Router Table Jig Tips and Insights

There are a number of different things that you can do if you have a jig for your new router table. But it’s definitely going to be important to check out some of the more advanced features and things that you’ll want to try.

Before you do anything, you need to know what kind of jig you have. There are box joint jigs, dovetail jigs, join jigs, router circle-cutting jigs, circle jigs, and many more. There are also many different features to go with them.

Therefore, here are a few important options when it comes to jigs and why you’re going to want to try out each one of them for yourself and the next few projects you try. Alternatively, maybe you’ll even want to try out special projects just because of the neat jig options.

Mortising Jig

One of the best types of jigs that you can create is a mortising jig. This help you to create… well, a mortise. What’s great is the mortise is easy to build once you have a mortising jig and the mortising jig is easy to build as well. You need a slab of hardboard that’s about 13” x 8 ¼”. Right in the center, create a 2” diameter hole.

On each side of the long end create a slit that’s 5” long (going across the short side) and 2 ½” away from the edge. Inside these slits, you’ll put two ¼” wing nuts and washers on the bottom side of the board, which will hold the next boards on.

You’ll use a 13 ¾” x 1 ¼” piece of board (3/4” thick) on each of the long ends of the main board. Attach one to each side on the top portion of the board (opposite side as the wing nuts), using ¼” 20 x 2” carriage bolts through the back of the main board and secure with those wing nuts and washers. This allows you to move the support boards as needed. Check out even more right here.

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Radius Dish Router Jig

This one is a little too complicated for us to simply talk you through it, so the video below is going to help you out with what you’re doing and even give you all the information you need to get the pieces ready for yourself.

When you’re done you’ll have a great jig that you can use to create beautiful dishes for whatever purpose you may want. It’s definitely going to add to your repertoire and it’s going to help you create some really unique projects at the same time.

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Radius Dish Router Jig from Devin Trom on Vimeo. (1, 2, 3)

Dovetail Jig

Another somewhat complicated jig is the dovetail jig. These ones are going to help you create dovetail joints for the woodworking projects that you create. They’re definitely beautiful and they’re extremely strong at the same time.

That’s definitely going to be a great choice for anything that you want and you can adjust it to create tapered ends, fingers or notched ends as well as making them different sizes or different spaces.

In the end, this option is really only limited by the creativity that you have when putting it together. And the jig itself can be arranged in different configurations to get multiple options out of one piece.

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Fence Micro-Adjuster

This is a simple jig that helps you to adjust your fence quickly and easily, but also only slightly. Your jigs clamp onto the table with one at each end of your fence and with a stop that hits the back of the fence. This ‘stop’ is just a cap screw that uses an Allen wrench to turn.

By just slightly twisting the Allen wrench when you’re looking for more adjustments you’ll easily be able to get just microscopic movements to get to the right spot, plus you move each side independently.

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Depth Gauge

This jig is going to be great for helping you understand where your bit really falls. You won’t have to just ‘eyeball it’ and you won’t have to keep breaking out your tape measure to get it done.

This gauge is simple because it just creates a wide ‘U’ that then uses a small piece of measuring tape or block to help you measure where the bit is in relation to where you want it to be.

You can set the tape to where you want the bit by just sliding it and then you set it right next to the bit, allowing you to get just the right distance more easily and accurately.

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Adjustable Trammel

If you’re looking to create circles and arcs then an adjustable trammel is a great option because it can create small or large diameters.

You’ll be able to create a whole lot of different sizes and shapes and you’re going to love the way it carves out designs for any project that you want to create.

The key is making sure your trammel has a large pivot block and just the right size options so you can create some really unique project designs whenever you want.

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Coping Sled

You’ll want this if you’re going to be doing any end-grain milling especially. It helps to hold the pieces together and makes sure that you won’t have any problems with walking or angling while you’re working on cutting your board. You can create it relatively easily and using it is even more simple.

So, if you’re interested in this use for your router, make sure you’re putting one together for yourself. There are plenty of different types of jigs out there and you may even create one of your own that seems to do a better job than anything else for some project or another.

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Final Remarks

The most important thing is just making sure that you have the jigs you need when you need to use them, so you’re not left trying to take on a project entirely on your own without the tools to help make it easier. These jigs are definitely going to make your life easier, but they aren’t the only jigs out there.

You can definitely find plenty more where these came from and plenty more wherever you look. Check out more on how to make some of these router jigs right here and be sure you don’t miss out on making your projects easier.