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Table Saw Jigs

Some woodworkers and avid hobbyists learned the craft at the feet of their fathers or grandfathers. But most of us fell in love with the smell of the sawdust and the roar of the blade and taught ourselves what we needed to know, a little at a time. If you have spent much time on the woodworking forums you know that there are a lot of people out there who buy their first table saw without realizing its full capabilities. Amazed at the versatility of a table saw, many a newbie gets really hooked when they decide to join two pieces of wood together for the first time. Now they wish they had paid more attention to those review articles that talked about the wonders of table saw jigs, when they didn’t even know what a jig was and what it is used for. If you’re ready to expand your woodworking skills to making things out of wood instead of just cutting wood, you’re ready for your first woodworking jig.

The simple definition of a jig is any device that holds or clamps the wood being worked and guides the tool to do whatever the jig is designed to do. Thus there are drilling jigs for use with bench top drill presses and shaping jigs for use with routers and joining jigs for use with table saws. The vast majority of jigs are used for making joints and you frequently see them referred to as “joinery” jigs. While most sophisticated joinery jigs are made for routers there are many available for use with table saws. Let’s begin your introduction into wood jigs by looking at some of the places you can go to buy them.

Where to Buy Jigs

Since the number of table saw users who want to make furniture is a smaller niche market, you won’t find too many jigs at major home improvement centers. Your best source is the full line woodworking equipment supply houses you’ll find online, like Peachtree Woodworking, Rockler, and Woodcraft. All have excellent websites and feature a range of table saw wood jigs. Amazon is another source, although their offerings are more limited. All of these sites do a great job explaining the jig and describing what it is used for.

What Jig Should I Buy

There are specialized wood jigs for specialized tasks, like the Rockler Thin Rip Table saw Jig, which, as you would expect, allows ripping stock into very thin strips. If you’ve been looking for custom cove molding, stop looking and buy a cove cutting jig. These jigs make use of the table’s miter gauge slots to secure the jig and come with heavy duty feather boards to secure the wood.

Another popular specialty jig is the taper jig with which you can cut stock into tapered lengths. With this jig you can build pull out cabinet drawers that are tapered in height from back to front. To make the joints you’ll need you have several choices.

A box joint jig lets you make joints that look like interlocking fingers, which is why these jigs are also referred to as finger joint jigs. There are jigs for dovetail joints and jigs for tenon joints. Delta makes a tenoning jig that fits into the miter slots of most table saws and you can get one on Amazon for around $135. If that’s too pricey for you there’s a Rockler heavy duty tenoning jig for about $90 and you can get a Woodhaven box joint jig for under $60. Although you’ll find books and plans for making your own jigs, unless you have highly specialized needs, the prices of manufacturer’s jigs seem within reach of most woodworkers.

To learn how to use these different types of table saw jigs, there are eBooks you can buy on the Internet and some instructional videos on YouTube and elsewhere on the web. Either take out an online subscription to one of the top woodworking publications or check them out at the library. They have illustrated articles on using jigs. If you’re fortunate enough to live close to a large woodworking equipment retail outlet like Woodworks or Rockler, pay them a visit. Woodworks offers woodworking classes and the professionals at places like Rockler will be happy to demonstrate the jig you’re looking to purchase.