Simple jig helps make cuts for redwood planters

Sunset, June, 1989

Simple jig helps make cuts for redwood planters

To make identical angled cuts with a circular saw, build this simple jig out of scrap lumber and plywood or particle board. Use it to build the 12-sided planters shown on our cover and oh page 94, or for any project requiring repeated cuts on wood no thicker than a 2-by-2.

The jig's top guide pivots easily, letting you make crosscuts up to 90[deg].

You need a 4-foot-square piece of 1/2- or 3/4-inch particle board or plywood, about 8 feet of 2-by-2, and a 4-foot length of 1/8- or 1/4-inch wood trim or plywood.

Start by making the guide for your saw. Cut a 1-foot-wide section off one side of the particle board; center, glue, and tack the wood trim parallel to this piece's long sides. Butt the saw's base (or "shoe") against the trim and cut off the particle board tbat extends beyond the saw blade. Set the guide aside.

Use the remaining 3- by 4-foot piece of particle board for the jig's base. About 6 inches from one long side, glue then nail at each end two pieces of 4-foot-long 2-by-2, parallel to the side and spaced 9 inches apart. The distance between the 2by-2s lets you cut wood up to 2-by-8 in size; if you plan to cut wider wood, space the 2-by-2s farther apart.

Position the saw guide along one edge of the base so it lies on top of and square to the 2-by-2s. (The guide's cut edge should be on the inside.) Countersink a wood screw through the guide and into the 2-by-2 closest to the base's edge; place the screw 1 inch in from the trimmed edge.

The guide pivots on this screw.

To lock the guide in place at different angles, countersink another screw into the other 2-by-2 at various points along the guide's length. The jig picturects above has predrilled holes to stop the guide at 30[deg], 45[deg], 60[deg], and 90[deg].

To use the jig, set the guide at the desired angle and screw it in place. Lower the saw's blade so it barely cuts into the base. Check by cutting through the 2-by-2 closest to the base's edge. Next, feed wood under the guide, bracing the wood against the lower 2-by-2. For cutting identical lengths, such as the ones in our 12-sided planters, use an L-shaped stop block (see photograph).