# I am officially addicted to making jigs and shop fixtures



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I haven't put much effort or focus on shop jigs and fixtures. I went from tool hoarding, to learning how to use said tools by making projects we needed around the house, and now am finally trying to organize my shop. I started out with a cross cut sled, then made another, better one within a few days. My latest project is here http://lumberjocks.com/projects/68385 
I wanted to make a tote to keep all my finishing stuff together. Shortly after that was done, I also made a dado sled and a "rabbet fence". I ran out of time to finish tonight (I am a considerate neighbor and I need to use the planer and router), but I hope to finish tomorrow.

Does it ever end??? What are some cool, unique things you have made that will keep distracting me from the Morris chair my wife wants that is way over my head?


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

Just don't forget at some point you have to actually *use* them for something. Can't put off that Morris chair forever ;-)


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

So true TedW. Right now I am suing them to make more fixtures  I do find, as with other aspects in life, the more organized I am the better my work is. Also if something actually has a place, I am likely to put it back there rather than toss it on a shelf.

She bought the fabric for the cushions today, so I'd better get down to the mill and grab that QSWO before too long.


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

I'll be looking for it in the projects gallery.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

It's not going to be any time soon. My realistic target is September. I have never made anything arts and crafts style, and have never made any sort of chair. There will be a few pine mock-ups first. (you can substitute "mock" for an expletive that has the same amount of letters and that would also be an accurate statement)


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Joe- I've got the same addiction. I've made too many to list but my favorites are: Super Sled,box joint jigs,splined miter jig,tenonong jig,board straightening jig,taper jig,etc,etc….....I probably use my shop made router table more than anything else I have made. I've posted a lot of these in my projects.


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## Milo (Apr 24, 2009)

Joe, we are brothers from another mother. Seems all I EVER do is make shop jigs and shop tools… Router table, Super Sled, Frankenduster, jointing jig, horizontal router table, etc… The Pie Safe I just finished was the first piece of furniture I've made in AGES, and of course right now I am making a rolling tool cart in an attempt to clean up the shop!

btw, I HOPE it never ends!!!

oooh, dado sled…. gotta think about that one….


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Milo, here is the dado sled. Now I am trying to think of what to make next (other than mission furniture) 
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/68449


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## DanKrager (Apr 13, 2012)

I've been a jig junkie long enough to actually do something useful about it. After years of cogitating different jigs that do almost the same thing, I finally began to consolidate the ideas into multifunction units that made sense to me. I've posted a few of the results on my web site blog. There is more on my LJ shop description.
my blog


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I hate you Dan (not really). I'm off to make some turn buckles. See you in 4 hours with pictures


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Perhaps you should build a jig storage cabinet or something. I usually make jigs when I need them, not because they're not fun but because I have very little space to store them. This past weekend I was making some picture frames and I had to make a spline jig for it. My wife found it so funny that I had to make this big contraption just to make frames, but mitered frames with splines not only look better, they're much stronger.

Also, I'm in the middle of building a Arts and Crafts rocker, which I like to put off as well. It needs to be done by September or I'm in the doghouse since our baby's due in the middle of that month.


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## DanKrager (Apr 13, 2012)

I think I have just the jig for storing other jigs!
There's no public picture of it, but it is a series of shelf brackets made from a single sheet of plywood. Two pieces were cut from it with a jig saw following a pattern of interlocking fingers. The straight edges were then screwed to a 2×2 that was screwed to a back sheet that provided lateral stability. The feet were cut in the pattern. The long jigs don't even need a "shelf".
Dan


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Brandon, my Morris chair needs to be done by the end of August. She bought 6 yards of upholstery fabric last night for the cushions. I am pretty screwed. I have no motivation to start on it. I've looked over the plans so many times and the only thought I have is "Way out of your league buddy, what where you thinking??"


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Dan, I am also in the process of gutting and renovating my shop. I am still in the gutting phase because it's taking longer than I expected due to the extreme heat here lately. Once gutted, I am going to make a LOT of fixtures. I work so much better when I am organized. When everything has a very specific place (not just shelves and drawers everywhere), I tend to put it back there.

