5 Simple and Essential Power Tool Woodworking Jigs

When you start out in the world of woodworking chances are you will begin with powered hand tools. To this day, I still don't own a table saw and with my tiny shop, I have to find ways to get around this using jigs with my circular saw to replicate the functions often taken care of by its larger static brother. The router I consider an essential tool for the versatility of tasks it can accomplish so this list will cover that tool as well. You of course can pick and choose which of the 5 jigs you need to make, they are all completely independent but together can cover many functions usually only possible with larger bench tools.

Materials

• Honestly, I made all of these from scrap timber and pallet wood. If you want to buy nice wood I'll give the dimensions and what you require in the description of each jig. With scrap, they will cost you next to nothing to make.
• Screws... that is literally it.

Minimum Tools Required

• Circular Saw
• Router
• Power Drill, Drill Bits, Driver Bits
• Square (Framing Square and/or Combi-Square).
• Clamps (I use Quick Clamps, Kreg Face Clamps)
• Tape Measure (Imperial) or Metric (Aust)
• Sand Paper
• PPE - Ear Defenders, Safety Glasses, Dust Mask

Alternative / Optional Tools to Make Life Easier

• Wood Glue
• Impact Driver
• Countersink Drill Bits
• Power Sander
• Shop-Vac
• Forstner Bits

Paid Versions of the Jigs

• Cross Cut Jig: Kreg Portable Cross-Cut
• Track Saw Jig: Kreg Accu-Cut
• Narrow Stock Rip Jig: DeWalt Table Saw
• Router Table Jig: Benchtop Router Table
• Thicknesser Jig: DeWalt Planer Thicknesser
• Bonus Jig: Kreg Rip-Cut

(NB: The links above will take you to Amazon.com where you can source some of the gear I use if you can't find it locally. It won't cost you any more than normal Amazon, but purchasing the tool or a similar one via that link gives me a small commission and supports my work. Thanks!)

A cross-cut is generally making long bits of wood shorter. You cut across the grain or across the long edge of a piece of sheet material. Most commonly, you will want to do this perpendicular (at 90 degrees) to the long edge. This super quick jig not only allows you to do so quickly and safely, by thanks to the guide arm you can line up to a mark, accurately too.

You may even want to make two versions of this jig. A shorter one for narrow stock like 2x4's and a longer one for sheet goods. Up to you!

Step 1a: The only critical thing with scrap selection for this jig is the guide edge is as close to straight as possible. A factory edge should work well. I used 6mm (1/4") MDF, plywood would also be a good choice. It could be a little thicker if that's what you have. A piece about as wide as your hand, around 10cm (4") is what I'd look for. For a short version 30-45cm (12-18"), or pretty much as long as you like for the longer version.

Step 1b: Grab an offcut to use as a handle about the same width as your edge guide. Screw it on about 15cm (6") from the end of the guide from underneath. Make sure you countersink the holes so the screw heads are below the surface.

Step 1c: Drill a single hole in the middle of the guide about halfway from the handle to the end and use it to attach the cross member. This cross member piece of scrap should also have a straight edge, and be long enough that our first cut running your saw along the guide edge trims it down. Don't tighten too much yet.

Step 1d: Use a square to ensure the cross-member is exactly 90 degrees to the edge guide, and add more screws to secure it in place.

Step 1e: When you make your first cut, you should be trimming the cross-member down to the exact point you saw will cut. Use this reference to line up to your measurement or mark on the workpiece for accurate cutting.

USAGE: Measure or mark your workpiece, use one hand to butt the cross-member up to the piece and hold it securely, line the reference gauge up to your mark and carefully complete the cut running the edge of the saw along the edge of the guide.

Hint: If you make a long version of this jig you will want to clamp down each end once in position to ensure a straight cut.

Paid Versions: The Kreg Square-Cut was one of the first jigs I bought and did this exact job. Recently I upgraded to the new Portable Crosscut and it has the advantage of also doing 45-degree cuts on top of 90 degrees. However, this DIY version will cost you next to nothing as does pretty much the same job! You can learn more able the paid version in my video here.

A track saw is a variant of the circular saw that runs on a rail to make perfectly straight cuts, usually when breaking down large sheet goods. It has the added benefit of providing protection to the cut edge to reduce tear-out which gives you a cleaner looking cut. True track saws are matched to their own dedicated tracks and provide superior plunge depth control but are relatively expensive. This jig will work with any circular saw, will cost you almost nothing and can be made to be as long or short as you need.

Step 2a: You will need two bits of scrap of about the same length, one narrower piece for the top, and a wider one for the base. Only the narrow piece needs to have a dead straight edge so a freehand cut from a large sheet is fine as long as there is a factory edge. Any scrap ply or MDF you have, 6mm to 19mm (1/4" or 3/4") stock is fine. The piece for the base should be about the same width as your circular saw base.

