Category SHOP-MADE JIGS AND FIXTURES

The jigs in this chapter will allow you to transform portable power tools into small stationary machines and handle large workpieces on your stationary power tools more easily. The stand shown on page 105, for example, converts a plate joiner into a stationary biscuit-slot cutter, a more convenient setup for some operations. The router table on page 106 is essential for some cuts. Featuring an adjustable fence and a storage compartment, it allows you to set up your router as a mini-shaper. In a small shop, a removable router table can be attached to a table saw (page 107). The three-in-one tool table shown on page 108 can convert your router, saber saw, and electric drill into stationary tools.

Extension tables and roller stands greatly expand the versatility of tools like band saws and dr...

A CONTOURED SANDING BLOCK

Making the block

For smoothing the contours of a piece of molding, you can use a short sample of the molding to shape a sanding block that mates perfectly with the surface of the workpiece. Fashioning the block requires auto body filler or modeling rubber to make a mold of the profile. Start by nailing together a small box slightly larger than the sample molding and at least / inch deeper than the thickest part of the molding. Prepare the filler following the manufacturer’s instructions and fill about half the box with it.

Lay a single thickness of plastic wrap over the box and, while the filler is still soft, press the molding sample into it (above, left) and clamp it firmly in place...

A SANDING TABLE FOR THE DRILL PRESS

Making the jig

Sanding drums larger than % inch in diameter are too large to fit through the hole in most drill press tables. To make full use of the sanding surface of larger drums, build a table like the one shown above. Use a coping saw, a saber saw, or an electric
drill fitted with a hole saw to cut a hole in the plywood top, cen­tering the opening 3 inches from the back of the table. Screw the L-shaped base pieces together from l-by-3 and 2-by-2 stock (above, right), then glue them to the table.

Sanding curved stock

Clamp the jig base to the drill press table with the hole directly underneath the drum. Adjust the table height to bring the bottom of the sanding sleeve level with the jig...

A CIRCLE-SANDING JIG

Building the jig

The jig shown at right allows you to smooth the edges of a circular workpiece with a belt sander. The dimensions of the jig will depend on the size of your sander. Make the base and table with %-inch ply­wood and add solid wood support posts to fit in the handles of the sander. Set the tool on its side on the table and slip the posts in place, then screw them to the table and screw the table to the base. Cut the pivot bar and support boards from l-by-2 stock, making the boards longer than the diameter of your workpiece and the bar longer than the boards. Screw the support boards to the base so they will support the workpiece near its edge. Next, drive a screw through the middle of the pivot bar and fasten it to the underside of the workpiece...

Clamps and bench vises are indis­pensable to the woodworker. Their very simplicity makes them versatile, but the basic clamp or vise can be made to work better or more easily with the help of a jig. The items shown in this chapter will enable you to get the most from the clamps and vises you already have. Other jigs provide alternatives to commercial devices that may not be the best tool for a specific task.

Gluing boards edge-to-edge to assem­ble panels is a common step in furniture­making. The jigs shown starting on page 81 provide ways of keeping your clamp­ing setups flat, square, and stable as the adhesive dries...

Accurately determining depth is essential to faceplate turning; too deep a cut can ruin a bowl. Made from solid wood stock, the bowl – depth gauge shown at right fea­tures a pair of perpendicular Vi-inch dowels; the holes for the dowels overlap so that the longer dowel can be adjusted and wedged in place by the shorter, tapered one. Marking depth increments on the long dowel will speed setup.

A SANDING DRUM FOR THE LATHE

Making and using a sanding drum

The jig shown above will turn your lathe into a powerful drum sander. Start by routing a ^-inch-wide, %-inch-deep groove along the center of one side of a square blank about 14 inches in length. Mount the blank on the lathe and turn it into a cylin­der 3V2 inches in diameter...

1 Building the jig

With the box-like jig shown at right you can rout flutes in a column while it is mounted in the lathe. Cut the parts of the jig from %-inch plywood, except for the top, which is made from l^-inch clear acrylic. Refer to the illustration for suggested dimensions; the jig should be long and wide enough to support the router and high enough so the top just clears the col­umn when the jig rests on the lathe bed. Once the top, bottom, and sides are assem­bled, add two braces to make the jig more rigid. Install a double-bearing piloted fluting bit in your router, drill a bit clear­ance hole through the jig top, and screw the tool’s base plate to the jig. The router should be positioned so the bit will lie alongside the column when the jig is used...

A DIAMETER GAUGE AND A LAYOUT JIG

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Faster turning with preset calipers

To check your progress when spin­dle-turning several identical workpieces, adjust a set of calipers to each finished diameter you need.

This will eliminate the need to read­just one set repeatedly. Use your design of the piece as a guide to set the calipers and a strip of tape to identify the adjust­ment on each one. A cheaper alternative is to make several diameter gauges like that shown in the photo above.

Turning hollowed-out work

Mount the workpiece to a multi-purpose chuck and secure the chuck to the lathe. Turn the inside of the work...

1 Making the jig

The jig shown at left guarantees that the tip of a turning gouge will contact the wheel of your bench grinder at the correct angle to restore the bevel on the cutting edge. The dimensions in the illustration will accommodate most gouges. Cut the base and the guide from Уг-inch plywood; screw the guide together and fasten it to the base with screws countersunk from underneath. Make sure the opening cre­ated by the guide is large enough to allow the arm to slide through freely. Cut the arm from l-by-2 stock and the tool support from Уг-inch plywood. Screw the two parts of the tool support together, then fasten the bottom to the arm, flush with one end. For the V block, cut a small wood block to size and saw a 90° wedge out of one side. Glue the block to the tool support...