Favorite/essential jigs?
Moderators: HopefulSSer, admin
Favorite/essential jigs?
Whether they are SS related or not, what are your must have jigs for woodworking? What do you use most, what do you rarely use?Would also love to see some pictures. If it matters, I have a 10ER.
~~Blain~~
Re: Favorite/essential jigs?
I have an entire box of them for my 510. Some of them are so weird that you probably wouldn't know what they are for if I didn't show you. My most used ones are probably the ones for cutting box joints.
Re: Favorite/essential jigs?
I use my "mini crosscut sled" quite a bit. It serves as a Tenon jig as well, with some blocks clamped to it:
viewtopic.php?p=289229#p289229
viewtopic.php?p=289229#p289229
- BuckeyeDennis
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 3698
- Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2012 10:03 pm
- Location: Central Ohio
Re: Favorite/essential jigs?
I have quite a few jigs, mostly special-purpose, but there's one that I use constantly.
Almost any time that I cross-cut on my Shopsmith, I use a sacrificial auxiliary fence on the miter gauge. These attach to the face of your miter gauge using it's factory mounting-screw slots, and are positioned such that they straddle the saw blade. After mounting the fence, a pass across the saw blade cuts a zero-clearance slot in it.
In use, the auxiliary fence gives your miter gauge many of the advantages of a full crosscut sled. But it's much smaller and easier to make, and you can still cut miters with it. If you carefully align your workpiece layout marks with the zero-clearance slot, your cuts will be split-the-line accurate. The zero-clearance slot also prevents tear-out on the backside of your workpieces. The portion of the fence outboard of the saw blade pushes small cutoff pieces on past the blade, helping to prevent them from becoming projectiles. You can make your sacrificial fence as long as you wish, providing extra support for long workpieces, and enabling stop blocks to be mounted on either side of the cut.
Mounting the auxiliary fence with a couple of WoodAnchor sliding nuts makes it fully adjustable side to side, which is a huge advantage over just mounting it in a fixed position with wood screws. Then, if the zero-clearance slot widens after repeated use, just slide the fence over a bit, and cut a fresh slot. In the picture above, you can see slots cut both by a regular saw blade and by a dado stack. It takes only a few seconds to reposition the fence to use either slot, or any others that you may require.
The only downside I've found is that you have to remove the blade guard to use an auxiliary fence, just like when using a crosscut sled. I install the SS riving knife in it's place, but not having the upper guard still felt weird to me at first. But now it actually feels safer to me, because control of the workpiece and cutoff is so much improved.
Almost any time that I cross-cut on my Shopsmith, I use a sacrificial auxiliary fence on the miter gauge. These attach to the face of your miter gauge using it's factory mounting-screw slots, and are positioned such that they straddle the saw blade. After mounting the fence, a pass across the saw blade cuts a zero-clearance slot in it.
In use, the auxiliary fence gives your miter gauge many of the advantages of a full crosscut sled. But it's much smaller and easier to make, and you can still cut miters with it. If you carefully align your workpiece layout marks with the zero-clearance slot, your cuts will be split-the-line accurate. The zero-clearance slot also prevents tear-out on the backside of your workpieces. The portion of the fence outboard of the saw blade pushes small cutoff pieces on past the blade, helping to prevent them from becoming projectiles. You can make your sacrificial fence as long as you wish, providing extra support for long workpieces, and enabling stop blocks to be mounted on either side of the cut.
Mounting the auxiliary fence with a couple of WoodAnchor sliding nuts makes it fully adjustable side to side, which is a huge advantage over just mounting it in a fixed position with wood screws. Then, if the zero-clearance slot widens after repeated use, just slide the fence over a bit, and cut a fresh slot. In the picture above, you can see slots cut both by a regular saw blade and by a dado stack. It takes only a few seconds to reposition the fence to use either slot, or any others that you may require.
The only downside I've found is that you have to remove the blade guard to use an auxiliary fence, just like when using a crosscut sled. I install the SS riving knife in it's place, but not having the upper guard still felt weird to me at first. But now it actually feels safer to me, because control of the workpiece and cutoff is so much improved.
- JPG
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 34648
- Joined: Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:42 pm
- Location: Lexington, Ky (TAMECAT territory)
Re: Favorite/essential jigs?
Hmmmmm Another opportunity NOT passed.
And a good sample of utility of the system.
I consider control to be foundation of safe practices(lack of injury) rather than guards. Guards(and push sticks) often reduce that control. JMO
And a good sample of utility of the system.
