Here is a simple jig that enables the safe and accurate cutting of lock-miter corner joints that require both a horizontal and a vertical pass over the router bit. Cutting these joints by holding boards in a vertical position with just your hands is a daunting task. The operation can be dangerous, and the results can be inaccurate.

This jig requires a sturdy, extra high router-table fence. Mine is 6-1/2 in. high and more than 1-1/2 in. thick. The jig carriage consists of an 18-in.-long slide, cut from the same stock as the fence to ensure identical thickness. The front and back guides are 5-in. by 8-in. chunks of 1/2-in.-thick plywood. One De-Sta-Co clamp holds the workpiece tightly against the jig. Because the carriage fits snugly over the top edge of the fence, only light hand pressure is needed to hold the lower part of the board against the fence as it engages the bit. You can accommodate workpieces of different widths by moving the clamp.

Norman Ellis, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Fine Woodworking Magazine, June 2002 No. 156

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