Tip: A full sheet of plywood is 2.4m or 8' long so to rip-cut one your jig would have to be the same length. I never found the need for this, and a half-sized one is much easier to use and store.

Step 2b: Measure the distance from your circular saw blade to the edge of the saw base (use the wider side if possible). Place the narrow piece on top of and roughly parallel to the wider one and position the good straight edge just a little further from the edge of the base piece than the distance you just measured. (ie - If the blade to saw edge is 75mm (3"), position the straight edge 80mm (3 1/4") from the edge of the jig base).

Step 2c: Screw down the top piece to the bottom, don't worry if they are not perfectly square to each other, close enough is good enough.

Step 2d: Set the depth on your saw and make your initial cut. This will trim the baseboard and make it perfectly parallel to the top edge guide.

USAGE: Make two reference marks on the piece of wood you are going to cut, one at each end of the cut. Line the cutting edge of the jig up to the marks and securely clamp it down. Run your saw along the edge guide carefully for a chip-protected and accurate cut.

Hint: Don't forget to account for the thickness of your jig base when setting the depth of cut on your saw!

Paid Versions: The previously mentioned dedicated track saws like the Makita one are great bits of kit, but rather expensive. A jig version is the Kreg Accu-Cut, available in long and short versions and a lot cheaper than a dedicated system and will convert your existing circular saw into a track saw... just like our DIY one here which costs almost nothing. You can of course also just use a reliable Straight Edge Guide. You lose the chip-guard but save some money and can use it for your router too!

To learn more about the Accu-Cut I have a video here, or for a peek at the Straight Edge Guide click here.

A rip-cut is generally making long boards narrower. You are cutting along the grain of solid wood, or along the longer dimension of a piece of sheet goods. With wider boards, the previous track saw jig will work fine, but when the wood is narrower than the base of that jig, things get tricky and dangerous. Enter, my Narrow Stock Ripping Jig.

This jig replicates one of the most common functions a table saw will usually handle. It won't be as fast or accurate, but if like me you don't have room for a table saw, it will get you out of trouble when your plans call for half a 2-by-4 or bed slat.

Step 3a: The base of this jig I used a 25x125mm (1x5") pallet wood board about 1m (3') long. You do want a thick-ish piece about the same width, but length is up to you. 19mm (3/4") ply or MDF will work fine too. Other than that almost any 6mm (1/4") scraps of MDF or ply will do to make the fence with.

Step 3b: Screw a thin "stop" at the end of your long board. Use your square to ensure it is 90 degrees to the base and be careful not to have any screws in the section where your blade will eventually run. (See Photos)

Step 3c: I used multiple small pieces of thin scraps but if you have a long narrow bit the same length as your board even better. Break out your square again and position this piece(s) perpendicular to your "Stop" to create an "L" shaped fence. My fence was about 65mm (2 5/8") from the edge of the base board. I find this the most useful distance as to not interfere with the saws edge guide. Screw the fence down securely when in position.

USAGE: Securely clamp down the jig (make sure the clamps won't foul your saw during use). Position your piece of timber on the jig (a light clamp at the 'Stop' end you can quickly remove to finish the cut is useful for longer pieces). VERY carefully set your blade depth to just enough to cut through the stock but not the jig. Set the edge guide that came with your saw to the desired width and carefully execute the cut.

Hint: Cutting pieces already narrower than your jig (in my case 65mm (2 5/8")) will require a spacer to be added.

Paid Versions: I've not ever seen a paid jig one that does this task. If you have the space and money, a Table Saw like this is the tool you want to do this properly!

The router is my favourite woodworking tool and one of the most versatile. If you are getting into woodwork, a good palm router like my Makita one I believe is an essential tool. While it can do a lot for you held in your hand, being able to bring the wood to the tool on a router table opens up a world of options for you.

Keep in mind the jig below is just that, a quick and easy jig. More often folks will build (or buy) more complex and feature-packed tables. I'll include links to a couple of my videos of how I went about this, but rest assured in about 10 minutes following the steps below you can create a very basic version that will serve you well until you upgrade. (PS - Both of these videos are some of my earliest on YouTube... apologies in advance for the waffle! ;)

• My Router Table Plate Video
• My Router Table Fence Video

Step 4a: Delve back into the scrap bin for some sheet MDF or plywood. 9mm (3/8") is probably best. Thinner will be too flexible, thicker is OK, but you lose cutting depth. Size is almost irrelevant, anything from 30x30cm (1x1') and up will do, whatever you have on hand.

Step 4b: Remove the base of your router and use it as a template to mark out the screw holes and router bit hole on your piece of sheet material.

Step 4c: Use a Forstner, spade or other hole cutting bit to clear out the gap the router bits will protrude through.

Step 4d: Drill, countersink, and widen the holes for the screws. Make sure the screw heads are below the surface of the material.

Step 4e: Attach your router (without its base) to the new table using its screws and flip it over ready for use.

