# Jigs a Kumbo



## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

*Kumbo* (according to the urban dictionary)
"A very nervous guy who can sing, dive, read and blow his nose at the same time."

Let me start by saying this. I get two paper catalogs and 6-10 email advertisements form Rockler in the mail every week….because I do shop there. I own a few of their jigs, some of which looked good but I rarely used in the end. A couple that i've used a lot. They are a great place to browse, and when you need something you can't find many other places they usually have it; finishes, hinges, supports, etc. And my store has a talented sawblade sharpener that I trust my best blades with and the price is very reasonable.

That being said. Rockler is in 24 states so many of us have access to one or via online ordering. They sell through Amazon too. It's the jigs. It seems that they have a jig for everything. I think they cater to jig junkies who purchase their jigs. They remind me of the woodworking of bass fishermen. I know bass fishermen (or women) who have hundreds or even thousands of lures and only six have ever gotten wet. When new ones come out they have to have it. Lure companies do a very lucrative business with all the bass addicts out there.

Rockler has their own jig brands. It seems they have so many and their catalogs will showcase a new one frequently that look like you have to have it. I usually make my own jigs as they are usually only needed for one project application. If I sprung for the Rockler ones I don't think I'd have a wall large enough to hang them all.

I own their tablesaw cove making jig. It works, I even did a video on it long ago. It's slow. It makes a cove like for crown molding that's very wide. I needed a fair amount. It's slow, very slow. I ended up using the large router bit I have for doing raised panel cabinet doors. Faster. So, the jig never got much use beyond making the video to show that yes, it does work.








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I have their fluting jig. I made woodwork for the house with flutes. Hundreds of feet of flute lines. The jig was indispensable. Don't know if I would have bothered without it.








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When I see a jig. I often think, "well that's cool". But, I pass it over unless I have a real need. Or I try to reproduce it for the fun of it.
I don't want to turn into a jig junkie. Or at least one that spends money on them.


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Your flutes are offset. One edge is narrower than the other. Pretty tho.

I don't buy Rockler jigs because too many of them are gimmicks to make up for lack of skill. I don't need a $10 automatic centering guide for a pencil, or a hose roll that clogs with dust or cheap plastic blast gates, or high $$$ anything.

Too much over priced crap. 20 years ago Rockler was better than now. I used to be an associate site. Once got an $800 check & a hammerhead coffee cup for sales. But their catalog has fallen in size and raised in gimmicks.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Flutes add a nice detail to your fine work.

I made up a jig to do the same thing.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

Yeah they seem to have more jigs than there are types of cuts. And their jigs are made of crappier material than you could make from scraps or firewood, all for the low low price of 10 times what they are worth. I think when Ikea furniture gets thrown away, it alerts a global team of dumpster divers who grab all the ikea mdf and brackets and covert this trash into $100 jigs. But don't worry, they'll send you a 10% off coupon. This way if you get bored of your beenie baby collection, you can build up another useless collection.


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

> Your flutes are offset. One edge is narrower than the other. Pretty tho.
> 
> I don t buy Rockler jigs because too many of them are gimmicks to make up for lack of skill. I don t need a $10 automatic centering guide for a pencil, or a hose roll that clogs with dust or cheap plastic blast gates, or high $$$ anything.
> 
> ...


 Yes, it was the first one I did and went in the corner on a closet door in the bedroom. Took me a bit to get them even. Some of the moldings are partially fluted on the other side as it off even more. Eventually I got the hang of it though. I made a few dozen pieces like this. One stripe at a time and having to do more than one pass on them. The last few were a chore just to get up the nerve to start.


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

I like rockler. They make it easy to find things. Can you find things cheaper? Usually. But I hate spending an hour looking through catalogs or the net when I know exactly where it's at.

For expensive things I may take more time. But if it's under 100$, and I like rocklers version, I'll just buy it and by happy.

As for all the jigs, they are for profit. That how it works. Companies bring out new stuff to drive excitement. If your not interested, turn the page.


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## Peteybadboy (Jan 23, 2013)

I made my own tables saw cove jig. I did buy their half lap jig, and dove tails spline jig. (The one that makes the keys or splines. ) I made a duplicate and gave it to my bro in law. Simple to make.


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## jbmaine (Nov 8, 2019)

I actually like Rockler better than my local Woodcraft. I have bought a couple of jigs from Rockler but made most of my jigs myself. I've added Rocklers dust right hose and fittings to my shop and am quite happy with them.


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