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10 Best Table Saw Jigs


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The table saw is king in my shop. It sits right in the I’m not talking about jigs that are difficult to build or
middle where I can get at it easily. Whether it’s rough time consuming to set up. Even the more “involved”
online

cutting a board to length or fine tuning a project’s join- jigs here can be built in just a few hours.
ery, more than likely I’ll go to the table saw. But what just a note. Some of these accessories are designed
really makes my table saw so versatile are the shop- and sized to fit my 10" contractor’s saw. But they can be
built “helpers” I’ve accumulated through the years. adapted to fit just about any brand or size of table saw.

1 Push Block
It might seem like a pretty simple accessory, but I’ve
found that using the right push block not only makes
your work safer, it can also improve the quality.
The main purpose of a good push block is to keep
your fingers far away from the saw blade. And the first
thing you’ll notice about this push block, shown at work
in the photo at right, is the comfortable “high mounted”
handle. This is definitely a big plus in my book.
The best part is that you don’t have to sacrifice any-
thing when it comes to control. The forward sweep of
the handle allows you to put good downward pressure
on the workpiece and achieve a steady, controlled feed.
You’ll get a clean cut while keeping your hands safe is designed with a business end that can be easily
and avoiding the risk of kickback. replaced. When the body or the hardboard push cleat
Replaceable Parts. Of course, a push block is going to get too worn, just cut new ones and switch out the
get chewed up. That’s what they’re for. You sacrifice handle (Figure 1). And with the handle mounted “up
the push block to save your fingers. So this model above,” it will never be touched by the saw blade.

1
FIGURE

a. 2

Page 1 of 6 Table Saw Secrets ©2010 August Home Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
2 Adjustable Miter Gauge Fence
I sometimes think that even table I needed a fence that would pro-
saw manufacturers would concede vide good support right up to the
that the miter gauges supplied with cut at different angles.
their saws are just a starting point. Adjustable. That’s a pretty tall
That’s because every one I’ve ever order. But the answer is this adjust-
seen has holes in the face for mount- able miter gauge fence. As shown
ing an auxiliary fence. in Figure 1, it uses a rabbeted cleat
The small face of the gauge system that allows the fence to slide
just doesn’t have enough surface toward or away from the blade At times I’ll even slide the fence
to provide solid support for the depending on the angle of the cut beyond the blade so that it follows
workpiece. It’s easy to attach a (Figure 1b). Tightening a couple of the workpiece through the blade
short length of 3⁄4"-thick stock to screws locks the fence in position. and backs up the cut. And when
the face of the miter gauge to solve This allows you to make cuts with the fence gets chewed up, it can
the problem, but I wanted more. complete control of the workpiece. easily be replaced.

1
FIGURE
a.

b.
!/4"-20
threaded
insert

!/4"-20 Rh machine
screw with !/4" washer

3 Outfeed Roller
A good outfeed roller takes the place model has them all beat. First, it’s
of the friend you have to depend on inexpensive to build. As you can
to help you rip long boards or pan- see in the lower left drawing, all
els to width. So it makes life easier you need is some scrap lumber, a
for you and your friends. short length of PVC pipe, a dowel,
I’ve tried the commercial outfeed and some woodscrews.
rollers, but I think this shop-built The big plus, however, is in the
way the roller is supported. Most
commercial outfeed rollers use
a folding design. This type has
caused me grief on more than one
occasion. They aren’t very stable
and they seem to tip or even fall
over at just the wrong time.
This outfeed roller is designed to
be clamped firmly to a sawhorse or
other solid support, as shown in
the photo at right. So once you set
it up, it’ll stay put and allow you to
focus on the task at hand.

Page 2 of 6 Table Saw Secrets ©2010 August Home Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
4 Zero-Clearance Blade Insert
A zero-clearance blade insert for It can be a real lifesaver when you
your table saw may not seem like need a perfectly clean cut in expen-
an important item. But there are sive hardwood or plywood.
times when I wouldn’t be without When using a dado blade, a zero-
one on my saw. clearance insert is essential. I often
The advantage a zero-clearance use a dado blade to cut dadoes, simple Process. You can make a ply-
insert provides is that it supports rabbets — you name it. And when wood insert in short order. Figures
the underside of the workpiece I do, I’ll pop in an insert sized to 1 and 1a show how to use the stan-
right up to the edge of the cut. That the width of the blade. With this dard insert, first as a pattern, then
means it’s much less likely that the arrangement, you have solid sup- as a routing template. And Figure 2
saw blade will cause chipping. port for a smooth, accurate cut. shows how to complete the job.

1
FIGURE
a. 2

Double-sided
tape

5 Slip-On Fence
Once you build this auxiliary rip
fence and slip it in place over your
standard fence, you might end
up not taking it off very often. It’s
really that handy.
Plywood construction. As you see
in Figure 1, it’s just a few scraps of
plywood assembled with wood-
screws and joints cut with a dado
blade. Size it to fit over your stan- Two sides. If you take a look at the You’ll still have plenty of room
dard fence, and you’re in business. photos above, you’ll see that this to use a push block. But there are
Easy to use. The first big plus is auxiliary rip fence does double times when the extra support of a
how easily it slips into place on duty. When you want to use the tall fence is what’s called for. So just
the saw. There are no screws or dado blade to cut a rabbet, bury flip the fence, and go to work with
clamps to deal with. it in the short face of the fence. one less thing to worry about.

