# Jigs for New Tablesaw User



## RedWoodworker (Nov 21, 2017)

Hello all,

I just bought my first tablesaw (cabinet), and am in the market for some jigs. Eventually I hope to build my own, but for now I want to get a couple of store-bought ones to use while I get familiar with the table saw.

I read a good review on here by richgreer about the Rockler Tablesaw CrossCut Sled, so I'm thinking of getting that one. My first project is going to be a simple workbench, so I think I can use this to cut 2×4x8s down to size, and then use it for miters going forward. Any thoughts on this one? http://www.rockler.com/tablesaw-crosscut-sled

Also, are there any other store-bought jigs folks recommend for general table saw use for a beginner? Things that would make more complex-tasks easier, etc.? Other than the workbench I don't have specific projects in mind yet, I'm just going to see what I can make as my skills improve.

Any thoughts or advice appreciated. Thanks!


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## socrbent (Mar 9, 2012)

First make one or more push sticks - http://lumberjocks.com/projects/tag/push+sticks
Second make your own crosscut sled. There are many examples on this site. Suggest you start with a simple version and rebuild later to suit your needs as you learn to use the saw.
Third make a mitre sled like this - http://lumberjocks.com/projects/89017


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## LDO2802 (Mar 22, 2017)

Definitely don't buy jigs, they are WAY overpriced. Get some Baltic birch and throw one together on the weekend. Countless videos on Youtube on how to make a crosscut sled.


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## Shamb3 (Nov 26, 2017)

Digital caliper to help set it up properly.

Build a circular saw guide, so you can make straight cuts when you are breaking down sheet goods for the table saw.
Build a large crosscut sled.


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## ca8920 (Feb 27, 2014)

As mentioned above I would make your own jigs and sleds however I would recommend that you pick up one of these magnetic blade alignment devices. Make life much easier. https://goo.gl/MZpB9g. Here's another type https://goo.gl/H1AWk4.

Chris


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## Carloz (Oct 12, 2016)

RedWoodworker,
You have a lot of great advises except this one.
Why the heck one would spend money on this gizmo unless he is to cut bevel of constantly changing odd angles day in day out? A simple drafting square is infinitely more precise, a lot cheaper and can be used for a lot of other tasks around the shop besides setting the blade bevel.
I want to join a choir there and suggest to make your own jigs. For me the most useful was a tenoning jig which doubles as tall fence.



> As mentioned above I would make your own jigs and sleds however I would recommend that you pick up one of these magnetic blade alignment devices. Make life much easier. https://goo.gl/MZpB9g. Here s another type https://goo.gl/H1AWk4.
> 
> Chris
> 
> - ca8920


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

You'll save yourself a lot of headache buying a good book on shop jigs. This is one:
Classic Joints with Power Tools by Yeung Chan


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## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

When you look at the photos of push sticks, notice that some of them would better be called push shoes. Like a shoe, they have a sole that reaches forward, and a heel that hooks over the end of the board so you can push it through. Much safer, as the sole holds down the board, keeps it from rising up as it encounters the blade.


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

> As mentioned above I would make your own jigs and sleds however I would recommend that you pick up one of these magnetic blade alignment devices. Make life much easier. https://goo.gl/MZpB9g. Here s another type https://goo.gl/H1AWk4.
> 
> Chris
> 
> - ca8920


Please do not use shortened links. People should be able to tell where a link goes without visiting what could be a malicious site.


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

A Good Push stick might save you a finger or two!


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## RedWoodworker (Nov 21, 2017)

Thanks everyone for the great advice!


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## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

> A simple drafting square is infinitely more precise, a lot cheaper and can be used for a lot of other tasks around the shop besides setting the blade bevel.


id lay money down that a wixey gage is infinitely more precise then a drafting square.
i have quite a few drating squares, but not one that can set my TS blade at 22.5 degrees. my wixey gage does it precisely.
actually, my drafting squares barely get used since i got the wixey.


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## hairy (Sep 23, 2008)

Take a look here: https://www.incrementaltools.com/Articles.asp?ID=161

This is only 1 example of the many products and companies that make jigs. Look at a lot before you make a decision.

