Most Used Jig?

[Travis Johnson]

What is the most used jig in your shop?

Its a simple question, but jigs are simple devices, often disguised under scrap material and hastily built parts. Still some of the heaps help us out everyday. They also do something else...they act as safety devices in disguise.

So which one do you use the most? Your tablesaw cross cut jig? Your circle maker on your bandsaw? Your jig that turns your planer into a jointer?

Mine is probly so simple, so overlooked, so stupid that you would not believe me. Its a stack of angles made out of OSB wood and Strapping. I use them mostly on my Radial Arm Saw, placing them up against the fence so I don't have to move the settings on my saw to saw say 45 degree miters, or 30 degree cuts, etc...which might throw off the accuracy of the saw if moved enough. They also save me a lot of set-up time.

So what is your most often used jig or fixture?

[Ned Bulken]

interesting question travis,
I would say that in my old shop it was the Crosscut/Panel Sled I built. Honking big thing It could handle up to 25" wide glue ups. 99% of the time it was supporting a board 6" or less. I think when I get my new shop I'll build a second sled, a lot smaller so that I'm not lifting that much weight just to do a quick accurate cut.


pretty simple construction, it was/is 3/4 ply base, with 8/4 poplar verticals.

[Doug Shepard]

For homemade jigs I'd have to say my crosscut sled. For purchased ones, probably the MicroFence router edge guide gets the most use.

[Steve Ash]

I don't have many jigs, getting some great ideas here though. Of the few jigs I do have I'd say the crosscut sled. I also use my router guide jig a bunch. I'm not sure if that is the correct name of it, but I found it in a book about routers by Doug Gellar. Simple 1/2" plywood about 6 inches wide, 4 foot long with another piece of plywood 1" wide glued and nailed to the previous piece.

Basically put it is a straight edge for a router that enable you to make perfectly straight cuts using yoour router....I need to take pictures.

[Ken Whitaker]

The crosscut sled for my table saw has to be number one.

[Allen Bookout]

Crosscut sled.

[Jesse Cloud]

Crosscut sled is number one, closely followed by bench hook, then mortise jig.

[Stuart Ablett]

I consider my whole shop a jig

I'd have to say my bench and then my vice, other wise.........??

[Vaughn McMillan]

Crosscut sled was a top candidate, but since I got a Jointech Smart Miter, the sled's been sitting unused. (Bought it used from a local guy a while back...it's a pretty slick set-up.)

My other highly used jig is the template I use for cutting radiused corners on my cutting boards. Time's short right now, but when I can get some pics of it, I'll post a thread so everyone can have a look-see.

[Chris Barton]

That would be my Incra Ultra mounted on my router table...