Why buy a commercial jig when making one yourself will triple your enjoyment? First, you'll experience the joy of building a useful shop fixture from nothing more than some scrap wood and a good idea. Second, you'll enjoy the money you'll save. And finally, as all woodworkers understand, you'll have the satisfaction that comes with saying, "I made it myself." The five jigs described here are all designed to deliver improved accuracy, control and adjustability for a lifetime of better routing.

Fence Micro-Adjuster

This jig enables you to make tiny, accurate adjustments in positioning a router table fence. A pair of jigs clamp to the tabletop, one at each end of the fence. Each jig has a stop that extends to meet the back of the fence. The stop is a simple cap screw that you turn with an Allen wrench (see photo, above). The two screws, in 3/8-in.-16 and 3/8-in.-20 sizes, have different thread pitches that produce different rates of adjustment. An L-shaped Allen wrench makes it easy to track the amount of adjustment, for example, a quarter turn or half turn. By retracting the cap screw in small increments, you move the fence backward to slowly reveal more of the cutter or forward to reduce bit exposure. By moving only one end of the fence, you can make some incredibly small adjustments. For example, if one end of the fence is moved back 1/64 in. (a quarter turn of the 3/8-in.-16 bolt) and the other end remains stationary, the router bit will make a 1/128 in. deeper cut.

Click Image to enlarge.

Face-glue two layers of 1/2-in. multi-ply plywood to create a blank for the jig body. Adjust the opening and overall dimensions as needed to match your router table. The hardware is available at hardware stores.

Springboard

This unusual jig-a bow-like affair with a clamp pad on each end-can be secured to the fence or tabletop and employed in place of a featherboard.

Making the jig is a straightforward bandsaw project ( click here to see the pattern ). The jig's length can be adjusted to suit any router table. Species with natural resilience, such as oak, ash or hickory, make the best springboards.

To use the springboard, clamp one end in place, flex the jig to create pressure against the workpiece and then clamp the other end in place. Two springboards can be used simultaneously to hold a workpiece against the fence and the table as it passes by the bit. Select a straight-grained board and lay out the springboard so its thin middle section follows the grain direction exactly. Avoid any grain run-out because it could result in a weak point that might fracture under tension. After you cut the springboard from the blank, sand it smooth to reduce friction where it contacts the stock.

Depth Gauge

Setting bit height is either a hit-or-miss proposition based on eyeballing or a simple measuring task featuring a depth gauge jig. The latter approach is faster and more accurate. Plus, it saves ...

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