by Andrew W. Davis

I finally hit the point of frustration on some on my jigs and fixtures and decided to take a detour from making things I wanted to make and turn to making the supports that I need to perform some needed tasks faster and more accurately. Given the limited time I have to spend in my workshop, particularly acute in the past 6 months, this detour has hurt and will continue to hurt for a few more months. But I am sure it will pay off in the long run.

1. First up is to make a new slab flattening jig. I’ve been using the existing one for many years. The problems I want to eliminate include an easier height adjustment (the Z axis) for the sled; a much better dust collection system overall; and smoother motion in the X and Y axis. I’ve seen many DiY slab flattening jigs on YouTube and I am testing out some of their features on my own DiY solution. Try-modify-try-modify but I am still not done. I have adopted a new way to hold cupped and warped boards and slabs in place.  A decent slab flattening system can hold wood wider than my 13 inch planer and should be good for end-grain cutting boards.
2. Next is a simple holder for either the table saw or the band saw to cut small wedges or shims. In the past I have used the cheap shims you can get at the big box stores, but if you need a shim that will show in the final product, you really need to use much better looking wood. I have used splines on most of the mitered frames I have built. You can try either to cut a path to match the thickness of the spline wood you have, or you can try to reduce the thickness of the wood to match the thickness of the cut you made. I saw a neat video that demonstrated how two shims working together can fill a spline cut perfectly. Proper tightness is key to success.
3. My last project (09-2026 Bevel Cut) required 27 pieces of 18 x 2 walnut at 1/8” thickness. I had an old, inexpensive thin rip jig (from Rockwell if my memory serves me well). Like others that are available with a similar design, they require you to move the table saw fence after each cut. Tedious, and not really conducive for repeatability. I saw several versions of a different approach on YouTube videos and am in the midst of trying to work out my own version- one that will allow the thickness of the thin strip to be adjustable. I am amazed at the stupid mistakes I have made – in one case the clamps get in the way; in another the attachment to the table saw fence is a similar problem. I’ve already drilled too many holes so once the design is complete, I will make a prettier version.
4. Years ago, I made a jig to cut slots for splines on picture frames. The jig works OK but, depending on the size of the frame, does not have a great way to hold the frame securely. It’s also been cut up and beat up over the years. I’m going to make a new one that uses dovetail slots and dovetail clamps to give me the versatility I need along with better clamping pressure.

I don’t mind challenges. While all of this sounds like a task list many EMGW members could knock off in a short afternoon, this is not the case for me. I will say this however, I’ve come to appreciate plans and instructions. With plans at your side you don’t have to figure out how wide the platform has to be, where the screws should be located so they don’t interfere with the operation of the jig or the saw blade itself, and how the order in which steps are taken may be more important than you first think.