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Upgrade Spring Loaded Thin Ripping Jig for Fence

3,105 views · Published 4 November 2016 · 5:07 · Indexed 18 October 2026

Channel: WorkshopAddict · 2016 · Howto & Style

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Our initial jig performed excellent but it had one flaw, you needed to take it on and off every time you wanted to load material into the blade. This took time and was a bit cumbersome. In our woodworking shop, if there is a problem, we like to solve it! We added an innovative spring pad to our initial thin ripping jig that makes it always at the ready.

The spring loaded pad elevates the entire jig off the surface of your table saw so you have access to run material along the fence. With using mostly 3/4" material, the 1" gap on the fence is more than enough. This eliminates the need to remove the jig after each rip cut.

 

How does it work?

We took the orginal jig and added the clamping pad. The clamping pad is slightly smaller than the span of the vertical sections on our factory table saw fence. There are four cap head bolts that are feed through the main part of the jig. In between the jig and the pad are springs, one on each cap head bolt. These springs provide the resistance that keeps the jig in the air. They compress when the user pushes down on the jig when it is time to use it.

The user pushes material into the blade and when the material clears the location of the spring loaded thin ripping jig, the user will press down to lower the jig and move the jig along the fence and catch the material and push it through the saw. Your hands are in a very safe spot before, during, and after the cut. When the material is pushed through the blade, raise the jig and slide it back to the starting position. It is up and out of the way and ready for another ripping operation.

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Could it be better?

That is something we would challenge you on! Take this design and make it better!

After using this spring loaded jig on numerous cuts, there is a concern when using it with stock that is outside the width of the pushing legs of the jig. For example, if you are using the 1/8" hardboard side and trying to push a 3" piece of wood through the saw, it will apply pressure to a very small area on the 3" piece of wood. This will apply that pressure to the side closest to the fence encouraging the board to go into the saw. Because of this, it is important to not use the jig with wider stock. It is also highly recommended to always use a riving knife or splitter when making through cuts on the table saw.

A solution to this problem would be to cut a notch in the sides that creates a hook. The jig would rest on the top of your material and also push it along. When trying to apply pressure with the current design, the legs wanted to do the splits. This would be bad to run material through the saw as it would push the material into the side of the blade. Maybe a support or different material could be used. Maybe we could incorporate replaceable sides? The ideas are endless!

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