jigs, you can adapt materials and construction methods to the job at hand and the tools you own. It’s important to understand, however, that jigs are a means to an end, not an end in themselves. Avoid making widely adjustable jigs to accept workpieces of widely varying sizes. Adjustability usually compromises one or more of the following six requirements of a good job-specific jig:
• It must be easy and inexpensive to make.
• It must be accurately made.
• It must not deflect or shift in use.
• It must be guided by the rip fence or table slots.
• It must provide a way to securely clamp the workpiece.
• It must guard the saw blade or cutter throughout the operation.

The cutting operations involved in making a jig can be done on a table saw, although a miter saw is also helpful.

You’ll also need measuring tools: straightedge, squares, sliding bevel and a rule or tape. Two cordless drills are useful, one with a countersink and pilot-hole bit, the other with a screwdriver bit. A pneumatic nailer will substitute in most situations, making assembly easier and faster. A hammer and glue roller are often required, but clamps are essential — they become a second pair of hands.

Here are the typical components of a
jig:

Baseplate — the starting piece when making a jig. It’s the part that sits on the saw table and rides against the saw fence. Usually made of MDF or particleboard.

Fence – the part the workpiece gets clamped to or against. Usually made of MDF or particleboard, but can also be made of soft solid wood.

Buttress — the part that supports the fence at the correct angle. Usually made of 3/4" plywood screwed to the baseplate and fence.

Stop block — the part used to locate workpieces when pattern sawing or legs when making tapering cuts. Usually made of a soft solid wood, such as poplar or basswood.