I consider control to be foundation of safe practices(lack of injury) rather than guards. Guards(and push sticks) often reduce that control. JMO
╔═══╗
╟JPG ╢
╚═══╝
Goldie(Bought New SN 377425)/4" jointer/6" beltsander/12" planer/stripsander/bandsaw/powerstation /Scroll saw/Jig saw /Craftsman 10" ras/Craftsman 6" thicknessplaner/ Dayton10"tablesaw(restoredfromneighborstrashpile)/ Mark VII restoration in 'progress'/ 10E[/size](SN E3779) restoration in progress, a 510 on the back burner and a growing pile of items to be eventually returned to useful life. - aka Red Grange
╟JPG ╢
╚═══╝
Goldie(Bought New SN 377425)/4" jointer/6" beltsander/12" planer/stripsander/bandsaw/powerstation /Scroll saw/Jig saw /Craftsman 10" ras/Craftsman 6" thicknessplaner/ Dayton10"tablesaw(restoredfromneighborstrashpile)/ Mark VII restoration in 'progress'/ 10E[/size](SN E3779) restoration in progress, a 510 on the back burner and a growing pile of items to be eventually returned to useful life. - aka Red Grange
Re: Favorite/essential jigs?
I like my Tweaker, when I cut segments for turning or any other projects that require tight angle tolerances. By adjusting the connector nut while the table trunnion lock is loose the exact angle down to one tenth of a degree can be set. First set the table 90 degrees to the saw blade then put the Wixie on the sawblade set the angle to 0 deg. Move the wixie to the table and adjust the table to the required angle using by turning the barrel nut while the Wixie cube is on the table. The most important setting is the angle of the table to the saw blade. I have used this fixture for cutting a lot of segments for making segmented bowls and it really works. While setting the angle the table trunnion lock has to remain loos so the table can float and the barrel nut can move table.
Re: Favorite/essential jigs?
Excellent idea. I think I want to make one of these.wa2crk wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 7:55 pm I like my Tweaker, when I cut segments for turning or any other projects that require tight angle tolerances. By adjusting the connector nut while the table trunnion lock is loose the exact angle down to one tenth of a degree can be set. First set the table 90 degrees to the saw blade then put the Wixie on the sawblade set the angle to 0 deg. Move the wixie to the table and adjust the table to the required angle using by turning the barrel nut while the Wixie cube is on the table. The most important setting is the angle of the table to the saw blade. I have used this fixture for cutting a lot of segments for making segmented bowls and it really works. While setting the angle the table trunnion lock has to remain loos so the table can float and the barrel nut can move table.
DSC04516.JPG
under table block.JPG
Ed from Rhode Island
510 PowerPro Double Tilt:Greenie PowerPro Drill Press:500 Sanding Shorty w/Belt&Strip Sanders
Super Sawsmith 2000:Scroll Saw w/Stand:Joint-Matic:Power Station:Power Stand:Bandsaw:Joiner:Jigsaw
1961 Goldie:1960 Sawsmith RAS:10ER
510 PowerPro Double Tilt:Greenie PowerPro Drill Press:500 Sanding Shorty w/Belt&Strip Sanders
Super Sawsmith 2000:Scroll Saw w/Stand:Joint-Matic:Power Station:Power Stand:Bandsaw:Joiner:Jigsaw
1961 Goldie:1960 Sawsmith RAS:10ER
- BuckeyeDennis
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 3698
- Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2012 10:03 pm
- Location: Central Ohio
Re: Favorite/essential jigs?
That "Tweaker" is really slick! Kind of like the SS adjustable stop collar, except for table tilt instead of height.
- BuckeyeDennis
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 3698
- Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2012 10:03 pm
- Location: Central Ohio
Re: Favorite/essential jigs?
Indeed.
Chris Marshall of Woodworker's Journal explains the benefits of an auxiliary miter gauge fence much better than I can. I should have linked to his video in the first place.
Re: Favorite/essential jigs?
I like this. So you cut your miters for segmented turning using table angle rather than miter gauge angle? Keeping the miter gauge at zero degrees? Is there anything (other than gravity) holding the board down on the way tubes? I've done something similar using two main tables and carriages, but the angle range was very limited due to the length of the tables.wa2crk wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 7:55 pm I like my Tweaker, when I cut segments for turning or any other projects that require tight angle tolerances. By adjusting the connector nut while the table trunnion lock is loose the exact angle down to one tenth of a degree can be set. First set the table 90 degrees to the saw blade then put the Wixie on the sawblade set the angle to 0 deg. Move the wixie to the table and adjust the table to the required angle using by turning the barrel nut while the Wixie cube is on the table. The most important setting is the angle of the table to the saw blade. I have used this fixture for cutting a lot of segments for making segmented bowls and it really works. While setting the angle the table trunnion lock has to remain loos so the table can float and the barrel nut can move table.
DSC04516.JPG
under table block.JPG
- David