Jigs, Tips and Tricks

The trickiest part of installing stair treads is often cutting them to fit perfectly between the walls or baseboard. The Perfect Fit Stair Tread and Shelf Gauge makes it easy to measure the length of the tread and determine the angles of the sides walls at the same time. The gauge adjust to match the length. And, if the side walls are not perpendicular to the tread, the gauge also adjusts to match the angles of the side walls. It works with treads from 28" to 48" long.

A blanket chest makes a beautiful and useful addition to any home. Making a blanket chest is a classic woodworking project. A blanket chest is essentially a large box with a hinged lid. You can design your blanket chest to be as simple or ornate as you like.

This blanket chest is designed with clean lines and few ornate details. It features box joint corners that are structurally strong and beautiful. Box joints are easy to form with a router table and a Router Table Box Joint Jig . The following video walks you through the basic process of using a Router Table Box Joint Jig. Plus, you can download the Free Blanket Chest Plan.

What is a box joint? How do you make a box joint corner? Learn how to cut box joints using a Router Table Box Joint Jig and your router table or a table saw box joint jig and table saw. Box joints might not be the most interesting or attractive joints, but they are very sturdy and simple to cut in most shops. Although not quite as iconic as dovetails, box joints are versatile for all kinds of projects. They don’t mechanically interlock like dovetails, but box joints do have lots of surface area, so they’re very strong when glued together. You can use them to build attractive boxes and trays, good-looking drawers and carcasses, and tool totes and chests strong enough to withstand daily use.

These six innovative router jigs make your router or router table even more versatile. These 6 jigs make it possible for your router to cut tight box joints, perfect circles, beautiful dovetail joints, and more! Even a beginning woodworker will be able to safely and quickly produce professional results with these 6 Rockler Router Jigs.

You can use a combo square to measure out the squareness of your edge compared to the face.

You’ll never have enough clamps, and you'll never run out of clamping challenges. One of the most common is keeping stock in position and lined up while the glue dries.

The Rockler Taper/Straight Line Jig makes it easy to cut straight-line edges or tapered cuts. Often you'll need to rip tapers when making legs that get more slender from top to bottom, like the shaker end table, or the angled back slats on an Adirondack chair. This jig also makes it safe and easy to rip a straight edge that is parallel to the opposite edge.

A tilting router table can provide more options than a standard table for shaping parts, cutting joinery and more.