- A router jig is placed over a piece of wood that is about to be routed. It is usually clamped into place using simple hand clamps right onto the piece of wood. The router is then set against the side of the jig and worked along its edge. The router jig guides the router through the cut until it is finished, creating a perfect straight or curved line.
- The most common type of router jig is the straight jig which can be made from a simple two-by-four and makes a straight line. Other types of router jigs include the dovetail jig, used for making dovetail joints; box joint jigs, which are used to create wood box joints or square joints; mortise and tenon jigs for cutting smooth mortises and tenons; and finally the precision jig, which allows you to place your router on a precise point to make a cut.
- Wood router jigs have different features depending on the type of jig you use. However, they all have a positioning system which allows you to set the router in place. This can be an edge where the router is simply set against the side of the jig and worked back and forth, or a hole where the router bit is inserted into, or a channel that the bit is moved through. Jigs have added functions like measuring for angle joints, and the ability to accept a number of different-sized bits.
- Without router jigs, many of the fine joinery cabinets and furniture you see and enjoy would not be possible. It takes an incredibly precise hand to cut small dovetail joints into a piece of wood, so a jig that can produce these small cuts is necessary. Router jigs also allow beginners and novices who know how to use the jigs to produce high-quality work on a router.
- Router jigs come in all sizes from small foot-long straight-edge jigs for routing channels, to larger table router jigs that can create advanced joinery systems. The size of the jig is important, however, because it determines the distance of your cut and affects the size of the project you can make. A small table router can only incorporate a small sized jig as well. For long channels, or to cut a large mortise, you will not only need a larger jig, but a larger routing table as well.