It is not low cost, but it is accurate , repeatable, and quality. If you start out with a homemade sled that isn't accurate, everything you cut will be wrong. Build your own jigs when you build up the skills to do it right.

I think there are much better ways to cut down 2×4x8's than a tablesaw.


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## Carloz (Oct 12, 2016)

> A simple drafting square is infinitely more precise, a lot cheaper and can be used for a lot of other tasks around the shop besides setting the blade bevel.
> 
> id lay money down that a wixey gage is infinitely more precise then a drafting square.
> i have quite a few drating squares, but not one that can set my TS blade at 22.5 degrees. my wixey gage does it precisely.
> ...


You'd loose your money.
Your "infinite" is constrained by wixey's accuracy which is 0.2 degrees or 0.1 degree for more expensive models. It is good for framing work though.


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## RedWoodworker (Nov 21, 2017)

> Take a look here: https://www.incrementaltools.com/Articles.asp?ID=161
> 
> This is only 1 example of the many products and companies that make jigs. Look at a lot before you make a decision.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Hairy. This is what I was thinking as well, on both counts.


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

> Take a look here: https://www.incrementaltools.com/Articles.asp?ID=161
> 
> This is only 1 example of the many products and companies that make jigs. Look at a lot before you make a decision.
> 
> ...


It's really rather easy to build a crosscut sled that is completely accurate. All you need is a decent framing, try, or combination square. Look up William Ng or Marc Spaguolo's videos on the subject. The Incra crosscut sled setup is incredibly overpriced, as per usual.


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## jimintx (Jan 23, 2014)

Red - I agree with Hairy, on both points: 
1) If you have the money to spend on a very nice, precise, ready-made sled, then just get it and get to making. You will not ever go back and say you could make a better one on your own.
2) A table saw is generally not the best way to break down any long lumber, including 2×4s.

Congrats on geting a good cabinet saw to get going. That machine is the heart of almost every shop. In the beginning, spend just as much effort on learning safety techniques as on making accurate cuts. FWIW, i have had a table saw (2 different ones) for about 40 years now. I have never made nor used a cross cut sled. I do not in any way see that as a need, just a convenience, and then - another thing to store.

Also, at some point, the digital Wixey gage is a great tool accessory to have - and I use mine. I would not say it is any more accurate than drafting triangles for me, however.

.


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

A crosscut sled is one of those jigs you will use constantly. They are really worth having.

For the type of work I do, I need to have a fence locked at 90 degrees. Having to constantly check a crosscut fence for square would be a pain.


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## pontic (Sep 25, 2016)

I strongly second the motion for the push shoes.


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## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

> A simple drafting square is infinitely more precise, a lot cheaper and can be used for a lot of other tasks around the shop besides setting the blade bevel.
> 
> id lay money down that a wixey gage is infinitely more precise then a drafting square.
> i have quite a few drating squares, but not one that can set my TS blade at 22.5 degrees. my wixey gage does it precisely.
> ...


a simple drafting square is more accurate then .2 degrees when a simple drafting square isnt adjustable?? drafting squares now measure in less then .2 degrees??


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## rbrjr1 (Nov 2, 2017)

noted..


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## jimintx (Jan 23, 2014)

> a simple drafting square is more accurate then .2 degrees when a simple drafting square isnt adjustable?? drafting squares now measure in less then .2 degrees??
> - tomsteve


Being precise does not have anything to do with being adjustable. 
Are high precision scales used to measure length - such as some of the Starrett products - built to be adjustable? Nope.

.


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## Knockonit (Nov 5, 2017)

Shoot, i believe building and or making the jigs is a part of passage on learning the saw ,, and techniques, at least thats my opinion. trail and error, only way to ensure one figures it out along the way.
Rj


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## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

> a simple drafting square is more accurate then .2 degrees when a simple drafting square isnt adjustable?? drafting squares now measure in less then .2 degrees??
> - tomsteve
> 
> Being precise does not have anything to do with being adjustable.
> ...


which starret products? the 6-12" mics?
12" calipers??
height gages?
bore gages?


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> A simple drafting square is infinitely more precise, a lot cheaper and can be used for a lot of other tasks around the shop besides setting the blade bevel.
> 
> id lay money down that a wixey gage is infinitely more precise then a drafting square.
> i have quite a few drating squares, but not one that can set my TS blade at 22.5 degrees. my wixey gage does it precisely.
> ...