In short, jig storage jigs are in my future


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## juniorjock (Feb 3, 2008)

Yep, Joe, you're not alone. Brandon has a good idea, about storing your jigs so you'll know where they are when you need them. When I first started, I received some negative comments (from friends, not on LJs) about the number of jigs I had made. It was always…. "when you gonna quit making jigs and build something". The way I see it, at some point you're going to need a certain jig. So you have to decide whether you're going to build them now or wait till you need it. Building jigs is practice for me. My jigs are just as easy on the eyes as they are useful. I guess there's not many WW's with a tool crate made with dove tail joints…... Keep on jiggin


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I definitely see your point JJ. So far everything I built, I need. I have to make something like 126 tenons for that chair, so I'll figure out which I like better, the tenoning jig on the cross cut sled, or cutting the tenons with a dado blade and the dado sled. There are some jigs I have been tempted to build, but I really have no use for them yet, so I will hold off


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

I have a huge collection of jigs & fixtures. I can't make anything these days and just make one of them, so I wind up making the jigs for the first one and using it for the rest of the batch… Don't worry about it, just buy the annual issues that Wood Magazine, Fine Woodworking and the rest put out that feature jigs…. Every one I buy has at least one useful jig I have to build too.

Oh, I almost forgot, when I start looking for a specific jig or template and can't find it, I make another one…


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## DanKrager (Apr 13, 2012)

LumberJoe, I've been reluctant to post publicly my detailed tool chest pictures because I'm paranoid. But I will send them to you personally. You can get a glimpse of them here on LJ in my workshop section.

I have learned like you are finding out, that it is a waste of time to "clear the bench" and "Dammit! Where did I leave THAT"! So years ago I built "sample" work boxes to keep tools at arms length near my work bench, even at work areas throughout the shop. There are two rules I try to adhere to rigidly: 1. If you put it down, put it back where it came from. 2. Don't leave any tool on the bench. That requires some thought about situations where you have a screw in one hand and need the driver.

Very little is attached to the wall and almost all work areas are "walk arounds" where work area can be approached from any angle. Everything but the bench is on wheels or palletized, and the bench can be unfastened from the floor and moved to a site in moments. A LOT of thought went into my arrangements for my style of work, and I will share it freely.
Dan


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I actually subscribed to fine woodworking because I wanted the plans for their morris chair. I'm looking forward to all the tips they have. I find they can be a tend on the elitist side, but I take everything with a grain of salt. None of my jigs are very pretty, but they are sturdy and functional


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Thanks Dan, that would be awesome. I am doing the same thing now. My table saw will be in the middle, with a HUGE outfeed area. It's going to be L shaped; 14 feet long in total. The last 8 feet will be 8 feet wide, the 6 feet closest to the saw will be 4 feet wide. The entire table will have storage under it. I am also going to build a few work benches and a miter saw station.

I find just building shelves and drawers are not good enough. I have a few Snap-on roll-aways. Most shelves have molded inserts for specific things. The others are just loaded with crap and whatever fits in them. When I finally clean them out, it's like Christmas time and I just got a bunch of "new" tools when in reality I've had them forever I just couldn't find them and forgot they existed. I am going to be very methodical about storage and build the storage exactly for what I intend to store in it.


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## DanKrager (Apr 13, 2012)

Duplicate deleted. How to delete post entirely? 
Dan


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## DanKrager (Apr 13, 2012)

Don't forget to allow for change, because it happens!


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Right! I am taking that into consideration. So rather than build a shelf for MY circular saw, it will be for A circular saw. I'm also quite good at making my own T-tracks in wood now and will be making a lot of the shelf dividers positionable. There will ultimately be some big blank shelves and probably some drawers, but I'll make sure everything i have now has a specific place so they don't end up in the clutter.

Thanks for all the tips!


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

Fortunately I don't have to much space to store a bunch of jigs. I try to build my sleds where I can use them for multiple purposes so I can save on room.

helluvawreck
https://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## dnick (Nov 17, 2011)

I love building jigs, they make working on other projects easier, sometimes safer & sometimes allow me to things I couldn't do at all before. My wife doesn't get it. She is not happy when she finds out I am working on " another job for the garage". I am in serious danger of running out of space to store my jigs. They are damn fun & interesting to make! Ever notice that jig projects get more views than most other projects?


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## Bsmith (Feb 2, 2011)

I've found that making jigs is a great way to hone your craft. Try to make them as precise as possible. I'm making a jig now to store my jigs. ;-)


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