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Jigs and Fixtures: Safety Accessories and Extras From "Wood Works" episode WWK-613

	As you build complex woodworking projects -- like this Asian-inspired sitting bench -- there will inevitably be a need to make identical cuts on several pieces of stock. Those repetitive tasks are where jigs become essential. As you gain understanding of the tasks in your project, the job of designing jigs becomes easier.
	David Marks uses a miter jig so frequently that he had one custom made out of aluminum.

In this special episode of DIY Wood Works, host David Marks discusses and demonstrates the uses of jigs and fixtures in woodworking. In this segment, he demonstrates the uses of some accessories that make woodworking safer.

Some of the tools and jigs featured in this episode include:

Trammel-arm jig
Miter jig
Miter gauge
Tenoning jig
Tapering jig
Table-saw cradle jig
Dovetail jig
Mortising jig
Dado jig
Drill-press jig
Table saw
Table router
Plunge router
Band saw
Drill press
Clamps
Push sticks
Push blocks
Finger board
Safety glasses and ear protection

Tip: When designing and making jigs and fixtures, make them out of the most inexpensive materials possible and practical -- such as MDF or scrap plywood. Most jigs are expendable, and are only used for a current job. If, however, you're creating a jig that you think you'll use for multiple projects, consider making it out of a more durable material such as Baltic birch, apple plywood or a hardwood. For example, David Marks uses a miter jig so frequently that he had one custom made out of aluminum.

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Safety Accessories

Whenever designing jigs and fixtures -- as in all of woodworking -- safety is the highest priority. As a corollary to this show on jigs and fixtures, here are a few safety accessories that will help make your woodworking projects safer.

• Push sticks are an important safety accessory (figure A). David created these out of plywood, and designed each with a long handle.

• These implements feature a notch on the base that's ideal for safely feeding stock across the table of a stationary power tool (figure B) while keeping your fingers away from the blades.

  Figure A

  Figure B

  
  

  
  

• A push block has a large handle, sculpted plywood base and sandpaper-coated bottom (figure C).

• The push block is designed for safely applying downward pressure to hold stock steady. This accessory is frequently used at the jointer to keep the woodworker's fingers safely away from the knives (figure D).

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

  
  

• A finger board or feather board is designed to keep a work piece steady and flush against a fence, or flat on the table of a stationary machine, by applying even pressure. All feather boards have flexible "feathers" cut into an end.

• To create a feather board, simply trace out a diagonal line on the end of a board, then use the band saw to cut along layout marks spaced 1/4" apart (figure E).

• Then cut along the diagonal to create the "feathered" end (figure F).

  Figure E

  Figure F

  
  

  
  

• With the feather board clamped in position (figure G), the fingers push against the work piece -- while flexing only in one direction (figure H) -- to prevent the stock from being kicked back.

  Figure G

  Figure H

  
  

RESOURCES :

The Small Wood Shop (The Best of Fine Woodworking)
Author: Helen Albert (Editor)
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561580619

Woodworking Techniques: Best Methods for Building Furniture from Fine Woodworking
Author: Editors of Fine Woodworking magazine
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561583456

David Marks Website
David Marks, DIY's Wood Works host, is a master woodworker. For more information on cut sizes and project details, please contact him via his Website at www.djmarks.com

Woodworker's Guide to Wood: Softwoods, Hardwoods, Plywoods, Composite, Veneers
Model: 080836878
Author: Rick Peters
(2000)
Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
Website: www.sterlingpub.com

Fine Woodworking
A magazine devoted to high-quality craftsmanship in woodworking.
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com

How to Design and Build Your Ideal Woodshop
Model: 1558704817
Author: Bill Stankus
Popular Woodworking Books