How to Make an Adjustable Profile Jig

Adjustable profile jigs can be used with routers on cabinet doors.

Cabinetmakers use a type of adjustable profile jig for cabinet doors. The jig lets them route a thin border around the outside perimeter of cabinet doors for aesthetic purposes. Factory made profile jigs employ a metal framework that slides on runners. By making an adjustable jig out of plywood, it's easier to customize for different door sizes. The added stability of plywood makes the jig solid and less likely to bend or wear out. Start by making an adjustable profile jig for standard 18-by-21-inch cabinet doors.

Things You'll Need

• Hardwood plywood, 3/4-by-18-by-21-inches
• Straightedge, 48-inch
• Table saw
• 4 hardwood blocks, 3/4-by-2-by-2-inches
• Cordless drill
• Drill bit, 3/16-inch
• 4 wood screws, 1 1/4-inch
• Hand clamps
• Router with profile bit

Instructions

1. Lay the plywood on a worktable. Use a straightedge and a pencil to draw a border 2 inches from the outside edge along the inside perimeter of the plywood.

2. Slide the table saw fence over and lock it down 2 inches from the blade. Lower the blade below the surface of the table. Place the plywood on the table saw against the fence above the point where the blade emerges. Hold the plywood down with your left hand.

3. Turn on the saw. Use your right hand to crank the blade up until the blade emerges out through the top of the plywood. Push the plywood forward carefully until you come to the intersecting point of the penciled-in border that you drew on the plywood. Lower the blade.

4. Turn the plywood one quarter turn at a time and repeat Step 3 until you have cut around the perimeter that you drew on the plywood. Lower the blade and remove the center. You should now have a 2-inch plywood frame.

5. Lay the frame on a flat surface. Place one 2-inch block in each corner. Pre-drill through the corners of the blocks at an angle with a cordless drill using a 3/16-inch bit. Place screws in the holes and tighten the blocks to the framework with the cordless gun.

6. Clamp the adjustable jig to the face of a 18-by-21-inch cabinet door. Use the adjustable jig by using a router and a profiled router bit to cut an aesthetic border around the inside of the door. Adjust the jig by removing the blocks and changing router bits to create a raised panel door.

Tips & Warnings

• Make separate jigs for popular sizes of doors. Adjust the panels even more by placing different sizes of blocks in the corners or using blocks with round or french-curve profiles.

• Wear safety glasses when working with wood. Take care when cutting the panels on the table saw. Do not place your hand over the point where the blade emerges up through the table.