Curiosity makes me asked this. Carloz, do you own or ever used a digital tilt box? I have have a tilt box I've had and used now for several years. I get very good result with mine and I'd buy it again if something happens to it. I one my favorite measure devices in my shop. Yes I have drafting squares too.



















My suggestion to the OP would be to get one if you see yourself building stuff requiring tilting the blade. You'll find other uses for it around the shop too.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I think building your own jigs is a great learning experience. I have a couple of sleds and use them for small pieces more than anything. It is much safer way to cut reproducible small parts. I actually have three sleds.

I agree with the digital tilt box. It gets me very close to what I want very fast.


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## Kennyl (Apr 20, 2013)

I will reaffirm one of the comments,make sure your table saw is set up properly read your owners manual thoroughly so you understand what being set up means.I have the ts aligner junior,which I find invaluable for setting up my machines.After setting up your saw,whether you make or buy a sled is personal preference,I have made my own and presently own the right and left Dubby sleds.


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## davidsmith0726 (Dec 31, 2016)

I made two jigs for my table saw that have been really helpful: a panel jig and a straight-line jig to true up boards that are too long for the jointer. The straight-line jig coupled with a Freud glue-line rip blade does a nice job.

I bought an Incra miter gauge a few years back that meets any cross-cutting needs I have, so I never got around to making a cross-cut sled.

I also made a fairly simple jig out of 2×6s that I use to cut shims. It's saved me a lot of money through the years.


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

Don't think I've ever actually bought a jig other than the knobs and bolts for them. If there's one thing on youtube that there are an infinite number of are videos on how to make any jig, from plain Jane to furniture quality. Use that new saw and make 'em.  Everybody talks about a crosscut sled. I've built 3 and have deconstructed all 3 to reclaim the nice birch plywood I made them with. Just too big and bulky and hard to find a place for it to live in a small shop. I use my miter saw and incra miter gauge instead.

Jigs

First "jig" I'd make is a zero clearance insert.


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

Take it from one who is also a beginner. Making those jigs will build your skills *BIG TIME*.


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## davidsmith0726 (Dec 31, 2016)

> Everybody talks about a crosscut sled. I ve built 3 and have deconstructed all 3 to reclaim the nice birch plywood I made them with. Just too big and bulky and hard to find a place for it to live in a small shop. I use my miter saw and incra miter gauge instead.


Amen


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## davidsmith0726 (Dec 31, 2016)

Another thing: Invest in a dial indicator and make a simple jig to line up your blade and fence with the miter slots. It made a world of difference in how well my table saw works. The cost of a high end one is probably prohibitive, but I don't think I paid more than $20-30 for mine.

A well-tuned table saw with a good fence and a good blade (I started using a Ridge Carbide TS2000 that I bought on Woodpeck.com) will almost always serve you better than a more expensive saw that isn't tuned well.


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## dbeck (Jun 1, 2017)

Take it from one who is also a beginner. Making those jigs will build your skills BIG TIME.

-Andybb - GO HAWKS!
Amen to that!!


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## RedWoodworker (Nov 21, 2017)

> Take it from one who is also a beginner. Making those jigs will build your skills *BIG TIME*.
> 
> - Andybb


I hadn't thought of it this way. Thanks to you and everyone else who provided this tip. I may try to make my own before going the store-bought route.


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## RedWoodworker (Nov 21, 2017)

> Another thing: Invest in a dial indicator and make a simple jig to line up your blade and fence with the miter slots. It made a world of difference in how well my table saw works. The cost of a high end one is probably prohibitive, but I don t think I paid more than $20-30 for mine.
> 
> A well-tuned table saw with a good fence and a good blade (I started using a Ridge Carbide TS2000 that I bought on Woodpeck.com) will almost always serve you better than a more expensive saw that isn t tuned well.
> 
> ...


Thanks so much for this tip! I've actually been procrastinating finishing up my table saw setup because I was finding it difficult to line everything up.