1
FIGURE

a. 2

Page 3 of 6 Table Saw Secrets ©2010 August Home Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
6 Straight-Line Rip Jig
It seems that no matter how toggle clamps (Figure 1). But it can
particular you are when buying reap big rewards salvaging some
lumber, you always end up with of that crooked lumber.
a few boards that are so crooked Just set the board on the
they look like they were meant to straightedge, clamp it down with
be chair rockers. And sometimes the quick-action clamps, and run
even the best stock bought “in it through your saw.
the rough” doesn’t have a good,
straight edge to work from.
Solution. So how do you dimen-
1 Toggle clamp
(TC-5110, McFeelys.com)

sion these boards into usable a.


stock? Well the solution is the
easy-to-use straight-line rip jig
shown in the photo at right.
This jig is about as simple to put
together as any you’ll find. It’s
nothing but a couple of lengths of
plywood and a few inexpensive

7 Adjustable Featherboard
There are times when you’re work- down with a twist of a wing knob.
ing at the table saw that a third It can be positioned anywhere
hand would really make life easier. along the slot and then adjusted
Well, this adjustable featherboard in or out to apply just the right
isn’t quite a third hand, but it can amount of pressure.
be the next best thing. When. I like to use it when ripping
Self clamping. A featherboard uses stock to size. With steady pressure,
lots of flexible “fingers” to apply there’s less chance of the board
steady pressure. But to do its job, it wandering away from the fence.
has to stay put. And on a table saw, The runner. The key part is the slot-
clamping a featherboard isn’t easy. ted expandable runner (Figure 1a).
But not so with this model. It’s
designed to slip into the miter
A look at Figure 2a shows how turn-
ing the knob forces the head of the
2
gauge slot of the saw and lock bolt into the slot to lock it down.

1
FIGURE

a.

!/4"-20 x 1#/4"
Fh machine screw

a.
b.

Page 4 of 6 Table Saw Secrets ©2010 August Home Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
8 Cut-Off Sled
Sometimes, after you buy a new The Whole Saw. As you can see, it
tool or build an accessory, you won- uses both miter gauge slots and
der how you ever got along without slides on most of the saw table. And
it. That’s the case with this cut-off where your miter gauge might have
sled. Once you build it, you’ll find an 18" auxiliary fence, this sled has
yourself using it time after time. a 48"-long fence (Figure 1).
Think of it as just a really big It might look a little awkward
miter gauge for working with wide to feed through the saw. But I just
boards and panels. A standard wipe a thin coat of wax on the run- chance of the workpiece shifting or
miter gauge with an auxiliary fence ners and the base, and the sled you losing your grip.
works great for cutting cabinet or glides easily across the table. user note. When I make a cut, I
door parts to length, but when it You’ll also find that you get a always stand toward the left side
comes to crosscuting an 18"-wide more accurate cut using the sled. of the sled and push with my right
plywood panel or a small tabletop, Since all the pieces — fence, bed and hand on the left top of the fence,
you need more control. And that’s workpiece — are moving across as you see in the photo above.
what this sled gives you. the saw together, there’s almost no My left hand is free to hold the
workpiece flat and tight against

1 the fence. This makes it easier to


FIGURE

control the workpiece and makes


the feed smoother.

2
NOTE:
Use double-sided
tape to position runners
before screwing them
in place

b.
a.
a.

Safety Shield At the end of the cut, the saw


blade passes through the rear
fence. This was a bit of a con-
cern to me. So to minimize any
chance of an accident, I added a
blade guard to the rear fence. It’s
nothing more than a plywood
side guard that supports a small
Plexiglas shield. It still allows you
to see the workpiece and the
saw blade, but helps protect you
from possible contact.

Page 5 of 6 Table Saw Secrets ©2010 August Home Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
9 Tenoning Jig
A tenoning jig is usually one of the stan- Use It. The question you might ask is why
dard add-on accessories offered by table saw bother with a tenoning jig when a dado blade
manufacturers. But these are usually really will do the job? Well, you’ll find it can do a lot
heavy-duty models that are going to cost a more than cut the cheeks of a tenon.
pretty fair amount of money. So I opted to Whenever I cut an exposed bridle joint or a
build my own version with just a few bucks half lap, I turn to this jig to create the smooth
worth of material and a little investment of cheeks and tight fit that I want.
time. And I think it works just as well. For a bridle joint, I’ll use the tenon jig to
Build It. Take a look at Figure 1, and you’ll first cut the centered “groove” of the joint. I
see how easy this jig is to build. It slips over then turn around and reset the jig to cut an
and slides along the rip fence of the saw (right accurate tenon to fit. And both halves of the
photo). So the adjustment mechanism on the joint end up perfectly smooth, without the
rip fence makes it easy to line up the cut. score marks or steps left by a dado blade.

1
FIGURE

a.

10 Dedicated Miter Sled


To a seasoned woodworker, no joint makes Once you have it properly set up, you’ll get
a better impression than a perfectly clean, the same cut time after time.
tight-fitting miter. It says “Hey, this person On the mark. An added bonus is that you’ll
knows his stuff.” know right where the cut will fall. Just line
The catch is that cutting an accurate 45° up your mark with the edge of the sled, as in
miter can often be a matter of trial and error, Figure 2. There’s no guesswork involved.
with a little luck. But this dedicated miter sled And to make the matching miter, there’s
can make accurate miters a sure thing. no need to flip the piece over and cut from
Since you’re only worried about one angle the opposite side. You can just move the sled
— a perfect 45° — that’s all this sled does. to the opposite miter slot.

1 a. 2

Page 6 of 6 Table Saw Secrets ©2010 August Home Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

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