How to Make a Jigsaw Table

Hey everybody, I'm Tommy. Today I'm going to show you how I made this vice mounted jigsaw table. Whether it's your first time here or even if you've been here before, welcome to One Minute Workbench. I've had more viewer requests for a jigsaw table than anything else yet so far. Most of the people who say they want to build a jigsaw table say that they don't have a bandsaw and they want to build this as an alternative. I already have a bandsaw and that's far superior to a jigsaw table for making most kind of curved cuts and so forth, but a jigsaw table will allow me to make internal cuts and a bandsaw can't do that. So between the viewer requests and the fact that this will add some functionality to my shop, I decided to give it a go. I built this entire project from scraps I had on hand. I built the majority of it from plywood but used a little bit of hardwood for certain pieces. If you want to build one of these for yourself, you can download the plans from my website. This is white oak and I'm using it to make some blade guides. After drawing my marks on the oak, I drilled a series of holes to help me make a slot in each of the guides. To cut the slot, I disassembled my coping saw and threaded it through one of the holes. This allowed me to cut lines to connect the two holes and create the slot. I did the same thing for both guides. I then cut the two pieces apart and squared up their ends on the disc sander. Based on the measurements from my plans, I drilled a hole near the end of this strip of plywood. I drew marks and cut a notch to accommodate a guide bearing. I then cut a similar notch in another strip of plywood. I used a guide block to help me determine a location for the block that wouldn't interfere with the bearing and then marked that position. These two pieces will become the arm that holds the blade guides. These three pieces of plywood will make up the vice mounting portion of the jigsaw table. Instead of using clamps, I pre-drilled some screw holes, added glue, and then added screws to pull everything together. When adding the table portion, I staggered the screws to increase their strength. Since the jigsaw vibrates pretty aggressively, I added this supporting frame around the to help increase its rigidity. I added glue, secured it in place with a few pins, and then added clamps. I then removed the clamps after the glue was dry. These pieces will make up the base that holds the blade guide arm. I fastened them together with glue, pins, and clamps. Then I started working on the adjustment knob. The adjustment knob is pretty simple. I just drilled a counterbore and a through hole in the larger piece, and a little bit smaller through hole in the smaller piece. The counterbore is to accommodate the head of a hex bolt, so I used my calipers to make sure that the depth was just right. I threaded the smaller hole in the smaller piece to match the threads of the hex bolt. Using my disc sander, I rounded out the smaller piece and then rounded the corners and smoothed the edges of the bigger piece. The counterbore is just the right size that allows the hex bolt to be hammered into place without having to chisel out the hex shape. The threads in the smaller piece provide the clamping force needed for the glue, and the smaller piece prevents the hex head from backing out. The blade guide arm was a bit too snug, so I sanded it until it was just right. I marked the center of the table and then mounted the blade guide's base. I used glue and screws. The screws I had on hand were a little short, so I drilled some counterbores before the pilot holes to give me a little extra depth. I marked the center of the table and then drew these marks to help me create a slot in the blade guide arm. I drilled the slot out on the drill press as best I could, and then finished smoothing out the slot with a round file. I drilled a hole in the base and then tapped it to match the threads of the hex bolt. The threaded knob was a little long, so I cut it down to size using an angle grinder. I also filed down the sharp edges using a flat file. Figuring out how to center the jigsaw was challenging, but I eventually got the idea to first create the correct spacing for the guides that would hold it in place. I used my calipers to measure the jigsaw's base, and then pin nailed the guides at that distance. From there, I used the markings on my small combination square to get the guides centered. I drew some marks, applied glue, re-centered the guides, and then nailed them in place. I then removed the spacers and any pin nails that remained. I didn't have any clamps that could reach the middle, so I just stacked as much weight as I could on top of the guides. I then cut these pieces that will clamp the jigsaw in place. Notice that there is a slight angle and a small gap. This is what's going to create the clamping force. I glued the smaller pieces in place and gave them some time to dry. I drilled this hole in the table just a couple of inches back from where the blade is going to be. I mounted the table upside down, inserted the jigsaw, and then cut through to its final location. I then added two screws to each of the clamping blocks to clamp the jigsaw in place. With the jigsaw securely mounted, I worked on finishing the blade guide arm. I used a piece of hardwood to create spacers for the bearing. After drilling the correctly sized holes, I cut the piece in two, and then created the round shapes that were needed using the disc sander. I secured the bearing in place, and then mounted the arm onto the jigsaw table. I added the blade guides, but used the wrong kind of screws. Because of this, I actually cracked one of the guides during installation. I was pretty eager to test the saw though, so I gave it a shot even with the bad blade guide. During one of my test cuts, the guide cracked even more. Everything still seemed to be working okay, so I kept on with my tests. One of the main things I wanted to test was how well the jigsaw table would do for internal cuts, so I gave that a shot. As you can see here, the jigsaw table does a pretty good job of holding some tight turns. Not as good as a scroll saw, but pretty good nonetheless. I created some new guide blocks with shorter slots so they'd be less likely to crack, and found some screws with heads that would be better suited to this application. I know some people are going to say that the blade guides should be behind the teeth, but the teeth on this jigsaw blade are much more rigid than the teeth on a bandsaw blade, and since the guides are wooden, the teeth just cut a path for themselves right into the blocks. With the better blade guides installed, the saw performed even better than it had before. I installed a switch to make the table easier to operate. The jigsaw I used in this project actually has a cracked base. Since it's no longer good to be used outside of this table, I just cut the cord and installed the switch in line. If you're building one of these with your only jigsaw, you could install an outlet and switch combo to avoid having to cut the cord. Since the jigsaw is going to be operated by the switch, I used a zip tie to permanently engage the switch on the saw. With everything working properly, I disassembled it and added six coats of polyurethane. This jigsaw table only cost a few dollars to make, and it actually performs better than I expected. As I mentioned earlier, it gives me a little more capability in the shop by allowing me to make internal cuts, and that alone really made this project worthwhile. Hey, thanks for watching! I really hope you enjoyed this video. If you haven't already, be sure to like and subscribe, and make sure you hit the bell icon so you get notified every time there's a new episode. I'd love to hear what you think of this vice-mounted jigsaw table in the comment section below, and if you have any quick questions you want answered, hit me up on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. And until the next time I see you, I hope you have fun building something.