Those of us who have wanted to straighten bowed boards on a tablesaw have seen elaborate jigs that ride along the saw fence to give defective stock a perfect, straight cut. Here’s one that’s cheap and easy to make.

Start by screwing and gluing a 6-ft.-long board, 1-1/2 in. thick by 2-1/2 in. wide, to a 7-ft. scrap piece of hardwood plywood to make the base. The hold-downs are 3-in. muffler clamps ($3 at auto-supply stores), with wing nuts, snug-fitting nylon sleeves, and rubber feet. The threads on the opposite leg of the clamps simply drop into 3/8-in.-dia. holes in the base. These clamps flex a bit and consequently lock down tight on the stock when the wing nut is tightened. I drilled multiple holes in the base so that I can shift the clamp positions as needed.

Drawing by Jim Richey

Drawing by Jim Richey

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