Hand Tool Jigs

At one time I had a shop full of jigs. Half of them, I couldn’t even remember what they where for. You set up a jig, make a bunch of electrons run around through wires and make a bunch of identical cuts. Weeee! Then you save the pretty much useless monstrosity of clamping tracks and knobs. Later you vulture it of parts to make another jig, and then finally it becomes trash. Six months later, you need a jig much like it, and this time you make it much better and more versatile.

Yet it still has a good chance of being useless for the next project, or hanging on your wall forever. Taking up as much space as a good tool cabinet does.

Hand tools can mostly allow you to escape the jigs. For the most part the jig is built into the tool and has been time tested for hundreds of years, by thousands of fine craftsmen. We still have shooting boards and bench stops. A good workbench is a classic multifunction jig. But on occasion, a jig still can be a dream. So I tend to look very closely when I see a hand tool using jig.

Rob Porcaro has just posted a jig of his own design on his blog. Exploring woodworking links, I found Rob Porcaro’s blog.   He just posted a jig for drawer making.  I am planing to do a lot of small drawers soon, so this may be something I need to throw together.   I have usually clamped a pair of boards at the ‘back’ of a table and had them extend at the ‘front’  to support this sort of thing, but I can see where this might be more stable.   Maybe if I clamp four boards?    I rather like Rob’s jig, it is simple and won’t take up a lot of space.

Bob

1 comment to Hand Tool Jigs

  • Bob,

    Thanks for the post. The jig is quick to make and keeps drawer work flowing. As I mentioned in my post I do not claim originality for the jig. I think in a corner of my brain is a memory of something I saw somewhere, the specifics long forgotten, that led me to this construction. Anyway, I hope it proves handy.

    Rob

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