Router Jigs of the Dummies Variety

A shop-made router jig

If you were to ask someone about "How to Make Router Jigs," the best possible answers would probably come from people who 1) know what a router jig is, 2) have experience using a router, preferably with a jig, and 3) know how to make router jigs. Anyone who can't meet all three of those criteria would be a non-optimal candidate, don't you think? Well, today's DotD nominee doesn't have any of those three qualifications! It should come as no surprise, then, that she posted this at eHow.com; nor should it be surprising that she's Lacy Enderson... again.

Any idiot can google "router jig" and come up with

"A router jig is... a guide or a template for your router..."

...although actual router users probably know that a jig isn't necessarily a "device that you set on your workpiece"; many are used with a router table (another woodworking tool Enderson knows nothing about). Nevertheless, Lacy does get the reason for making and/or using router jigs right:

"Jigs are usually used for making repetitive motions and duplicate items..."

...although we question the meaning of "making repetitive motions," we get the idea. Since Lacy informs her readers that jigs are "made from wood and are simple to construct," it follows that she will then provide instructions for doing so. Sadly, we could not find the original of Enderson's instructions, so we can't see if they're as boneheaded as hers. We (finally) learned what sort of jig Lacy was describing:

"The one described in this article is ideal for cutting grooves in panels, and it serves as a basic template for making other types of jigs..."

...but we were rather confused about its design. For instance, Lacy's "things you'll need" list calls for a 16-inch 2-by-4 and a 36-inch 1-by-3. The 1-by-3 is supposed to be fixed six inches from the end of the 2-by-4 with wood screws (square it with a framing square). We (kinda) followed that... Then, Lacy says to "Put a 1/4-inch gouging [sic] bit into your router and make a groove on each side of the 1-by-3." "Line up your router jig groove line with a line on your panel you wish to groove. Using the groove line on the jig as your guide, route [sic] a groove on the panel by resting the router against the guide rail."

We think she meant "grooving bit," but we still aren't sure WTF "Line up your router jig groove line with a line on your panel you wish to groove" is supposed to mean, though we imagine it probably means to align the edge of the jig with one of the lines you already routed. Oh, and Lacy? The router has to be moving along the guide, not "resting... against the guide rail."


There are many problems with this article, including the fact that this shop-built jig won't work on any panel wider than about 20 inches, Lacy says zip about clamping the jig, and she says nothing about making sure the boards used to form the jig are straight. That's because, as she's amply demonstrated before, Lacy knew nothing about the topic before claiming her stipend from Demand Media. No wonder this is her fifteenth trip to the podium to claim a Dumbass of the Day award...

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