Wood working Weekly Discussion Thread: Do you build your own tools and jigs? What is the best shop built tool in your shop?

Weekly Discussion Thread: Do you build your own tools and jigs? What is the best shop built tool in your shop?
Made my first cutting board. Not perfect, but its mine.
Had a friend turn a handle for a fly rod I'm building, it's too beautiful for me not to share.
almost done and pretty happy with the balcony deck i build
Baby yoda
A blanket chest I made using quarter sawn Cherry
New key and leash rack made out of my old skateboards
Finish! Mantaray in pear wood
Oak and walnut, wireless charging, Bluetooth amp, hand cut castle joints, pop-up light
The wife liked her birthday present
Making more LEGO inspired minifig lamps.
Just finished turning my new shaving brush handle for a HMW badger knot.. black palm. I think it matches the brush nicely.. thoughts?
Swedish chef
Making the most of my quarantine time and made a cabinet for my mud room
My first go at a spoon and second ever whittle
A gift for my father
It’s not perfect but it’s my first project and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out
Let’s take a moment to talk about shop safety...
I made a couch table with laminated ply and white oak. It’s pretty solid
Keep calm and build something. �� Much love
Picture of the desk, video takes sometime to load and is in poor quality. Oak and walnut with wireless charging, Bluetooth amp, and pop-up light.
First post here! - Behind the couch bar top from reclaimed wood
My first quarantine project, a dice and pencil box. Wenge, Sapele, zebrawood, walnut, and oak. Finished with teak oil.
Butcher block top console table I just finished. Trying to make the best use of my time. Been thinking about this idea for a while and finally brought it to life!

Weekly Discussion Thread: Do you build your own tools and jigs? What is the best shop built tool in your shop?

Posted: 20 Mar 2020 11:42 AM PDT

The great thing about being a maker and woodworker is the not only the ability to make a thing but to fashion unique tools you don't have to make other things. Over the years I've proven to myself beyond doubt that building your own tool isn't necessarily cheaper, but it is more satisfying overall. (The same can be said of all woodworking) I figured I'd post some of the jigs and tools I've built first and others could post some of theirs. Which of your self-made tools is the most useful to you?

Sometimes I build my own tools for increased precision, such as a jig for chiseling out the "knuckles" of a Roubo Bookstand, sometimes I just need a more economical means of storing tools in a small shop, or sometimes I have a slight need for something but end up having way too much fun building it to stop. I think I have just as much fun building up my shop and the tools in it as I do making anything else. but that's the hobby. Here are a few others:

Small crosscut sled and a miter attachment.

A smattering of other tools, including a Moxon vise, magnetic dovetail guides, and dovetail alignment board.

I made a DIY vacuum pump specifically for vacuum bag veneering. It was a prime example of it being more expensive to build than buy, but whaddayagonnado?

One of the best additions to my shop has been a 3D printer. Now I can get even more inventive and design things specifically for my needs and that fit perfectly that I might otherwise not be able to build. No one makes a sliding-gate siamese for your dust collection? No problem, a few hours in Fusion 360 and a lot more in print time and you're golden. This is the only thing in the woodshop I've taken pictures of, but I keep finding uses for it in my house and shop than my original intended purpose for it.

So what are your favorite shop-made tools? Which ones should new woodworkers build for their fledgling shops?

submitted by /u/Squeazle
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Made my first cutting board. Not perfect, but its mine.

Posted: 20 Mar 2020 08:00 AM PDT