Router Jigs and Techniqueswith Bernie Maas

and Michael Fortune

Plans and guide to the video workshop

The Taunton Press, Inc. 1986

Jigs for Router Joinery

My aim in making jigs is versatility. The designs shown here were first presented in myarticle, Router Joinery, in the March 86 issue of Fine Woodworking magazine. Youmay see some differences between these drawings and the actual jigs in the video,because jigs evolve. The principle is to make them fit as many different stock applica-tions as possible.Bernie Maas

The Steps for Making My Hand Mirror

I began making these hand mirrors seven years ago because I wanted to develop asmall-scale, limited-production item that would be handsome, useful and preciselycrafted. As I continue to make them, the procedures continue to evolve. Ive made ver-sions of these mirrors that come predominantly from the lathe, and others that comefrom handtools. The procedures Ive outlined here star the router because thats thefocus of this video, and the mirror is an excellent project to display the range of thingsthe router can do. Beyond the particulars of the mirrors manufacture, and beyond thenumerous tips and techniques demonstrated that have wider application, I hope youwill glean some general principles of limited-production.

Most important is how a complex project is organized so that early steps provide themeans to do later ones. A surface or shape produced in one operation keys the tool orindexes the jig for the next operation. Waste is not removed until patterns can no longerbe mounted on it. The point of such organization is to ensure precision, consistency,and efficiency. You dont have to make this hand mirror to find these steps valuable.They embody an approach that can be applied to many woodworking productions.Michael Fortune

The numbered steps in this section correspond to the numbers in the upper left-handcorner of the video screen.