Most router bits with a bearing like a flush-trim bit can be used right away, however, adding a fence will still be required for non-bearing bits and to improve safety.

Step 4f: Find or make a long straight piece of scrap that will reach each end of your new table. Grab your Forstner or spade bit again and cut away enough in the middle on the straight edge to accommodate your router bit. Position the fence with the cavity over the router, secure it with a clamp at either end and you are good to go.

USAGE (and Hints): Routers are powerful tools and I won't go into their usage here. I'd recommend checking out this video by my mate Uncle Knackers if you need any pointers.

Paid Versions: They are many and varied from budget to ridiculously high end. A nice quality benchtop version like this Kreg one will serve you very well, or you can just get the Router Plate and make your own bench like this awesome version, again by the talented Uncle Knackers.

This final jig is the most involved but at its core still very simple. In essence, it does the job of a planer thicknesser using your handheld router. It will be a slow and messy process, but it works and can help you do other tasks as well. In my video, I didn't show much of the build, and the one I'll step you through below is even simpler. The photos will be very helpful to understand the written instructions. There are 2 parts, the base and the sled. Any router can work, but a Plunge Base Router will be very useful and make life easier.

Step 5a: Once again dimensions here are pretty arbitrary, build to your scrap stocks, space and job requirements. For the base, you'll need a piece of 12-19mm (1/2-3/4") form ply, plywood or MDF. Mine is about 12mm x 30cm x 100cm (1/2" x 1' x 3'). For the two side runners, you can use the same material or solid timber of the same length.

Step 5b: You'll need to cut the side runners to an appropriate height. Mine are only about 36mm (1 1/2") high so I can easily flatten and mortise 25mm (1") and under stock. If you want to flatten thicker stock, you'll need to make them taller. Drill and screw the two side runners to the base making a "U" shaped structure. (See Photos). That's the base done.

Step 5c: Now we move on to the sled that will ride along the side rails and carry the router. Regardless of if you have a plunge or normal router, I'd make a quick square or rectangular base plate for it. (Basically a mini version of the router table from Jig #4). 15cm (6") square is fine. Attach this to the router.

Step 5d: I used two scrap pieces of aluminium angle for the sled, but you can simply make 2x "L" shape tracks out of wood by rebating a single square piece of stock or gluing two pieces together. The important thing is the "L" shapes are long enough to bridge your jig base and can safely support the router plate.

Step 5e: Bridge the jig base with the two "L" sections and use the router plate the space them out. A little loose is fine. Find two more small pieces of scrap to act as braces and use them with screws to join the two "L" sections together. Each brace should be on the outside of either side of the base runners. They want to be able to slide freely, but not so loose as to allow a lot of wobble when you slid the sled along the runners. Using a playing card as a spacer on each brace is about the right gap.

USAGE: Secure your workpiece to the jig base with clamps or double-sided tape. Attach your router to its new base plate and set your cut depth (shallow passes are best). Slowly sweep the router side to side along the "L" sections, then draw the whole sled forward and repeat the sweep until you transverse the whole workpiece. Increase the cut depth and repeat until desired thickness is reached.

Hint: Keep a spare piece of 12mm (1/2") board handy. If you find your router can't reach deep enough to flatten your stock, raise it up using this spare board to allow you to do a few more passes. For flattening, a specialized surfacing bit will save you a lot of time.

Paid Version: While slow, these sleds can help you do some of the work an expensive planer thicknesser would usually do. However, while it is not as good for long pieces, you could make one to flatten massive slabs, something the machine can't do!

As you'll see in the video my inspiration for this Ible was a competition I ran in called #Woodjigs21. Apart from having a bunch of fun, it was designed to generate a YouTube playlist from dozens of makers who supplied one of their best jig ideas. I'd encourage you to go check out the full playlist here for more jiggy inspiration from some talented creators!

In that video, I mentioned one jig I love to bits that I've not been able to DIY that has been invaluable without a table saw in the shop, and that is the Kreg Rip-Cut. It makes super-fast, accurate and repeatable cuts in sheet goods and basically pays for itself. Here is my video about it.

Together this collection of jigs allows me to get away without some of the larger more expensive tools in my shop. With either DIY or Paid versions at your disposal, I hope you find the list useful and inspirational to design your own iterations of them. If you do, make your upload pictures to this Ible so I can see them, or find and tag me on Social Media :D

Lastly, when confronted with a roadblock in your workshop always remember the words of the great maker William Smith - "Get Jiggy wit' it!"

If you have any questions, need clarification or spot an error, please don't hesitate to contact me.

I release regular woodwork and DIY content on my YouTube Channel - Fixit Fingers including lots of content for beginners. I'd love to have you come check it out and join me.

Otherwise, you can see what I'm up to in between videos on my Instagram @FixitFingers and Fixit Fingers on Facebook.

Cheers! James