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

> I hadn t thought of it this way. Thanks to you and everyone else who provided this tip. I may try to make my own before going the store-bought route.
> - RedWoodworker


It's kind of ironic. Making those jigs will quickly show you how handy it would be to have those jigs to help you make those jigs.  Treat the jigs like mini projects. Try and make them look as nice and be as exacting as the guy on youtube whose design you are following made them.

My Laney box joint jig made from scrap is just as accurate and easy to adjust as my buddy's Rockler jig and it was a fun, challenging and satisfying build.

Just like most projects, the first one may end up being a prototype.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

Check out woodgears.ca

He's got some good stuff.


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## davidsmith0726 (Dec 31, 2016)

> Another thing: Invest in a dial indicator and make a simple jig to line up your blade and fence with the miter slots. It made a world of difference in how well my table saw works. The cost of a high end one is probably prohibitive, but I don t think I paid more than $20-30 for mine.


The key to this working, at least in my experience, is a good miter slot bar that can be adjusted to eliminate any slop. I think the bar I used is made by Incra.

I was able to line the blade up to within a couple of thousands of an inch.


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## jimintx (Jan 23, 2014)

> The key to this working, at least in my experience, is a good miter slot bar that can be adjusted to eliminate any slop. I think the bar I used is made by Incra.
> 
> I was able to line the blade up to within a couple of thousands of an inch.
> - David Smith


And - you also must have a table saw that has a decent system of adjusting the blade angle, relative to the miter gage slot. Then, you have to be knowledgable about how to make those adjustments.


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## Dwain (Nov 1, 2007)

It was mentioned above, but a panel cutting jig (Norm Abrams made one on NYW) made a significant difference in my woodworking. Pieces I thought were square weren't. I built the jig with a piece of birch ply, a runner and a straight piece of hardwood for the wood to ride on. So simple! Such a nice addition. I think I would start there, as it will be used a lot more than you think and will help you to build confidence as you move to other jigs.

I have a large crosscut sled, a small parts cross cut sled, the panel jig and a miter sled. All are great users once tuned up, however the panel jig and the miter sled get the most use in my shop.

Please spend one day reviewing how to build them on line, then spend one day building them. You will be really happy you did.

Good luck.


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## davidsmith0726 (Dec 31, 2016)

> And - you also must have a table saw that has a decent system of adjusting the blade angle, relative to the miter gage slot. Then, you have to be knowledgable about how to make those adjustments.


I agree.

I have a Porter Cable (rebranded Hitachi) that I bought at Lowes several years ago. (I've had chances to upgrade, but trucking a cabinet saw to where I live would be a challenge.)

I had to remove a few screws to take the skin off. The frame that holds the motor and blade arbor are mounted on four bolts screwed into the top. I just loosened three of the bolts, used a hammer and piece of one-by to 'persuade' the blade into alignment. Voila…

There are some You Tube videos on this that helped me figure it out.


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## RedWoodworker (Nov 21, 2017)

By way of update:

I took the advice of many people on this forum and made my own crosscut sled. I generally followed Steve Ramsey's video on creating the sled, though I did purchase metal miter slides from Incra. I'm very glad I made it on my own - I learned a lot just putting it together. Time will tell how accurate it actually is, though a test cut seemed pretty square when I held a framing square up to it.

Thanks everyone for your help and advice!


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## Chashint (Aug 14, 2016)

The time spent making any adjustments to the saw to make sure the blade and fence is square / parallel to the tabletop is time well spent.
A dial indicator is great, but I aligned mine with digital calipers and that worked fine too.
Building your own crosscut sled is a very good beginners project.
You will learn a lot. I like the video William Ng put on YouTube for that.
I have wasted money on several dodads for the saw, for the most part they just aren't built very well.
One pricey gizmo that has lived up to expectations is the Micro Jig Gripper.
I liked it so good I bought a second one.


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

Something to take note on jigs. Like tools they need a home. Someone else mentioned having limited space and I would agree it is difficult to find a place to put some of the larger jigs, and have easy access to it. So in deciding I need a jig I also add this step of where am I going to put it and will it be convenient enough I will use it as needed.

No perfect solution exists, only what works for you in your shop. But with this site I am always amazed at what someone comes up with, and how useful it can be, or not depending on need or possible use.


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