Jigs Part 7

Rounding Turning Squares, Box Joint, Shelf Pin, Veneer Cutting, Ellipse, Dowel Jigs, and How to Operate a Dovetail Jig

A jig for rounding turning squares

Before turning narrow pieces, such as chess pieces or dowels, between centers, it's easier on the workpiece (and the woodworker) to knock off the four corners, making the square spindle into an octagon. This simple guide clamps to your bandsaw table to do the job.

Box Joint Jig (A.K.A. Finger Joint Jig)

Box joints (also called finger joints) are great for joining the sides of a box or drawer. Thanks to the popularity of The New Yankee Workshop and Norm Abram’s love of dovetail joints many woodworkers erroneously think the dovetail is the best (or only) way to make drawers, but for the woodworker who doesn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a jig, box joints are a great option.

Shelf Pin Jig

I am busy working on a commission for a couple of base cabinets and a bookcase to be used as part of a TV display area. The cabinets require adjustable shelves which requires a quick and accurate way to drill/bore a series of holes on the inside walls of each cabinet, front and back.

Veneer Cutting Jig

I use a lot of wood veneers in my segmenting. Initially I was cutting the veneers with a utility knife and ruler. I decided I needed something more accurate and efficient. When I think accurate and efficient, I often think of my table saw.

Ellipse jig

Making your own jig for ellipse-based arcs. I want to know how to plot and cut out an ellipse for a casing. Is there a workable router jig that will cut along the major/minor axis with just setting them up, or do you plot and mill to a line, like me? Or does everyone else have a CNC in their back pocket?

How to Make Dowel Jigs

Dowel jigs are commonly used for carpentry work. A dowel is used to fasten tightly two objects together. If you want your dowels ripped you would have to take it to a special shop to get them done. This article will help you build a jig to be used to rip wooden dowels in the comfort of your own workshop. Make sure that you have all of the materials needed at hand so that you won’t need to stop at any stage.

How to Operate a Dovetail Jig

Although the operation of automated dovetail jigs can vary greatly, most non-automated dovetail jigs work in very much the same way. With a dovetail jig, you calibrate the machine by making a dovetail joint. The advantage is that once you’ve calibrated the jig you use much the same setup, outside of altering the template and block.