First Jig suggestions


Redbaran

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A crosscut sled is a great first jig. Imo the sled you linked to is trying to me to much of a multitasker. Imo what you want is a sled with 2 runners and a simple back fence.

Add a panel sled and a miter sled and you've pretty much got my three required jigs for any tablesaw...

My current one is based very loosely on one from Wood magazine a couple of years back. It has a plexiglass guard that runs along above where the blade runs to stop chips and serves as a reminder of where not to put your hands. I also added a box behind the back of the slide where the blade runs when you complete a cut that the plexiglass continues over. This way, if you are nibbling out a dado or something and you need to have the top of the blade arc right at the back of the slide, your fingers can get nowhere near the blade as it comes out the back of the sled and you can still see where the blade is at all times.

It's starting to get a little ratty though. MIght have to make a new one soon, the new version may have t-track on it. I like the track on the plan you have. I have a couple of other ideas too that I may want to try out.

-Jim

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  • 2 weeks later...

I found the second jig I needed was a miter spline jig. Mine is an adaption of the version shown in David Mark's shop. Much like the cross cut sled, there are several approaches to this. IMO, it really depends on the type of projects you are working on. For instance, if you are cutting splines into picture frames, you need lots of vertical support. If you are splining boxes, you need more horizontal support.

As a novice, I really enjoy making jigs. It puts more projects under my belt....giving me confidence in my tools and skills as well as practicing the reverse engineering required in all woodwork.

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