Shop made jigs, fixtures, contraptions, etc.

[Dave Shepard]

I'm always making some sort jig, fixture, or storage system around the shop to try and keep my sanity, and my extremities, intact. I thought I'd share a couple of them. I'm hoping other people can share theirs here as well, and start a sort of collection of peoples solutions to problems around the shop.


I use a lot of wedges around the shop, mostly for levelling up timbers during layouts and repairs. These have a tendency to evaporate when I'm not looking. Making new ones on the SCMS isn't hard to do, other than it doesn't like ripping black locust and white oak. Also, as you work your way across the block, you are getting closer to the blade at every pass, and the SCMS wants to pull the block up off the table. I saw a contraption somewhere that I think is called a coping sled for a table saw. Might be something entirely different, I'm not a power tool person. I decided I'd make one for wedges. I make two different weges, a 1° and a 2°, so I screwed two strips to a piece of plywood, one at .5° and one at 1°. As you flip the block, you end up doubling the degree of the wedge. I made the fixture wider than it needed to be, and just ripped it to width on the saw. You will notice that I did most of it by eye, and neglected to locate the screws in the right place. :D It rides on a 3/8"x3/4" ash strip, and is reversible for different degree wedges. I might make one fence square, instead of for 2°, as I don't make many of those. I'm going to look for a clamp that I can screw in the middle to hold the workpiece. Zero clearance insert and push sticks required.

Trimming to width:



Less than a minutes worth of wedge making:




I've got a big bench on wheels that I roll around the shop to get close to the timbers I'm working on at the moment. I have a few tools that were either taking up too much room, or weren't cooperating, like the bit brace, that kept rolling around. I made up this quick contraption to contain some of them. The screws are 3 1/2" long,  going almost all the way through so that the little tabs don't break off the board. White pine with oak toggles.




Anyone else want to share their widgets? :D

[SwampDonkey]

Most of the time I make some kind of widget for the moment. It sits around for a while after use until I have a "toss into the fire" mode.  This is because I sometimes don't remember what it was for, or it had to be custom for that one project. About the only useful shop item I recently constructed was a cabinet to keep stuff from being scattered all over the benches. I still need a system of custom drawers to hide electric hand tools away. I hate tools all over and cords dangling to step on the plug ends. And if you step on the cord, it is most always on that dang plug end. I hate it!! grrr!  ;D :D :D :D :D

[bill m]

One wall of the basement at my FILs is covered with jigs he has made over the years. I couldn't even begin to guess what each one was for.

[DeepWoods]

Here is a Bin Carousel that I just finished.  Hopefully this will take care of some of the clutter in my shop.  I don't seem to have enough wall space, so I thought having something that would roll around the shop would work for me.
I left it open at the top so I could store my bar clamps as well.   


Now I can take time to sort out the stuff I have in 5 gallon pails into the bins to make it easier to find things.

[redbeard]

Great idea! and good job. Looks like you made them so there removable too!

[thecfarm]

DeepWoods, I could use a few of them. I thought that's half the fun hunting for things. Than finding things I forgot I had.

[ljmathias]

I agree- finding stuff you forgot you had is great fun... till you forget again that you have it.  Can't remember how many times I've re-found the same thing, said to myself, "Self, remember that and where it is for when you need it."  "self" doesn't pay much attention... :(

Lj