Seeing how well the jigsaw cuts with the guide that keeps the blade vertical, now all I needed was a crosscut sled to make precise 90-degree cuts and get cuts as accurate as those that can be made with the table saw. Although it should be noted that a jigsaw cuts the wood much more slowly.
If you follow my YouTube channel, you know that my DIY table jigsaw is one of the tools I use the most in my home woodworking shop.
This sled for table jigsaw is easier to make than the sled for crosscutting on the table saw,but the principle of operation is the same: two runners slide parallel to the cutting direction of the jigsaw blade, and on the runners there is a base to which is attached a wood strip that serves as a fence. I put the wood to be cut against that fence. And of course, that fence is prefect at 90º to the cutting direction. This way, with the wood to be cut against the fence while sliding the sled against the jigsaw blade, I achieve precise and straight 90-degree cuts. Since the slot in the base and in the fence are just right the thickness of the blade kerf, we can use these slots to adjust the position of the workpiece to be cut and cut accurately. In addition, these zero clearance slots serve to greatly reduce the splintering that usually occurs when cutting wood strips and boards.
See how I made this -> table jigsaw with a hand-held jigsaw tool for woodworking.
To make this sled to guide the wood on the table jigsaw I wanted to improvise on the fly and take advantage of the wood offcuts I had in the workshop. That’s why the wood strips were a little short and the thin marquetry sheet has that old look. The wood strip that I use to make the fence is thick enough to be attached firmly on the thin plywood base, and although I thought I could use one a little more height, it will probably be perfect for most of the wood strips I will usually cut with this woodworking jig.
But finally I had a problem that does not allow me to align the jigsaw blade correctly and the cuts started to come out crooked. See this post about the problems I had when cutting wood strips with a miter sled for table jigsaw. I think that with a jigsaw with a better quality blade clamp I will correct some problems.
