Bought a $400 jig for a one-off job and it turned into a comedy of errors...

I needed to cut a bunch of angled dados for a weird built-in, so I grabbed this fancy adjustable jig online thinking it would save me a day. The thing was so over-engineered that I spent more time setting it up than I would have just making a simple guide block... my helper just stared at me and said "boss, we could have been done by now." Anyone have a go-to method for odd angles that doesn't involve a three-ring binder of instructions?

3 comments

3 Comments

barbarahill2mo ago

Ever had to cut a weird compound angle like 17 degrees off square and then tilted 5 degrees? @jade885's speed square trick is solid, but for that mess I just clamp a straightedge to the workpiece and set the saw by eye against a printed paper protractor. It's janky but gets within a half degree which is good enough for filler.

jade8853mo ago

That "three-ring binder of instructions" feeling is way too real. Everyone's talking about common angles, but what about when you hit something like a 22.5 degree cut on a board that's already been scribed to a wonky wall? No fancy jig accounts for that extra twist. I just use two speed squares clamped together as a makeshift guide block, shim one side with a folded piece of sandpaper if I need a tiny adjustment. It's dumb and simple but it hasn't failed me yet.

bethcarr3mo ago

What was the actual angle you were trying to cut, and was the jig just too loose or did it have a million tiny parts to line up?