materials

MDF primarily because it is the cheapest longest lasting and most stable MDO would work too but I just doint have that much access to it.

-- http://aewoodworks.webs.com

Recently, I completely a big project in which I made 72 new pew end panels for the pews at our church. After glue up, we did a rough cut with a combination of plunge saw, band saw and jig saw. Then, I attached a jig/template to the material to do the final cut with a straight bit with a guide bearing on the router table.

I used OSB for the template because I had some laying around. It worked great initially. Then, the edges of the OSB started to break down and I got rough edges on the material I was shaping.

I share this story so others don’t make the same mistake. The lesson – OSB does not hold up for extended use.

-- Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA - I'm a woodworker. I don't create beauty, I reveal it.

Most of my sleds, jigs, etc are made from 1/2 ” Baltic Birch plywood. It has held up well, is lighter than mdf, and the edges stay “crisp”.

-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm

It depends on the jig but I use what ever I have left over sometimes mdf, 3/4 ply or osb.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

I use baltic birch ply for jigs I keep and use the most. I find it to be durable. I have made mdf jigs also but prefer the ply.

-- Every step of any project should be considered your masterpiece if you want the finished product to reflect the quality of your work. http://www.FineArtBoxes.com

I use MDF mostly because its cheap and easy to find.

-- Chief Petty Officer USN(RET) 1991-2011

I prefer ply, but I have so much MDF scored free from a super market renovation that some seldom used jigs are made with MDF. I have a sled made of cast off 1×2, finger joint jig made of hard pine. It just seems I make jigs and such from the best material for the job keeping i mind how often I will use it and how much abuse it will be asked to take.

-- Made in America, with American made tools....Shopsmith

For jigs I’ll be keeping for a long time, baltic birch for sure. MDF for one-offs.

-- He who dies with the most tools... dies with the emptiest wallet.

Thanks. I was wondereing cuz i’m going to build a cutoff sled and was thinking of useing mdf as the base. would like to use baltic birch but I don’t think it’s availabel locally. The big box stores don’t seem to carry it anyway!

Our Home Depot carries
Baltic Birch it in small panels. (2’x4’) Quite expensive !
Plywood is my favorite. I rarely have MDF left over (I hate working with it in the first place)

-- "My mission in life - make everyone smile !"

I always use MDF for my jigs that I use occasionally. For my well used jigs I prefer to make them out of laminate. Mainly because I have them on hand in the shop.

-- www.alanwilley.co.uk

My local Lowes will special order small quantities (even a single sheet) of Baltic Birch for a pretty reasonable price. You need to talk with someone at their Pro desk and get them to do some calling.

-- Lee - Phoenix, AZ

I use MDF or Baltic ply pretty much interchangably. I have no preference between them, whatever I have on-hand.
For smaller stuff like auxillary/sacrificial fences I typically use laminate “hardwood” flooring. I have gobs of leftovers from the flooring job we had done a few years ago. Works great. I even use it for miter slot runners. I see laminate flooring on Craigslist all the time for free/cheap.